One of the rules of the Port of Ibiza is that, for safety reasons, once the wind reaches a speed of 62 KPH (force 8), the port must close to all traffic.
This is a source of some inconvenience for the big ferry companies using the docking facilities, which are immediately closed once this critical velocity is achieved. They consider that the rule should be relaxed to take into account not only the wind speed, but also its direction, the visibility, the characteristics of the ferry, and the jetty to be used.
High winds last week obliged the port to close and kept hundreds of passengers waiting for hours and hours on the high seas with nowhere to go and nothing to do. One poor man, stranded within site of Ibiza, was on his way back to the island where his wife was about to give birth.
Luckily he was able to keep in contact with her using his mobile phone! The irony of his situation was highlighted by the Director of Umafisa, the owners of the ferry he was on, who said that given the conditions, the boat could have entered the port!