The annual Volta a Dragonera en Piragüa, now in its 18th year, should have started this morning (09h00) from the beach of Sant Elm. However, due to adverse weather conditions, the event had to be called off or rather, postponed for two weeks until July 4th. According to AEmet, force 7 winds are forecast for today, equivalent to wind speeds of 40 kmh and in all probability, creating some turbulent waters.

The Volta a Dragonera is a non-competitive event; there is no race and there is no winner. Inscription fees are a mere 10 €, including a T-shirt, insurance, a bocadillo before the volta and a soft drink upon arrival, plus the chance to win a new kayak boat.

For 16 years, Sa Dragonera was circumnavigated in an anti-clockwise direction but, last year the course was changed to a clockwise direction for the first time. In 2009, 540 kayaks participated but, this year organizers expected a total of 600 kayaks, including some from neighbouring islands Menorca and Ibiza, the Spanish mainland (Catalunya and Valencia), as well as some international participation from Germany and England.

Circumnavigating Dragonera island involves approximately 13 km of distance and, weather permitting, will take at least two hours.

The photo (top) was borrowed from the Internet courtesy of donablogdona.blogspot.com. The photo (bottom) was also taken from the worldwideweb. It was borrowed from the digital edition of diariodemallorca; the photographer was Lorenzo Gutiérrez.

Muchas gracias.