Menorca winds: which coast to pick for a boat day

The Menorcan wind rose

A wind is named after where it blows from, not where it is heading. The tramuntana blows from the north and pushes the sea southwards.

Wind	Blows from the
Tramuntana	North
Gregal	Northeast
Llevant	East
Xaloc	Southeast
Migjorn	South
Llebeig	Southwest
Ponent	West
Mestral	Northwest

How we read each cove

For every cove we work out which way its mouth faces from the OpenStreetMap coastline: we take all the sea points within one kilometre and average their directions. The result is a bearing, for example 150° (southeast) for Cala en Turqueta.

With that bearing we sort the eight winds:

Blows straight in when the wind arrives less than 67.5° off the mouth. It pushes the swell into the cove.
Sheltered when it arrives more than 112.5° off, that is, off the land or from behind.
From the side in between. Shelter is partial and depends on how hard it blows.

The general rule: the coast opposite the wind

Menorca stretches from west to east, so most coves face either north or south. With the data in this guide the rule holds well:

In a tramuntana, every cove on the north coast takes it head on, while those on the south coast are sheltered.
In a migjorn, it is the reverse: the north coast coves are sheltered and the south coast coves take it head on.
In a llevant, watch the east coast: Cala Mesquida and Platja d’en Tortuga face straight into it.
In a ponent, the same goes for the west coast: Cala Blanca and Cala en Forcat are exposed.

The in-between winds (gregal, xaloc, llebeig and mestral) affect coves on two coasts at once, which is why the list for each one is worth a look.

Which coves are sheltered in each wind

This list comes straight from our data. Each name links to its page, with the sea distance from every port.

tramuntana (N, from the north)

15 sheltered coves, on the west and south coast.

Cala en Forcat, Es Talaier, Cala en Turqueta, Cala Macarelleta, Cala Macarella, Cala Galdana, Mitjaneta, Cala Mitjana, Cala Trebalúger, Cala Fustam, Cala Escorxada, Platja de Binigaus, Platja de Cala en Porter, Cala Binidalí, Cala Binibèquer

gregal (NE, from the northeast)

15 sheltered coves, on the west and south coast.

Cala en Forcat, Cala Blanca, Es Talaier, Cala Macarelleta, Cala Macarella, Cala Galdana, Mitjaneta, Cala Mitjana, Cala Trebalúger, Cala Fustam, Cala Escorxada, Platja de Binigaus, Platja de Cala en Porter, Cala Binidalí, Cala Binibèquer

llevant (E, from the east)

9 sheltered coves, on the west, south and north coast.

Cala en Forcat, Cala Blanca, Cala Galdana, Cala Escorxada, Platja de Binigaus, Cala Binidalí, Playa Arenal d'en Castell, Platja de Cavalleria, Cala Morell

xaloc (SE, from the southeast)

7 sheltered coves, on the west and north coast.

Cala Blanca, Playa Arenal d'en Castell, Cala Tirant, Platja de Cavalleria, Platja de Binimel·là, Cala del Pilar, Cala Morell

migjorn (S, from the south)

8 sheltered coves, on the north coast.

Playa Arenal d'en Castell, Arenal de Son Saura, Cala Tirant, Platja de Cavalleria, Platja de Binimel·là, Cala Pregonda, Cala del Pilar, Cala Morell

llebeig (SW, from the southwest)

7 sheltered coves, on the east and north coast.

Cala Mesquida, Platja d'en Tortuga, Arenal de Son Saura, Cala Tirant, Platja de Binimel·là, Cala Pregonda, Cala del Pilar

ponent (W, from the west)

5 sheltered coves, on the south, east and north coast.

Cala en Turqueta, Cala Mesquida, Platja d'en Tortuga, Arenal de Son Saura, Cala Pregonda

mestral (NW, from the northwest)

12 sheltered coves, on the south and east coast.

Es Talaier, Cala en Turqueta, Cala Macarelleta, Cala Macarella, Mitjaneta, Cala Mitjana, Cala Trebalúger, Cala Fustam, Platja de Cala en Porter, Cala Binibèquer, Cala Mesquida, Platja d'en Tortuga

What orientation does not tell you

Orientation is geometry: it knows nothing about wind strength or the state of the sea that day. A cove that looks sheltered on paper stops being sheltered if the wind changes direction.

Before you go, check the AEMET marine forecast and ask your rental company. They know the area and the boat.

Try it on the map

On the wind and port map you pick the wind and your departure port and the coves change colour: turquoise when sheltered, coral when the wind blows straight in. For example, tramuntana from Fornells.

Method and sources

Orientation and wind classification: Boat Menorca’s own calculation, explained on sources and method.

For guidance only. This does not replace the regulations, the Harbour Master (Capitanía Marítima) or the instructions of your rental company. Always check the forecast before heading out.