Celebrating its fortieth anniversary this year, Es Nautic, located right in the port of San Antonio, was founded in March 1973 by a group of friends who were all keen sailors and lovers of the sea. Today, with around eight hundred members and five hundred moorings, the aim of Es Nautic remains the same; to bring the sea closer to people by educating the young and the not so young to respect and enjoy all aspects of it.
Ibiza Spotlight went along to meet up with manager, Enrique, who has worked for Es Nautic for fourteen years, and to find out what is on offer from the sailing club for those of us on Ibiza this winter.
Sitting in the club's very comfortable and surprisingly busy bar, the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the plethora of yachts and sailing boats in the marina, Enrique explained that Es Nautic will be running Beginners' Weekend Sailing courses throughout the winter. These courses, for up to five students, take place over three weekends, Saturday and Sunday from 10.00 - 14.00 hrs. At the end of the course, students will receive a diploma for each level completed, which is recognised by the Balearic Sailing Federation and also recognised in Spain.
Sailing is a great winter activity on Ibiza, as the weather is still good and the water not too cold...and with much less maritime traffic, this is the perfect time of year to learn to sail. The course is available to anyone aged over eighteen years, and the only prerequisite is that you are able to swim.
Also available during winter is a sea kayaking course. This is a two-level, non-professional course over one weekend, Saturday and Sunday from 10.00 until 13.00 hrs. And just for the record, it turns out that Spanish kayaking champion, Daniel Sanchez Viera, is actually one of the teachers at Es Nautic.
Enrique also took us to show us the club's prized boat, the Cafe del Mar (which is used for tours during the summer season) and then proceeded to impress us even more by revealing that he was part of the team on this very boat who were the winners of this year's Ruta de la Sal Yachting regatta. This is a grueling race from Denia or Barcelona to the Port of San Antonio which has skyrocketed in popularity and importance over the years and now boasts over two thousand competitors in more than three hundred boats. Needless to say, to win this race is no mean feat.
Clearly the guys at Es Nautic are true professionals who know exactly what they are doing, so if you are on Ibiza this winter and would like to learn a life-changing new skill, we have no hesitation in recommending that you get in touch.
Images kindly supplied by Es Nautic
