Blogs from Canary Islands, Spain, Europe

Sailing to Canary Islands We left Rabat on Oct 14, 2011 and sailed south-southwest to Canary Islands. It took 4 days. The moon was bright every night so I quite enjoyed night sailing. We saw smaller, dark grey dolphins. We anchored at Grasiosa island on Oct 18. The area where boats anchor is just off a beach about 2.5 to 3 km south of the main village. It is also where good surfing is found when conditions are right. At the south end of the village is a building with public toilets and outdoor showers, and just outside of this is a campground as we saw many tents. Public shower and toilet facilities can also be found on the right side of the port in the village. Neither shower has hot water. In the same building ... read more

In Grasiosa, I switched to another boat. It was a 1992 Crowther Catamaran 12.8m fractional rigged. There were three of us on the boat: the skipper, one crew (me) and a guest. On Nov 1, 2011, we sailed from Grasiosa to Puerto de Naos (Arrecife), Lanzarote, and saw big dolphins on the way. In the centre of town, at the Plaza de las Palmas where you’ll find the little church (iglesia de) San Ginés, there is a Saturday market for fresh produce, baked goods, cheeses, etc. On the same day, vendors of all types line the pedestrian streets from San Ginés square to Leon y Castillo. Banks and a supermarket (HyperDino) can also be found on Leon y Castillo. The HyperDino on calle Perez Galdos at calle de Cáceres seems to have the largest selection of ... read more

On Nov 9, 2011, we left Arrecife and anchored for 2 days at Papagayo beach which is a nudist or “naturalist” beach. On Nov 11, 2011, we anchored outside Marina Rubicon and was there for 9 days, then we docked in Marina Rubicon for 7 days. The best internet place in Playa Blanca is El Mundo Latino at calle La Laja 16b. We waited for a taxi at the taxi stand just outside Marina Rubicon but none came. We went to the Marina and they called the taxi for us but said that nobody was picking up the phone. We went back to the taxi stand and about 10 people were waiting there but no taxis came. We continued calling and finally booked a taxi for the next day. To go to the airport from Marina ... read more

We left Lanzarote on Nov 27, 2011 and got to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria on Nov 28 in the morning. We stayed in anchorage for a week and then moved into the marina. The library in town is a 40 min walk from the marina and has free internet. There are yellow bikes everywhere that are free, even for tourists, you just need to register at City Hall to use them. Instructions can be found at each bike stand or go to www.biciambiental.org for more details. Once I started using the bikes, the library and everything else became very accessible. I met someone with Alopecia universalis. I didn't know this condition existed—it must be our next step in the evolution of the human species since we're all supposed to become hairless at some point. I didn't ... read more

When I was in Las Palmas, I met Enrique. He was standing over the railing, looking over at the boats in the marina, exactly where my favourite boat was docked. I went over and asked him if he knew anything about the boat. It was a very large sailboat, completely grey, and had the name UMBROS kind of rubbed out at the back. Enrique said the owner is Italian but he doesn’t know the design of the boat. Enrique said that he was 69 years old and he used to work as a German and Italian translator. He also spoke some French and English, so we spoke mainly French with bits of English and Spanish. He told me that he owned a sailboat once and on a trip to La Martinique in the Caribbean, it hit ... read more

This is absolutely the lap of luxury! It's just a tiny hotel, the weather is not great and the food not much better but, I am blissfully alone. For those contemplating it here are a few reasons why group travel should not be high on your list... In fact it's quicker to list why you should do it.... Economical... That's it. If you are not the type of person who likes a lot of interaction a lot of the time this mode of travel is not for you.... Or me! Anyway... the lovely Canary islands, walks on the beach, a small and friendly community, comparatively inexpensive, excellent coffee. It's been a wonderful respite from the rumbling, dusty, politics of the truck. Now tomorrow Senegal inshallah!... read more

PARTIES IN LAS PALMAS Following a lumpy downwind romp into Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, we embarked upon the ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers) preparations. This should be the pinnacle of our yachting adventure. There are some 250 yachts that are signed up for the ARC but in the first few days after opening it is apparent that many have not yet made it to Las Palmas. The poor weather has hampered everyone in getting south. Those yachts that are here are dressed all over – this means that they have all their colourful signal flags hanging from the their masts and for many the it is the chance to party. For most though the sound of drilling, angle grinding and hammering fills the air. There are a number of yachts that are immaculate – ... read more

In a fit of desperation after an appaling British summer, it was necessary for both our mental health's sake to book a holiday somewhere sunny and warm. October is risky in the Mediterranean, so MC made the call: off the coast of Southern Morocco deep into the subtropics... the Canary Islands! With the islands' sterling reputation and our very extreme need for good weather, it is fair to say that we were pretty agitated when we landed in Tenerife and we saw the heavy, looming clouds. There was further agitation when a minor clerical error in our car hire booking cost us 100 euros. Fortunately our morale improved rapidly and irrevocably the most predictable way: with food! We had installed ourselves in an adorable "casa rural" in Granadilla de Abona in the south and set out ... read more