 |
At midday the wind was still well over twenty knots most of the time, and it became apparent that the whole of the Tenrerife - Gran Canaria channel is a wind acceleration zone in these conditions. The sea remained steep and lumpy with large breaking crests and the ride on a beam reach was uncomfortable, although the Navik handled it well. We had a Tuna instant lunch and peaches eaten from the can.
I had dialled a couple of degrees upwind into the Navik so that we closed the coast of Tenerife round about Red Mountain, the idea being that we would take the Tenerife SW acceleration zone well aft of the beam. With twenty to twenty-five knots offshore we might find well over thirty knots for the last few miles into San Miguel - and we did, furling away the scrap of genoa and surfing almost dead downwind at up to eight knots with just the triple reefed main. Shame about the accidental gybe just off the San Miguel breakwater end just as I put the engine on to take the sail down, but no damage was done, and we tied up at four o'clock having averaged over five and a half knots for the passage. We rinsed the salt off ourselves and the boat and had a well-earned beer at Nina's bar.
|
|
Approaching Red Mountain |
At the bar we met a yachting superhero with wrap-around shades and a very strange colonial accent. Frederick said he was a delivery skipper and never took less than three pounds sterling a mile. He had just bought a Bavaria down from Santa Cruz singlehanded for ECC yachts, and told us lots of entertaining stories of his sailing career, but didn't have the money to pay his bar bill before he let to go back to Santa Cruz . . . hopefully Nina got the money sometime later.
Wednesday 28th February - San Miguel, Tenerife
Washed the boat and scrubbed the decks, tidied up down below and generally got Tim and Jenny's holiday accommodation ready for them.
The holidaymakers turned up at about half past three, and it wasn't very long afterwards that we were supping cold beer at the marina bar. After sundown we went for a walk down the seafront and round the block before having a meal in the La Marina restaurant. Tim and Jenny were pretty tired and we wanted to get away in good time in the morning, so an early night was had.
Thursday 1st March - San Miguel to San Sebastian (31nm)
The wind seemed a bit lighter when we set off at ten o'clock in the morning, pausing briefly to allow the Yellow Submarine time to clear the marina entrance and begin sinking. However, by the the time we were past Yellow Mountain we had 30 knots apparent from dead aft and were surfing at up to eight knots. It was comfortable though and once round Punta Rasca the wind gradually died away in the wind shadow of Tenerife so we motored hopefully up towards some whale watching boats out of Los Cristianos. We saw a couple of dolphins but no whales, and eventually set the Navik and had lunch while sailing gently in the wrong direction at a knot or so. Jenny certainly seemed to be enjoying herself at this point, in spite of not being a very boaty person.
|
|
Tim & Jenny before the WAZ |
Soon after lunch I checked the bilge and discovered that we had water coming in from somewhere. It didn't take me long to trace it to where the drain hose goes onto the bottom of the gas locker, but I couldn't tell if the hose was split, the fitting was loose or if the jubilee clip needed tightening. I tried to tighten the clip but couldn't, and decided that with the wind acceleration zone almost upon us it would be better to just monitor the situation and fix it in port.
I had warned our passengers that the wind acceleration zone off San Sebastian might provide a wet and bumpy ride for the last seven miles, but as we approached it it seemed as though it would be a pussycat. Wrong. After a ridiculously optimistic deployment of the full genoa the wind rapidly rose over twenty-five knots, and as I went to roll it away again a riding turn developed on the winch. I moved Jenny down below temporarily as the cockpit was getting a little crowded and reduced the genoa to storm jib size, which was OK although we were still well heeled and making a little too much leeway to make the end of the breakwater. At this point Tim got a bit of a surprise when a large and robust lump of water came aboard completely soaking us both, and I decided that would be more comfortable for Jenny - who was by now being somewhat unwell - if we motor-sailed, keeping the boat a bit flatter, pointing higher and getting in as quickly as possible. The fact that we had a leak also suggested this would be a good course of action, although once we were plugging upwind it stopped as the gas locker drain outlet was now out of the water again.
The next hour could possibly be described as exhilarating, but I think wet and uncomfortable covers it. The apparent wind was pretty constantly 30 knots or a bit more, and we were taking the big seas at just the right angle for every second wave to send a deluge of water over me. I was repeatedly soaked to the skin and although it was a glorious sunny day the sun was hidden behind the main so I soon got very cold. I ended up wearing a baseball cap on backwards and singing 'The Road and the Miles to Dundee' as we plunged, rolled and crashed along at six knots with 2500rpm on the engine and a triple-reefed main. The seas were steep and very close together, with every third crest breaking - only a much larger yacht would have been even remotely dry and comfortable in these conditions. |
|
IQ adjusted for WAZ sailing |
However, it was short lived, and not much more than an hour after entering the zone we were hove to off the end of the breakwater waiting for the Armas ferry to come out before going in and tying up in the same berth we had left sixteen days previously. Jenny swore she would never come out on Fairwinds again, but later mellowed and relented a little over a nice meal and a big jug of wine.
Friday 2nd March - San Sebastian
Everyone slept well and after a leisurely and hearty breakfast we showed our visitors around our adopted Canary home, strolling along the pier, back down the breakwater and through the tunnel to the beach before wandering up to the viewpoint above the marina and then to the Parador, where we had a look round the gardens. We meandered back down the hill via various terraces, steps and narrow streets for beer and tapas in the Cuba Libre bar in the main square.
As we had eaten out two nights running Jenny made some delicious fried chicken on board for tea, then we had a few drinks and played Yahtzee, which has become a Fairwinds favourite.
|
|
Tim & Jenny in San Sebastian |
Saturday 3rd March - San Sebastian
A lazy sort of day. We went to the market in the morning then wandered around town a bit and looked in a few shops before going back to the marina to watch the local kids careering about in the ubiquitous fleet of optimists. We had lunch and chilled out in the cockpit to the sound of the electric clarinet, expertly played by the German guy on Zenon, the eccentricly modified boat next door.
In the afternoon we went to the beach - the others walked, but I jumped in in the marina and snorkelled round along the breakwater wall. Kathy and Tim both went in swimming, while Jenny cooled her feet. It was a beautiful warm day, but after half an hour in the water a hot shower was still welcome.
|
|
Electric clarinet |
In the evening we went to the strange semi open air restaurant which seems to be some kind of club or community endeavour. The staff were different, but the food was still good - I had chocos a la plancha again, while Tim, Jenny and Kathy had the sea bass. We had an extra bit of free dessert when a mango fell from one of the trees and nearly hit Tim on the head.
Sunday 4th March - San Sebastian / Playa de Santiago
Today we took the bus to Playa De Santiago and got the Garajonay Expres ferry back. The bus ride was a perfect introduction to the spectacular scenery for Tim and Jenny, and it was new ground for us as well as we hadn't been down to Playa de Santiago by road before. One surprise was the stunning golf course on the way down into the valley . . . it looked so good Tim and I almost wished we played golf.
There isn't all that much to do in Playa de Santiago, but somehow we managed to fill in the four hours until the ferry with no difficulty. We had sumos, Jenny bought a mildly insane sunhat, then we wandered down to the end of the beach before returning to one of the restaurants where it took us about half an hour to order some tapas for lunch. Our first waiter apparently didn't have any idea as to what was available, and after we had ordered a woman came over and told us everything we had ordered was off. She insisted on speaking English to us although she was German and we wanted to order in Spanish, and the end result was sardines, a big plate of Canarian potaotes and a plata del dia featuring half a metre of sausage with chips and salad. |
|
At Playa de Santiago |
What with the chips and the usual bread and mojo sauces we felt the potatoes were a little excessive, so they were decanted into a carrier bag and taken away with us. In spite of the confusion it was a pleasant and relaxing meal - the cold beers perhaps contributing to the relaxation. We wandered back down and sat or lay on the somewhat stony beach for half an hour or so, then it was time to walk back down to the harbour for the ferry.
Back in San Sebastian Kathy and I went out to go on the internet at Planet Fun while Tim and Jenny made tea. We didn't get online, but instead met Martin from Flying Seawitch who bought us a glass of wine and told us his tale of woe . . . FS had been on the hard in Santiago for ten days getting her bottom painted and a few other jobs done. When she was put back in the water they had just set off for San Sebastian when she began to take in water at an enormous rate - the idiot who had ben working on her had misaligned the sterngland, and the shaft was acting as a very efficient pump! Luckily Martin had Paul an Alex on board, and the boat was returned to the harbour and eventually lifted out again. The water had come up high enough to soak the alternator and starter motor amongst other things, and Martin was not happy.
Back on board Fairwinds Tim and Jenny had used the purloined lunchtime potatoes as the basis of a delicious and enormous salad. Once we had banished the threat of scurvy with this wholesome feast Jenny made a splendid if perhaps less healthy dessert featuring bananas, honey and honey rum. We rounded the evening off with wine and Yahtzee.
Monday 5th March - La Gomera Tour with Tim & Jenny
Picked up the usual Seat Ibiza from the very nice people at Rueda Car Hire, but today we varied the tour a bit and went to a few places we had not been to before. We set off towards Hermigua, then once through the Tunel de la Cumbre we doubled back on the road signposted to the airport and El Cedro. It climbs spectacularly above the valley El Cedro is situated in - although at the time we did not know that was what we were looking at. Near the main spinal road we turned off onto a fanatastic crazy paving road that wound its narrow way through the forest down into the ravine of El Cedro, ending up at the La Vista campsite. It is possibly the most spectacularly situated campsite we have ever seen, surrounded by forest and near vertical with the sites on terraces with incredible views, a riot of lush vegetation and flowering plants everywhere. It is run by the inevitable Germans, with open air showers you are invited to use 'with or without clothes as you wish'.
Climbing back up to the main road and heading West we stopped to walk up to the Alto de Garajonay. It was incredibly warm compared to our first misty visit back in December, and all we needed was shorts and t-shirts. You could see La Palma, Tenerife (of course) and El Hierro from the top, and you could even make out the distant outline of Gran Canaria.
Heading for Valley Gran Rey we took a fast and scenic short cut via Las Hayas to Arure, then after buying some bread, mojo and cheese in a supermarket on the way down the valley we went down to the port of Vueltas for lunch followed by a cold beer at the harbour bar.
Making time for one more detour from the standard circular route via the main roads we headed off to Alejo down yet another spectacular road plummeting precipitously into a remote palm-studded valley. Past the village of Alejo and down at the beach at the foot of the cinder cliffs was the most remote and uncrowded holiday spot you could imagine - a handful of buildings with maybe half a dozen apartments to let and a couple of tiny bar/restaurants overlooking the black sand beach with teh Atlantic swell crashing endlessly onto it.
We finished the tour via Vallehermoso and Hermigua, stopping at a bar a few miles beyond Vallehermoso for a beer and yet another spectacular view. It was all getting too much for Tim, who wasn't sure if he could cope with yet another breathtaking view and thought there might be a nmarket for opening a bar on the island with no view. One more stop for cake and coffee in Hermigua and it was back through the tunnels to San Sebastian to dump the car and go for a meal at the German restaurant, where Tim, Kathy and I had one of their excellent steaks while Jenny had a spaghetti carbonara. Both the Blue Marlin and Ambigu were shut, so we had a beer at the bar opposite the marina before retiring. | |
Looking down on El Cedro
Camping La Vista
Terraces, Valle Gran Rey
Yet another amazing view
|
Tuesday 6th March - San Sebastian
A quiet sort of day. Tim and Jenny did some souvenir shopping, and in the afternoon we went for a walk along the seafront then had coffee, cakes and ice cream before segueing seamlessly to beer at Ambigu in the last rays of the afternoon sun. We went out for a meal in the evening at El Pejin, the very first place Kathy and I ate out when we arrived here back in early December. The food was as good as we remembered it - whole fish split and basted with mojo and herbs before char grilling, or the tastiest lamb cutlets you can imagine perfectly grilled with rosemary, accompanied by canarian potatoes and a jug of house red. Follow this up with a couple of jarras of Dorada in the Blue Marlin and it's a perfect evening. Back to the boat for a last game of Yahtzee before retiring.
Wednesday 7th March - San Sebastian
Saw Tim and Jenny off on the 10.30 Benchijigua Expres to Los Cristianos. It was a strange feeling waving goodbye to them and knowing they will be back on Seil this evening while we will take another four months or more to make our way home. It certainly doesn't look as though we will be leaving here for a few days anyway - winds of thirty knots or more are forecast over the weekend, and already huge gusts are hitting us in the marina. We could do with some lighter winds to make our way Eastwards in relative comfort to Las Palmas then Fuertaventura and Lanzarote - at least we have time in hand to wait for good weather.
|
|
Off home to Seil |
Fairwinds seems mysteriously bigger again now our guests have gone, and I am taking the opportunity to get the blog up to date. Tomorrow we need to investigate the leak in the gas locker hose, fit the LED tricolour that Tim brought out for us and generally get ready for what will in essence be the start of our long journey home.
Thursday 8th March - San Sebastian
Blowing a hooligan in the marina and very gusty. Windguru says worse for tomorrow. We really need lighter winds to get North and round the top of Gran Canaria to Las Palmas - might be here for a few days more. Arthur from 'Alison', a Bruce Roberts 34, passed the Daily Mail on to us, so we had a (sort of ) newspaper to read.
Had a short walk round to the beach through the tunnel, where things seemed quite calm in the shelter of the cliffs. We'll come here tomorrow if it's still windy, we thought. Strange veg and pasta with mojo and blue cheese sauce, and an early night.
Friday 9th March - San Sebastian
Investigated and fixed the leak from the gas locker drain with a new piece of hose from the chandlers. It was blowing even harder today, with regular gusts over 40 knots creating a horrible screaming noise through all the masts and rigging, but you can tell most people here know what they are doing because there are very few banging halliards even in this wind.
Went to the beach through the tunnel for a swim in the afternoon but unlike yesterday we found williwaws swirling along the strand - we got thoroughly sandblasted and had to abandon the project. Ambigu in the afternoon, then in the evening we met Martin in the Blue Marlin for a bit of a session and didn't get back to the boat until well after two. Martin is certainly one of the more interesting characters we have met - an idiosyncratic German/Friesian entrepreneur with a variety of business interests and a colourful past, none of which I am at liberty to reveal. His boat - Flyng Seawitch - is extraordinary - a sleek and powerful looking craft he describes as a 'gentleman's fast cruiser' with attractive and well laid out but restricted accommodation you would normally associate with a much smaller boat. She made from aircraft grade hammered aluminium (no welding apparently) with hydraulic furling, two fully redundant autohelms, collision bulkheads fore and aft and all manner of interesting and unique features. There is apparently only one other boat like it, owned by the King of Spain.
Saturday 10th March - San Sebastian
The wind has mysteriously stopped, which was not forecast and there is a thick kalima (Saharan dust hanging in the air, reducing visibility to under a mile).
FInished working my way through the first module of my Ocean Yachtmaster Theory correspondence course today and went up to Ambigu to email the tutor-marked part to my tutor at Centaur Sailing. The plan is to have successfully completed the course by midsummer and to actually be able to use the sextant by the time we get to the Azores.
Another late night after meeting up with Steve from Nordic Warrior and Martin in the Blue Marlin - drinking glasses of red wine, which appear to be worse for both the head and the pocket than jarras of Dorada
Sunday 11th March - San Sebastian
A bit of a nothing day - sitting around watching the Kalima slowly clearing. There is a low pressure area forming over the Canaries which promises some lighter winds from dirctions other than the prevailing North Easterlies, so we are going to check the weather again first thing tomorrow morning and if it looks OK we will head off for San Miguel on our way to Las Palmas and points E.
In the evening there was a band playing in the square. We had been listening to the sound checks in the afternoon, and the guitarists sounded pretty good - lthough their choice of material was more adventurous during the sound checks than during the actual performance. It seemed to be mostly covers, but the lead singer had an intriguingly powerful yet 'little girlish' voice and made a good job of 'Mighty Quinn' and 'The End of the World As We Know It' among others. Apparently this band is big in Spain, and had arrived in a private aircraft - all paid for by the island council using EEC money of course.
|
