Downhill to Flying Fish Country

X-ing File #3_ Canaries to Cape Verdes

The Kiwi’s near us on the same dock were leaving Saturday (30th December 2017).  We decided to take the plunge too.  The first day was a fine trip (read – we initially motored as the wind was slight!).  As they say, all good things must end – and so it did!  Had we just enjoyed downwind sailing conditions offered by constant trade winds, things might have been ok.  However, nature did what nature does best, so we had an accompanying swell from recent (and probably far away) Atlantic storms on one quarter and to even the odds, more swell from the east.  When all three met, we rocked and rolled in variable 25+ knot winds, making life rather unpleasant.  At least we moved with some speed, even maxing out at 8kn as we surfed the swell.  Just as well the Cap’n had earned his surfing stripes in the Faro canal earlier this year.

Somehow, we punched on through, winds abated and we settled into more manageable conditions.  That’s not to say that the rocking and rolling stopped.  Still, we were kept amused.  A pod of dolphins, numbering in the hundreds, visited over two days, showing off with an impressive and daring display of acrobatics and speed surfing.  They can spin on a dime…  We also saw, rather closely, a pilot whale and later, a turtle who looked as if he was planning to swim to the Canaries overarm.  On the seventh and final day of this leg, we were escorted into Mindelo Harbour (and wonderful, calm waters, woohoo!) by a family of birds.  It seems our wake disrupts their favourite snack - tasty flying fish; we certainly had accumulated quite the collection on WJ3's deck over the week.

So, just what do sailors do over these days at sea.  The Cap’n tells me he thinks of maintaining Windjammer’s forward momentum, weather and food.  Obviously, safety is an issue as is sleep.  We normally do 2 hour “shifts” at night (from dusk to dawn) and doze during the day to recover any lost sleep.  Shifts are filled in with checking the horizon for shipping (at 10 minute intervals), there’s sails to adjust, routes to plot & record (write our log), books to read, music to listen to and if conditions allow, a little deck dancing for exercise.  Meals are simple and very plain (mostly prepared by the Cap’n if it’s rough).  Bert Hydrovane (our self-steering gear) does an outstanding job as the third “man” and best of all, he’s cheap to keep and doesn’t complain.

The best thing on passage is seeing land, hopefully, our destination.  We still remember the sweet smell of mother earth wafting off Flores (Azores, 2011) after 20 days at sea…. 

(We're about to head off and take the long plunge across to Barbados, leaving any internet connections behind - for now at least!  It should take about 20 days or so, and as we will not be posting on route, the best place to follow our track is from the "map & tracker" tab above.  Don't worry if you see us drop to the latitudes of Brazil, it's probably GS entering numbers into our satellite coms system in the wrong order - again! Once in the Caribbean, it will be back to catch-as-catch-can cafe internet connections, so things could slow down for a while.  Wish us luck!!)  

Chasing Columbus

Las Palmas, Canary Islands

After a rather layzee Christmas Day, and with a plan to head off in a few days (the weather looked promising), we needed to pedal off those few pounds gained so took to an extensive network of bike paths.  We followed the foreshore route behind the marina down to Veguela, the historic precinct and site of the original settlement in 1478. 

Canary Yellow used in profusion in Old Veguela

A walk past the markets roused our appetite, so we continued roaming narrow cobbled streets looking for something tempting.  We found a hole-in-the-wall eatery just around the corner from the Columbus museum where we feasted on a delightful selection of homemade tapas, GS hurriedly writing notes as our host detailed his creations.  Thus energised, we set off to explore Casa de Colon (House of Columbus).

Tapas for Lunch.  With coffee as only local's can drink it
 & that's all you get in a cup!

Don’t you just love those old-style villas (after the Roman model) where solid walls present to the street shielding occupants from noise and presumably attackers.  Rooms line these walls and from balconies, fine views can be had over a central courtyard garden, a well or water feature.  This was not, of course, Columbus’s house but rather one owned by an official who was sufficient in rank to be entertaining (and accommodating) The Admiral of the Ocean Sea.  The building itself has been beautifully restored, including deep cellars and a tunnel network.  Rooms now hold various displays giving insight into those historic and world-changing four voyages.  Detail is added with descriptions of life on board, a collection of seriously old maps (including Piri Reis*), souvenired Central American pottery & statues and fascinating terrain models, one of thin layers of cork, detailing Veguela’s layout in the late 15^th c.

One of the rather impressive doorways into Casa de Colon

Birds with style & attitude

A replica of Columbus's Cabin
befitting the Admiral of the Ocean Seas at the Museum

From Casa de Colon, we circled the Cathedral hoping to see inside.  It was not our day but at least we had two other options; one a lift to the bell tower and the second, a gallery of sacred art.  The Cap’n rolled his eyes at the thought of yet another art collection, so we took in the stunning views over the port and busy city-scape of Las Palmas.  Back down to earth, we sat in the Cathedral square, decorated with dog statues and palms, listening to a chattering green parrot.  No canaries made themselves obvious in the canary island date palms fronds, so we made for the nearest supermarket to begin provisioning for the trip ahead.

Las Palmas Cathedral 

(*The Admiral Piri Reis Map created in Constantinople in 1513 is said to challenge conventional understanding of world history.  Notions of a vanished civilization are explored in Graham Hancock’s book, “Fingerprints of the Gods” and whether you subscribe to his theories or not, the read and the ride back in history really does make you think.  And no, its not related to that other best-selling nonsense (but a fun read), “Chariots of the Gods”.)

Gone to the Dogs

Las Palmas, Canary Islands

Crazy things happen at Street Corners
in Las Palmas

Welcome to Spain!  The Canaries are made up of seven larger islands with a few smaller ones thrown in for good measure.  Largely volcanic, they’re steep sided and subject to interesting wind conditions, known locally as WAZ (wind acceleration zones) that can, in the blink of an eye, obliterate a sail or spinnaker.  So, if the volcanoes don’t get you, the katabatics just might!  Being located in the path of the north-east trades, the islands are regularly visited by sailboats heading for the Caribbean – as once they were by galleons needing to resupply before heading off for the New World.  Galleons or caravels have been replaced by the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC), a mammoth annual rally to cross the Atlantic to the Caribbean, this year hosting some 255 boats.  Yes, Las Palmas Marina is huge (1250 berths).  The marinero who assisted our docking told us that even now, a further 80 boats were waiting to cross directly.  An anchorage outside the marina holds, at last count, a further 37 punters biding time too.  A busy little sailboat super-highway…

As you can see, skies were grey so it is hard to see
the forest of masts in just our corner of the Marina

These islands were initially called “Fortunate” and appear to have a history dating back to 200 BC.  Phoenicians (in search of murex shellfish for valuable Tyrian dye), Egyptians, Europeans, Arabs and Berbers visited leaving their indelible mark on islands that later became known as Insulae Canium, The Island of Dogs.  Whilst it’s understood this was due to the numbers and size of dogs roaming the islands, it is also speculated that it was home to a north African tribe, the Canarii.  The islands are positively bursting with maritime history and favourite names such as Columbus (1492), Drake (1595) and Nelson (who lost his arm in a battle of Tenerife, 1797) converged on this vital conduit for valuable cargoes, including slaves, brought back by trading ships from Africa, the Orient or the Americas. 

Now it’s cruise ships that ply this popular route.  At one stage we counted 6 monoliths, including the famous dark blue hull of the Queen Elizabeth.  In Elizabethan times, sailors found their own special attraction here in the form of canary-sack or malmsey (fortified) wines.  We did wonder just what exactly it is that attracts current visitors; that said, the economy appears to be booming.  Masses of modern high-rise apartment blocks cling to steep-sided landscapes, traffic speeds with intent along motorways, resorts are in high demand and planes land with hardly any interval as northern Europeans escape to a warmer, balmier climate of this undoubtedly Spanish enclave. 

Living the High Life for Christmas Lunch 2017

To be fair, we really did not do justice to this (almost) tropical island, nor did we have time (or will to beat against the trades) to visit the others.  However, we found enough to keep us amused.  The Cap’n sourced some chandlery bargains and Las Palmas’ busy shopping precinct provided us with duty free Moet Champagne and fresh lobster (live and cooked by the Cap’n) for our Christmas Lunch.  The butcher’s display in El Corte Inglés (a David Jones equivalent) was equally as impressive; the Spanish sure know how to celebrate!  So, we don’t always have it so tough.