Sun, sea,sangria..and a run in with the local security forces

Blackdog
Fri 16 Oct 2015 19:05
28 51.4N 013 48.8W
Excuse the delay in getting this blog out. We arrived safely here in Lanzarote and have spent the first few nights at anchor outside marina Rubicon. No wifi so we have had to go ashore when we can and find a bar which has it. Shame. Caroline has stitched some leather anti chafe sleeves over the spinnaker guys where it will go through the pole end fitting. Chris put some dyneema sleeving around the spinnaker sheets where they rub against the boom. Wherever chafe is possible we try and reinforce that area !
We took the dinghy along the coast to the harbour. Found a convenient dock and ladder so padlocked the boat and went ashore. A typical holiday resort, most bars and restaurants with English menus, a nice promenade and loads of shops selling the usual tack. Plus a supermarket with a litre of gin at 6 euros !
Anyway, Caroline goes off to the vodaphone shop and Chris goes back to the harbour. On arrival back at the boat find that someone has put a padlock through our wire locking us to the dock ! Ooops, obviously not supposed to moor here then ! Luckily, the end of the wire on the boat is attached by a combination padlock so Chris frees dinghy, recovers both padlocks and leaves our wire attached to the dock by the new padlock. At this time the sensible thing to do would have been to high tail it out of there, put the dinghy on the beach outside the harbour and wait for Caroline. That wasn’t going to happen now was it.... Chris takes dinghy back to the boat and picks up our very substantial, 30” long bolt croppers, then heads back to the port. He was only going to cut our wire not the padlock.. honest guv. On arrival at the dock and with bolt croppers in hand a uniformed female security guard appears and starts berating me in Spanish. I haven't a clue what she is saying but I do pick up ‘prohibido’ and ‘polizie’. This isn’t going well... So I lay on the apologetic, I’m a stupid English tourist bit which seems to work and she unlocks the padlock so I can recover the wire.
Turns out you need a permit just to enter the harbour.
We are now moored up in Rubicon marina as there is a strong south westerly blowing and the anchorage was not only a lee shore but was very rolly ! Quite a lot of south westerlys expected in the next few weeks so we may make a straight dash for Gran Canaria and miss out Fuerteventura. We will see. A day by the marina swimming pool tomorrow. It’s a tough life you know...
All the best to everyone especially Ade after his accident.
C & C