We left Funchal Maderia after only being there 5 1/2 hours. Funchal was an great place and somewhere I would like to return. Alastair who has been to Maderia many times showed us a really good night out. We found a local restaurant “Bar O Avo" where the restauranteur decided our menu which made life very easy. Steak egg & chips with free wine. Very friendly and good banter.

We returned back to Arion at 22:00 hrs and looked at the wind and weather and our passage plan ahead. It was going to be 295 miles to Las Palmas. There was to be no wind in Maderia for next 48 Hrs. We therefore decided to crack on and fuelled up for the journey ahead and set off at 22:50 Hrs for Las Palmas. This proved a good decision as after 8 hrs of motoring we had got into the next band of wind. It started as a light North East and gently built to a moderate North East. We then had full main & jib out and our average speed increased to 7 Kts. Champagne Sailing.

This wind held for the next 36 Hrs and dropped for the last 60 miles into Las Palmas. We had a middle of the night arrival in Las Palmas and was all moored on the visitors pontoon by 01:00 Hrs on Tuesday 10th.

Tuesday morning we refuelled again as recommended to do this early and then was escorted to our pontoon J19 to be our home for next 2 weeks.  By chance we were moored just opposite Belladonna the Grand Soleil 46 our friends who we had been with in Lisbon.

Once in Las Palmas we got underway in registration of the Arc and booking in our Rig & Safety checks. I am now pleased to say that we sailed through these with only very minor issues. All the prior preparation has paid off.

The World Cruising Club organisation has been excellent. Everyday there has been seminars and you can sign up to as many as you like all part of the Arc service. So far we have attended: Managing Emergencies at Sea, Atlantic Weather Routing, Provisioning, Downwind Sailing & Satellite Communications at Sea (now sorted). They have all been excellent and very well presented and informative.

On the social side we attend sundowners every evening in the local dingy park where you receive free beer from one of the sponsors. We are slowly getting to know some of our competitors. We have also had a Welcome Party sponsored by the local Chandlery with all night complimentary Tapas, Beer & Wine.

Today we have just returned form the opening ceremony. This was put on by the local port authority and we all gathered for a parade around the marina behind our national flag. All the flags got hoisted together up there individual mast followed by 1 minute silence for the attacks in France. The flags will remain at half mast for the rest of the day. The ceremony concluded with 30 gun shots for the 30 nations and the event was declared open.

In-between all this partying we have just been getting on with boat work and final preparation. Alastair has flown home to see family for a few night to return next Wednesday & Dannyboy is arriving tomorrow. 

I am hoping to have the bulk of the preparations done in time for Hermione, Arthur & Alice who are arriving tomorrow which I am very excited about. I have really missed them. It will then be time to do some sight seeing and R&R.

The last few days has been Graham & myself. Graham has been amazing at getting on with boat work. He has just completed some very fine looking spinnaker nets. These Spinnaker nets in theory will be used to prevent the spinnaker getting rapped around the forestay. I will keep you informed on the success of these.

Arron with Battle Flag & Dressed overall.

Opening Ceremony.