For centuries, the lateen sail carried goods and people between Ibiza, Formentera and the rest of the Mediterranean. Now Santa Eulària council wants more people to learn how to use it. Its new programme, Descobreix la vela llatina (“Discover the lateen sail”), offers 14 sailing workshops between 31 October and 13 December, each costing €46.46 per person.
The outings take place at weekends, weather permitting, with five places on each trip for anyone aged 16 or over, up to 70 participants in total. Residents of Santa Eulària des Riu have priority, and any remaining places will be open to people from other municipalities. The workshops are run with Ibiza Sailing Cutter.
A boat with a past
The classroom is Querida Lolita, a motorised wooden llaüt, the traditional Balearic boat, built in the port of Mahón, in Menorca, in 1959. She is eight metres long, 2.8 metres wide and carries a lateen mainsail, with a smaller guaira sail on the mizzen mast. There is room for five passengers and the skipper.
Ibiza Sailing Cutter restored her with great respect for the original, from the lines of the hull to the design of the rigging and sails. The result is a stable, safe boat for small groups, and a living piece of Mediterranean maritime history.
Hands on the sail
This is a practical workshop rather than a pleasure cruise. Guided by a specialist skipper, participants learn how the llaüt works and take part in sailing it: hoisting and trimming the sail, changing course and helping to steer. How much each person does will depend on the wind and sea on the day.
Each session also covers the history of the lateen sail, how the boat works and the safety measures on board.
From the bay to Tagomago
The boat sets off from Marina Santa Eulària and sails mainly around the bay. When conditions allow, the route can stretch north towards Tagomago or south towards Cala Llonga.
Along the way, the skipper explains the coast’s heritage: the old defence towers, the windmills and the traditional ways the shoreline was used. There is also time to talk about the importance of the Posidonia seagrass meadows and the marine life they support.
Keeping a tradition afloat
Sailing with a lateen rig means knowing the boat, reading the wind and mastering techniques once passed from one generation to the next. As traditional boats have disappeared and fewer people know how to handle them, that knowledge has been slipping away. With these workshops, the council hopes to keep a part of the islands’ maritime story alive by putting it, quite literally, in people’s hands.
The price includes the sailing session, the historical and environmental explanations, and teaching materials. To sign up, fill in the registration form.
