First thoughts on the Canaries


Oh look a Porpoise thinks it's hiding if it sticks its head in the water! this is during my passage from Tenerife to Gran Canaria - force 5-6 and the porpoises visited me three times to keep me company.

However to go back to the beginning we had moved from Marina Rubicon on Lanzarote to anchor off the main town in Fuertaventura to move on to Santa Cruz in Tenerife so that Ken and Eileen could fly home - Ken from the airport in the South and Eileen from the airport in the North. There was a good bus service and they got home safely. Leaving me alone again. I'll miss them, they were good crew, from force zero to force nine.
 The view from the marina in Tenerife was stunning, particularly early morning.

 The (outer) harbour had some lovely old old boats
And the marina had some lovely old boats - in between two big boys! the marina was tight for space so put us with the superyachts. They both had professional crew, but I prefer mine...
Anyway, to save a bit of money I resolve to sail to the bottom of Tenerife which should be well sheltered from the prevailing NE winds for anchoring

 The corner has nice coloured rocks
And then into Los Christianos, I didn't really warm to this place - nothing wrong with it, it had clearly been intertaining brits for decades, chips and karoke, and also some nice enough Cafes and amusements... (damned by faint praise).
 Crazy golf - we last saw this in Scandinavia - they go nuts for it.
DSC should build one of these, the photo shows about a third of it!

Plenty to keep the tourists busy - this went past at about 12 knots (big diesels!) There were tall ships and jetskis, paddle boards, fast ribs and canoes galore...
I spent my time futtering and making biscuits and bread. Bread good, biscuits bad, oven not terribly hot on top shelf and not hot on bottom shelf but I will get used to it. And eating biscuits with a spoon is fine, butter, sugar, egg, porridge oats and a little bit of this and a little bit of that tastes lovely!!! What's not to like?
After 4 days with south mentioned in the forecast it is time to move, I head for Gran Canaria and see this fellow. Winds peak force 6 and this makes me change my destination from the bottom of GC to halfway up the West coast  - Agaete I learn later this where Gwen and Alan rent their appartment and that is has a good Fish Restaurant. Will sample later I hope... The marina is very small and for locals only. The harbour is mainly a RoRo ferry terminal but there is a small bowl available for anchoring nearly sheltered from all directions, entrance faces South but it is surrounded by big mountains.
 Land ho, Gran Canaria is beautiful from seaward, this is the SW corner



Making my way up the coast - the wind goes light
 My tripping bouy - I came roaring in here at 6 oclock in the evening - there were two other boats at anchor, I picked a spot between them and the shore anchored quickly in 5m onto Sand (I could see!) I then jumped into my swimming costume, put a mask on - remembered to lower the dinghy and swam a big circle around the tripping buoy - confirmed I had at least 3m everywhere (it was low water). I ducked down to the anchor and straightened the chain a bit. Water was 22 degrees! I was glad of the dinghy otherwise I would have had a hard time getting back on board (sorting a proper boarding ladder is in the "list" of work to get done RSN)

Next morning I stick my head in the harbour proper, pilot says you can tie up alongside a fishing boat until they go out (one left at 5am, rest at 7-8). Not really much room here.

Next morning I head the 25-30 miles up the coast to Las Palmas, it is Tuesday and the ARC boats left on Sunday so I think there should be room - I hope in the anchorage outside the marina or the marina. Wind starts at 5 knots and climbs to 22 knots and is still blowing as I complete my journey - yuck. The last ten feet of any journey is the hardest.
 Leaving the anchorage in the Harbour
 Nice wee settlements on the way up the coast.
Also many ? polytunnels, or at least they grow something under them
 The point, the other side of the lowland is the marina
 After turning the corner there is a mile of commercial docks - good that they are active! I call harbour control and tell them I am transmitting AIS and monitoring channel 12 and 16.
I turn into the marina bay and go and look at the reception pontoon - it is full so rather than raft up I go and look at the anchorage - the photo below was taken the next day but when I arrive it is blowing 25 knots. All the shallow spots are taken, as are most of the space out in 12-13m I drop the anchor in the only possible spot, all a bit frantic in the wind with me running up and down the side deck to make sure the boat stays straight and I get the chain on the bottom. I let out four times the depth but the anchor is dragging over rocks (I can hear it) I might have caught 80 feet downwind but that has me too close to the boat behind me. I resolve to lift the anchor and try again. In fact it takes me quite a while to get the anchor up - the electric trip went twice - luckily shadowmere has a neat pair of trips mounted in a single box with a clever piece of metal that you swing from one trip to another that makes it impossible to have two on at once, the trips need a minute to cool down but having two saves the day. The windless is heavier than the previous one and I could justify replacing the 100 amp trips with 120 or even 150 amp ones but the existing system is ok and is conservative - won't strain the windless! Having spent some time raising the anchor I change my mind and go into the reception pontoon to get a dock for two nights - will let me fill the water tanks and use mains electric for some sawing and drilling anyway.
View from beach beside marina - in summer anchoring here is banned as there are too many swimmers and other watersport users.

I raft up alongside a swedish boat and enter the marina office, it is full of people - a bit like a NHS waiting room. I notice a ticket machine and take a ticket - E32, more fun than buying cheese in a supermarket I await my turn. I cleverly have noted a babyseat in the cockpit of the swedish boat and the current people being served have a baby so I introduce myself and say I will let them out when they are ready. I manage to keep a long bow line attached to the pontoon and let them slip out behind me. I get Shadowmere tucked in and go and wait and wait in the "waiting room" in reception. Two hours later I get allocated a berth - only £13.50 a night to my delight. Better than a poke in the eye with a big stick.

It is dark when I come out but the mariniere has arranged help for me to dock, I motor over having been told it is bow to with a lazyjack along the seabed. I had rigged two short bowlines and left them draped over the ladder at the front. I fender up well and motor in, then rush forward with a boat hook whilst the helper offers up the lazyjack, I grab it and run to the back of the boat, pull like mad and cleat to a stern cleat, the helper has cleated the bow by this stage and then drama is over. Time for a beer and an omelate. Phew. I have booked the dock for two nights and will enquire about a mooring bouy, I suspect there is a time limit for these and will also price how much for the dock for 5 weeks if I pay in advance - they charge for anchorages and for buoys so the additional expense of the dock for the peace of mind and convenience may make the decision easy. 

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