Cala d'Hort Sunset Run: Es Vedrà in the Foreground

Cala d'Hort is the bay opposite Es Vedrà on Ibiza's south-west coast. From the right anchor position, with the right light, it produces the most- photographed sunset frame in the Balearics — yacht in foreground, Es Vedrà silhouette behind, the sun setting between them.

The anchor

1 nm north-east of Es Vedrà, in 12 – 22m of water with a sandy bottom interrupted by patches of weed. Holding is reliable in the prevailing summer westerly. The photographer's position is the south-east third of the bay, where the rock framing works best from the deck.

Timing

Arrive 16:30 for a 20:30 sunset in July. The forty- minute window starting fifty minutes before sunset is when the light hits the rock face at the right angle. The twenty minutes after sunset are dimmer and shorter-lived than the brochure photos suggest.

The shore pairing

Es Boldado restaurant sits on the cliff above the bay, accessed by tender from the beach (10 minutes by foot). Reservations two months ahead in season; dinner at 20:30 with sunset from the terrace. The office books at quote time.

Wind notes by month

• May / June: south-west breeze, low swell. Best.
• July / August: thermal westerly afternoons. Anchor workable, choppy by 17:00.
• September: calmest. Glass water dawn to 11:00, breeze up by 14:00.
• October: variable. Confirm 24 hours ahead.