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  Galleons or caravels have been replaced by the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC), a mammoth annual rally to cross the Atlantic to the Caribbean, this year hosting some 255 boats.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.