The run to Fornells was a slog with the wind, but at least it was short. We had a mooring reserved (holding is supposedly poor and strong winds were coming), and there was a single, poor, but very friendly marinero in a powerful RIB rushing around the harbor helping boats onto moorings as they arrived. We were put on a mooring across the harbor from town, which made for a bit of a wet ride back, but provided a lot of privacy.
Fornells harbor screams ‘Block Island of the Med’ to me. A tear-dropped shaped harbor with a single entrance to the north, with crappy holding and one little town. Fornells is a little more upscale though. This is where people do the casual but expensive dress up and splurge on lobster that costs $76 per person (minimum 2 person order). I refuse to pay that much for lobster, but the $18 local shrimp were worth every penny, along with the duck confit cannelloni and confit cod (even the tapas are upscale in this town).
The British built Fort Fornells (known as the Tower) at the beginning of the 19th century, only to hand it back to the Spanish a year later. The fort is on a small hill at the entrance to the harbor and is a short, though hot, hike for a great view of the village and harbor. The fort itself is quite unique in that it is round and has sloping walls – the better for full-round access as well as exceptional defenses.
The remains of a castle are also still there at the water’s edge, and have been carefully preserved and incorporated into a public walkway. That, combined with a roped off ‘natural pool’, maintains public access to the water in this ritzy little town.
My only complaint about Fornells was not the fault of the town itself. All the wind from the south brought a fine red dust from Africa. It covered every inch of the boat, and combined with the heat/humidity made breathing difficult!
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