Key West & Drass, S'Arenal beach San Antonio Bay

A submerged motorboat was also removed
as part of the cleanup operation.

Over the last couple of years many thousands of visitors to San Antonio Bay must have wondered about the two beached boats Drass and Key West.

The fishing boat Drass lay on the sand at S'Arenal for nearly three years after being shipwrecked, the owners refused to pay for the recovery and after much deliberation it was finally removed in March 2011. The cleanup operation that also saw the removal of a submerged motor boat and a small concrete jetty could not be completed after courts in Barcelona and Naples declared that the Italian registered luxury yacht Key West must not be disposed of due to an ongoing drug smuggling case.

Key West will remain where it is to appear in many more holiday snapshots during the 2011 summer season  When it is eventually removed by the authorities the operation is expected to cost in excess of €50,000.

Sunset wave

Part of the Ibiza Sunset series.

S'illa Des Bosc

A picture of S'illa des Bosc taken from underneath the cliffs at Cala Conta.

Cala Conta is one of the best locations for photography on the island of Ibiza. This shot of the island S'illa des Bosc was taken just before sunset from beneath the cliffs.

Mirror Orchid

Mirror Orchid

The mirror orchid (Ophyrus Speculum) is one of Ibiza's most striking flowers. It is one of the twenty species of wild orchid species that can be found on the island.

In Spanish it is known as the "orquídea abeja" (bee orchid) or the "espejo de Venus" (mirror of Venus) is not unique to Ibiza and can also be seen across the Mediterranean in Portugal, mainland Spain, France, Italy and Greece but it is no less beautiful for it's abundance.

Known in Catalan as  "mosques blaves" (Blue flies)  or "Sabatetes del Bon Jesús" (Shoes of good Jesus) the flowers have a metallic-mauve speculum edged with yellow and fringed with brown hairs. The shiny black lump beneath the filaments is the insect lure.

In Ibiza they can be found in secluded spots across the island from spring into the early summer. They often grow in patches on disused farmland, in woodland and at the verges of secluded roads. The plants do best in partially shaded areas and prefer alkaline soil.

A well situated plant usually has around a dozen and occasionally up to twenty flowers. The plants are killed off by the fierce heat and arid conditions of summer in Ibiza however they regrow from the bulb the following year.