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Make mooring the itinerary’s first question
Ibiza and Formentera look close on a chart, but the practical constraint is where you may safely and legally stay. Formentera’s official tourism office says La Savina is the island’s only port, with more than 150 moorings across two marinas, and that anchoring on Posidonia is prohibited. Your route therefore needs a reservation plan before it needs a beach list.
Use Ibiza as both the arrival hub and the safety valve. The official Ibiza nautical map lists several port and marina options, so you can shorten the Formentera crossing, wait for a better window or return early without turning the week into a failure. The trip is successful when the crew returns with its berth, fuel and airport margin intact.
| Day | Mooring-first route task |
|---|---|
| 1 — Ibiza marina | Handover, fuel, provisions and a confirmed berth; brief the crew on protected seabeds. |
| 2 — Cala d’Hort / Es Vedrà window | Use the landmark in daylight; anchor or buoy only after checking the current local map and sea state. |
| 3 — Cross to La Savina | Cross only with the buoy/berth plan ready; keep a mainland-facing Ibiza fallback. |
| 4 — Formentera north | Base the day around La Savina, Ses Illetes or an authorised sandy area; never drag anchor across Posidonia. |
| 5 — Es Caló / east Formentera | Use a short local hop and confirm whether the chosen cove is inside a regulated area. |
| 6 — Return to Ibiza | Leave early for a confirmed Ibiza berth; choose Santa Eulalia or Talamanca only if the operator agrees. |
| 7 — Checkout | Fuel receipt, inventory, deposit paperwork and airport transfer. |
Start in the marina that protects the flight
For a first or flight-sensitive charter, choose an Ibiza marina with a written after-hours handover and a realistic final checkout. The 2025 Port of Ibiza plan shows multiple facilities, but the right choice depends on yacht length, draft, shore power and the operator’s transfer time. Ask for the exact berth, not simply “Ibiza marina.”
Provision for one weather delay on the island. If the crossing slips, a stocked galley and a confirmed Ibiza berth are worth more than squeezing in one extra cove. Compare the [fleet](/fleet), send the preferred dates through [Helm](/helm), and ask TrimTeam to confirm the return berth before you pay.
Posidonia changes how you plan Formentera
Formentera’s official guidance is direct: Posidonia oceanica meadows are protected, anchoring on them is prohibited, and crews should use authorised mooring fields or designated sandy bottoms. La Savina is the only port and the island’s two marinas share more than 150 moorings, but high-season demand still requires a live reservation check.
The Es Freus marine reserve is stricter still: the island council states that anchoring, sport fishing and scuba diving are prohibited throughout the reserve, with permits required for diving. Treat Espalmador and the channel as a navigation-and-compliance zone, not as an improvised overnight stop. Save the current map and buoy reservation confirmation offline.
| Leg | Planning range | Mooring decision |
|---|---|---|
| Ibiza → Es Vedrà | ≈10–16 nm · 2–4 h | Use daylight; confirm buoy or sandy bottom. |
| Es Vedrà → La Savina | ≈18–24 nm · 4–5 h | Cross only with a live berth or buoy plan. |
| La Savina → Es Caló | ≈6–10 nm · local hop | Check regulated areas and sandy patches. |
| La Savina → Ibiza | ≈10–15 nm · 2–4 h | Leave early for the confirmed final berth. |
Es Vedrà is a photo window, not a berth promise
The official Ibiza nautical map names Es Vedrà, Es Vedranell and the western islets as a sailing area with regulated anchoring and mooring. Use the landmark as a daylight waypoint, then move to the confirmed evening position. Wind shadow around a rock is not the same as a secure overnight berth.
If the crossing to Formentera is not comfortable, turn the landmark into a shore-view stop and return to Ibiza. The crew loses one island night but keeps the airport, fuel and berth plan intact. This is the correct decision when the forecast, not the calendar, says “wait.”
Two crossing scenarios and the cost envelope
Scenario A — settled summer window: cross early on Day 3, reserve La Savina or a legal buoy, use Day 4 for the north and Day 5 for a short east-coast hop. Scenario B — strong east/south-east wind, swell or unavailable moorings: stay on Ibiza’s west or south side, use Es Vedrà as a view-only stop and return to the base by Day 5. Recheck the marine forecast and the buoy map each morning.
Planning allowance checked 14 September 2026: separate the yacht, fuel, Ibiza and La Savina berth or buoy, provisions, local tender or taxi, deposit, insurance and cancellation terms. Ask for a current quote and confirm the final Ibiza berth before payment. A reserved legal mooring is part of the route cost, not an optional extra.
Ibiza–Formentera departure checklist
- Confirm the Ibiza marina, berth length, draft, fuel and airport transfer.
- Save the current Posidonia map and legal buoy reservation offline.
- Ask the operator whether La Savina or a buoy field is confirmed for your dates.
- Treat Es Freus as a protected compliance zone; do not improvise anchoring or diving.
- Set a hard Ibiza-return time and keep one full weather day in reserve.
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