High tide stops boats getting out to sea

THE unusual weather experienced this month has affected the basin of Can Barbara in Palma, where many small leisure boats are moored.
In spite of their size, at times they could not get under the bridge on the Paseo Maritimo which is the only way for them to get out to the open sea or in from the open sea. This caused major inconvenience for the crews of these boats who, in some cases, had to get other people on board to act as ballast in order to make the boat lower in the water so it could pass under the bridge. In one case the captain of the boat had to invite 17 people on board to act as ballast.
Similar scenes occured frequently at high tide when the atmospheric pressure was low.
The Paseo Maritimo bridge was constructed during the 1950s. Formerly, the basin of Can Barbara was a very popular place due to its celebrated bathing spots such as the El Terreno beach. The new road between Palma and Portopi, in its first phase, consisted of two lanes. The road was widened to three lanes during the 70s.
This widening coincided with the installation of the piers in the Club de Mar. These installations limited the basin's entry and exit points to just one, which can only be used when the meteorological conditions are right.