Beautiful Cabrera National Marine Park

The four days at Cabrera Marine Park were a total tonic after a rather bumpy (literally) start to the sailing season.  This group of tiny islands just south of Mallorca was made into a National Marine Park in 1991.  We had one of our best sails ever coming to this beautiful location.  Then upon rounding the headland we were greeted with one of the prettiest harbours.

Entrance to the harbour

Songster is the blue boat on the top right

The harbour entrance and castle

 

As in all the places in the Med, these islands have been occupied by a succession of powers.  First by a community of monks during the 5^th to 8^th Centuries, then the Moors controlled this part of the world for several centuries.  In the 14^th Century a castle was built on the headland to defend against the Berber pirates.

The 14th Century Castle

Byzantium necropolis

Then in 1808 during the Napoleonic Wars, the island was used to intern 9,000 French prisoners of whom only about one third survived.  The area continued to be a military zone until 1980’s.  Thankfully today it is a well-protected marine environment.  Small tripper boats come every day from Mallorca with school children and visitors who come for a few hours to clamber over the castle then swim in the crystal clear water.  At night it was just the yachties swinging on moorings under a moonlit sky.

Due to its isolation this group of islands have several unique species of flora and fauna and vast marine meadows of Posidonia sea grass, which in the Mediterranean are like coral reefs for their importance to biodiversity.  One of the unique land species that are everywhere is the Lilford's wall lizard.  These friendly little lizards seem to have so much personality that I kept imagining them in a Disney animation.

 

 

 

Nibbling lettuce from my finger

There is no fishing around the islands and a real sanctuary for fish in the over-fished Mediterranean.  In our 5 years snorkelling around in the Med, I have never seen such plentiful waters.  The Sea Bream were nearly double the size I have seen anywhere else.  I even saw a barracuda – very exciting.  The fish seem to have no fear of humans.  Schools followed me to the boat, hoping for a feed or wanting to bite my toes?  One Salema even bit Bob on the finger.

Pretty Rainbow wrasse

Large Sea Bream

Bitey Salema

View of the fish from Songster's deck

 So we spent our days swimming, snorkelling, taking long walks and socialising with some of the other boats moored in the bay.  It was a thoroughly delightful time.

Mallorca in the distance