27:44.78 N, 015:37.19 W

 

After four days of boat “fettling” and carrying stored back across town we awarded ourselves a leisure walk with a swim. There are two beaches in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, one to the Northern end of the town for the tourists and swimmers, and one next to the marina where there are serious canoe and volleyball clubs but the water is too dirty for swimming. We joined the swimmers and had a quick dip although afterwards James felt cold despite the air temperature being advertised as 27 Celsius.

 

Getting out of the marina poses its own complications; In order to reclaim our deposit for the swipe-cards used to access the pontoon you have to walk 1.6 km round the port and hand them to the Port Officials (20 Euro deposit back as well and Fiona got there at 9 am just as the office opened she was first in the queue). Then you have the issue of getting back onto your pontoon as without a card you cannot open the gate. Problem solved by the nice marinero who noted we were on the visitors pontoon and gave her a lift in his RIB – all of the 250 metres to the mooring, saving the 1.6K walk back! Next, the “rat lines” to the boat have to be untied and dropped below the keel and prop before you dare motor past them for fear of catching one. James had taken a line to an upwind pontoon to stop the bows blowing off so we inched out, pulling on this line and one of our French neighbours cast it off for us once we’d used it.

 

The seas from Las Palmas around to the southern point of the island and to the anchorage where we are now have been surprisingly short and reminiscent of the north sea in all but colour. We motored the first few miles then as the wind increased and went round to the east as the GRIB  file predicted we hoisted the sails, ending up on a run in F5. The south of the island is covered in hotel complexes and more beaches, some sandy without having been imported from the Sahara. We’re anchored outside the local marina and swimming beach where the sand is a bit more typical: ie grey with stones and rocks. Tomorrow we intend to move over to Tenerife to meet with some friends holidaying in San Juan on the west coast. For now, here are a few pictures more from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

 

The vegetable cupboard door complete with new grating

 

The swimming beach on the NW of the isthmus, and the volley-ball beach on the SE where the harbour is.

 

View from our anchorage at Pasito Blanco, looking NE.

 

Fiona’s notes on boat life; I have to learn to sew mosquito netting or get bitten all night. We have some, so it’s just putting it to the needle that’s required (more truthfully, it’s the motivation to do so which is required).