Seven boats turn Cala Gracioneta into a floating disco

Today's essentials (5 key points)

• Seven charter boats dropped anchor off Cala Gracioneta in Sant Antoni, Ibiza, on Sunday afternoon and played loud music for hours, according to Periodico de Ibiza.
• The Balearics enjoyed a warm, dry Sunday, with highs of 28 degrees in Palma and 29 degrees in Calvia and Ibiza, according to Open-Meteo.
• A serious crash on the EI-300 road linking Ibiza with Sant Joan on Saturday, 12 September left a mother and son narrowly escaping tragedy, Periodico de Ibiza reports.
• Mallorcan cyclist Enric Mas, who started out at the Arta cycling school, won the 2026 Vuelta a Espana, the biggest victory of his career, according to Diario de Mallorca.
• Meteoalarm has issued a yellow wind warning for the north and northeast of Mallorca, cautioning of possible moderate damage in exposed areas.

Today's essentials

Seven boats turn Cala Gracioneta into a floating disco. Seven charter boats dropped anchor off Cala Gracioneta, a small cove in Sant Antoni on the west coast of Ibiza, on Sunday afternoon and blasted music for hours, according to Periodico de Ibiza, leaving swimmers and residents with an open-air club they never asked for.

Alfonso, a local resident quoted by the paper, describes the scene bluntly: nautical charter boats moor off the cove and crank up the volume for hours at a time. He stresses this is not a one-off, and that boats have been asked repeatedly to turn the sound down without much changing.

According to Periodico de Ibiza, complaints have already gone to the charter companies themselves, to the municipal police, to the Guardia Civil and to PortsIB, so far without result, with authorities pointing to overlapping responsibilities or a lack of resources. Frustratingly, no regulation aimed specifically at boats anchoring and playing music at sea, as opposed to noise from venues on land, appears to be on the books for Cala Gracioneta or Sant Antoni, which leaves it unclear under exactly which rule the boats could be sanctioned.

There is, at least, a new tool on the water. On 8 July 2026, at the port of Sant Antoni, PortsIB (Ports de les Illes Balears) unveiled a marine patrol, its own policia del mar, with three vessels: two dedicated to coastal surveillance and based at the ports of Ibiza and Sant Antoni, and a third supporting port operations. Its remit explicitly includes spotting unauthorised anchoring and illegal nautical charter.

The numbers show the scale of the problem this patrol is chasing. In 2025, according to La Voz de Ibiza, controls led to 162 sanction files for illegal nautical charter, with a total of 471,600 euros in proposed fines. By July 2026, another 39 files had already been opened and roughly 70 more were in the pipeline.

Ce que ca change pour toi: if boat noise is ruining your afternoon at Cala Gracioneta or any Sant Antoni beach, you now have a clearer address for it. Report the disturbance to the municipal police and, crucially, flag suspected illegal charter to PortsIB's new marine patrol, which is mandated to act on exactly this. Be realistic, though, as residents like Alfonso have found enforcement patchy, so note the time, the boat and, if you can, its details to give any complaint teeth.

Weather today

A warm, dry Sunday across the islands. The Balearics get a calm, sunny day on Sunday, 13 September, with partly cloudy skies, no rain expected and light winds, according to Open-Meteo.

In Palma, expect a low of 20 degrees and a high of 28 degrees, partly cloudy skies, a 0 percent chance of rain and a gentle breeze of up to 10 km/h, per Open-Meteo. Light clothing and sunscreen are all you really need, and there is no reason to change beach or terrace plans.

The rest of Mallorca is a touch warmer, with Calvia running from 19 to 29 degrees and winds up to 11 km/h. Over on the other islands, Ibiza mirrors that with 20 to 29 degrees and a slightly fresher breeze of up to 14 km/h. It is an easy day to be outdoors, though the freshest air will be early morning or after sunset.

Transport & traffic

• Saturday crash on the EI-300 near Sant Joan. A violent crash on the EI-300, the road connecting Ibiza with Sant Joan, on Saturday, 12 September came close to a family tragedy, with one driver telling Periodico de Ibiza that a couple of seconds could have cost the lives of her and her son. The EI-300 is one of the main routes north across the island, used daily by residents heading to and from Sant Joan de Labritja and the northern beaches. Accounts like this are a reminder that Ibiza's inland roads carry fast-moving traffic well beyond the summer peak: if you drive this corridor, allow extra distance and expect sudden slowing, especially on the bends away from the coast.

What's changing for you

• How to find a good menu del dia in Palma. The menu del dia is Spain's fixed-price weekday lunch, usually a starter, a main, bread, a drink and dessert or coffee for one set price, and it remains the cheapest way to eat well in Palma de Mallorca. A newcomer asking on Reddit's r/mallorca where to eat well for the price is asking the right question. The trick is to spot the good ones: look for a handwritten board or a printed sheet at the door rather than a laminated menu, head in around 2pm when local workers fill the place, and stick to weekdays, as most spots drop the menu at weekends. If you would rather eat at home, say para llevar and most kitchens will box it up. Prices vary by neighbourhood, so compare a couple of boards before you sit down.

Local news to know

• Enric Mas wins the Vuelta after years as runner-up. Enric Mas has finally landed a Grand Tour, winning the 2026 Vuelta a Espana after a career spent close to the top, including repeated second places in the same race, as reported across the island's press including Diario de Mallorca and Ultima Hora.
• Spain says it is 'governing' AI, not just watching it. Spain's Minister for Digital Transformation, Oscar Lopez, argued on Sunday that the country is actively 'governing' artificial intelligence through initiatives to regulate its use in the EU, insisting innovation and regulation can coexist, according to Diario de Ibiza.
• Yellow wind warning for northern Mallorca. Meteoalarm has issued a yellow-level wind warning for the north and northeast of Mallorca, advising residents to stay alert and follow updated forecasts, as moderate damage is possible for vulnerable people or in exposed areas.
• Storms and flooding reported in Mallorca. French outlet La Chaine Meteo reports violent storms with strong gusts, heavy rain and flooding in Mallorca, a picture that contrasts with Sunday's calm island forecast and points to unsettled conditions worth watching.

See the full agenda, tonight and tomorrow