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Postcard From the Voyaging Thomasina - Oct 05
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Have now sailed down the length of Lanzarote across to, and down to the end of, Fuerteventura, which was a lot more mountainous than I expected, though very, very dry. Caught another big Tuna on my way across to Fuerterventura; a great 20 min fight then I let it go, too big and beautiful to kill. At the end of Fuerteventura I went through one of the Canarian wind acceleration zones. It’s where the trade North Easterlies get accelerated at the end of the landmass, and accelerate they do up to a couple of wind strengths which is no problem so long as you have reefed beforehand (it all happens very quickly). |
Very good passage across to Gran Canaria F5 northerly in the morning dropping away to F4 which all made for a relaxed 55 nautical mile. I was welcomed into Las Palmas harbour about 3 miles out, by a pair of Dolphins, which seem to unfailingly visit all the arriving yachts - nice. Las Palmas harbour is big. It accommodates liners, container ships, a fishing fleet plus loads of yachts who come her to get repairs done and provision before crossing the Atlantic. There is a large marina and a moorings area, where you can anchor. I have come here to meet my Swiss friends Thierry and Patricia and to check the place out for provisioning in November, when I meet Alan and Roy for the crossing to the Caribbean. Las Palmas? It is a frantic sort of place, where traffic rules.
Quote of the month by Ian, off one of the Aussie boats on Graciosa where he and his wife June were walking along Graciosa’s unofficial nudist beach. After a while of idly passing his eyes in ‘varicose’ directions, he turns to June and says: "Struth! if you dropped a fag here you could start a bush fire!" I feel that, with the onset of global warming, Ian's ecological concern would be worth a mention in Comment. I am also feeling a little guilty for mentioning the Ashes maybe 5 or 6 times too many to Ian, and would like to credit him publicly with his quote. Made me laugh.
