Tuesday 27th October (Lini’s Journal)

Brindabella's Web Diary
Simon Williams
Sat 31 Oct 2009 12:21


�� Our windless night at sea did bring the advantage of sleep and by breakfast we had both caught up a little with Simon feeling much better too J. The lights from the northern coast of Lanzarote had been visible for some time and gradually with dawn Graciosa and the most north-easterly little islands came into view. I quickly mixed some bread dough knowing the approaching scenery should not be missed.

�� Graciosa looked like a desert; barren, extinct volcanoes falling into creamy yellow sandy dunes with only the faintest hint of green to the parched shrubs. There are only two villages on the island which looked so different from the terracotta roofed buildings we�ve seen so far. Rainfalls are few and far between so no pitched roofs are needed. The white single storey houses mingled into each other with patches of palm trees here and there.

�� We rounded the top of Graciosa where more Cory�s Shearwaters danced around the boat and flying fish took off for amazingly long flights. The channel between Graciosa and Lanzarote was quite narrow but what a contrast in landscape from low sand dunes backed with volcanoes to our right and high rocky cliffs in fascinating strata to our left. The wind had now picked up and although enough to sail, was now bang on our nose. We now wondered if the approaching anchorage would be tenable with the wind direction. To my great relief although breaking waves provided fun for surfers at the entrance, the rest of the anchorage looked relatively safe. A large yacht left with perfect timing giving us a nice space and who should be next to us but Festina Lente. I dropped the hook into crystal clear water and we unwound with coffee and malt loaf.

�� Sometimes I wonder if the scenery around us could actually get any better: The day is hot and very sunny. Waves are rolling gently, the low, dark rocky headland protecting us from most of the swell. Bright, clear water turns turquoise before breaking into fountains of white foam on the tiny sandy beach with rocky pools. Behind the volcano Monta�marilla rises in vivid shades of orange, red, purple and brown, melting into the sand and barely green shrubs below. A few surfers dance on the foamy breakers behind us and across the narrow channel the volcanoes of Lanzarote gradually fade into the distance. Wow!

�� I quickly moved my bread dough off the warm engine where it was proving to the oven before diving off the back of Brindabella and joining Si, Phil and Linda for a chat between the boats bobbing up and down with the waves. What a perfect way to cool down and refresh after a long sail. We ate our rosemary and garlic focaccia with salad for lunch then re-flaked the sails and tidied up. I then jumped into �the car� and rowed over to Festina Lente: As luck would have it Phil is a painter and offered to give me my first lesson. Observing the numerous colours in the volcano before us, I watched as Phil built up the layers of colour on his landscape. : I was inspired. While Si �rested his eyes� I opened up my painting set for the first time and spent a thoroughly therapeutic few hours playing with colours. Impatiently I now wanted to paint a picture. Hopefully soon Si may have some free time to start his new hobby � his guitar.

�� After watching a vibrant sunset over G&Ts I marinated some beef in teriyaki and we stir-fried our beansprouts with vegetables and noodles. Yum! Definitely time to sprout some more. At 8.30pm crew Brindabella decided to fight the fatigue no more and fell into bed. During the night we had thunder, lightening and even a little rain.