School and work etc.

While David was away, Bethany, Bryn and I stayed put on CAPE in Las Palmas, carrying on with boat school, work and boat jobs. Boat school included Spanish, maths, polar exploration, yellow fever and malaria, and research into the flags of nations further south that we might visit if we ever manage to leave the Canaries. Beth and Bryn did some more electronics with Dave (HEYMEDE), making an emergency 12-volt LED anchor light, and watching Dave blow up LED lights from the Chinese shop.

I made cockpit cushions and a cover for the generator. We ordered and fitted new foam for the saloon cushions, and shopped for new bedding (various dark shades) and pillows. I indulged in a spot of locker reorganization and unhurried purchasing of plastic boxes (usually done with David interfering). Beth and Bryn scrubbed CAPE’s waterline, and a second-hand Lavac sea toilet that the boat next door was chucking out (replacing with a Jabsco!). [Lavacs are considered by some to be the Rolls Royce of sea toilets – I’m sure David will be delighted with our ‘catch’ when he gets back.] Bryn broke a few of David’s tools while fitting various hooks and fiddles for me. I spent a considerable amount of time:

●  in Rolnautica (the chandlery) trying to sort out top ups for the iSatPhone Pro (satellite phone) that David had with him somewhere in the Atlantic

●  e-mailing AST customer support (the satellite phone provider in the UK) to try to find out why David didn’t receive our text messages on the satellite phone

●  in the Vodafone shop trying to sort out the top up of our 3G internet dongle

●  on the phone to Vodafone UK trying to sort out why David could receive calls in Brazil, but couldn’t phone out.

We took it in turn to cook, so Beth and Bryn added a few new recipes to their repertoire. The hob is fine, but our oven hasn’t been working for about 3 months now, so I experimented with my pressure cooker, learning how to use it to make jacket potatoes, rice pudding (in just 6 minutes!) and dry and without pressure to make bread and cake. Spurred on and in baking mode, I finally got around to tracking down a gas cooker man to replace the oven burner thermocouple (he didn’t speak a word of English, but luckily my Spanglish has improved quite a lot) and I now have a working oven. We cooked supper for Dave and Taryna, and for Phil and Colette (OLLI) and they cooked for us, and we played crib, Who’s in the bag? and watched Top Gear (imported by Dave from the UK) for afters.

In their spare time, the boys rigged the kayaks with masts and sails, while the girls concentrated on entertaining the kittens on OCA BLANCO, and Top Model fashion design.

The AQUMARIJN kayak ketch (in need of a little air), powered by a windscoop and mini-spinnaker.

CAPE kayak; a square-rigger powered by an old shower curtain.

Jabs, teeth and eyes

Beth, Bryn and I got jabbed for yellow fever and a prescription for malaria prophylaxis for malaria-infested cruising grounds further south. We were also able to get prescriptions for vaccinations for typhoid fever and hepatitis A for B&B and just need to get to a pharmacy and clinic to get the stuff administered and their little yellow books stamped. We were recommended a dentist and got a check up – Beth got the all clear, Bryn got his Greek crown redone (the Italian dental work was pronounced to be top quality), and I have to go back for some fillings. We also found an English-speaking optician and Bryn and I got our eyes checked. Bryn needed specs and now has a smart pair of cool Calvin Kleins. My retinas are looking good (considering), but my prescription has changed again – nothing is ever straightforward or cheap when it is to do with my eyes! Never mind, at least I can see properly again (and have my old specs as spares).

Trips out and about

We joined AQUAMARIJN, HEYMEDE and OCA BLANCO to visit the old part of Las Palmas to see the house where Christopher Columbus stayed in 1492 while getting the rudder of the PINTA fixed, and taking on food and water before setting off to discover America. The house has impressive carved doorways and ceilings, a courtyard of lush plants and two resident parrots.

The courtyard of Columbus’ house.

There just happened to be a flower festival going on too, with throngs of people and a Canarian band playing outside the Library. The festival pictures were constructed in the middle of the streets using wooden frames filled with different coloured flower petals.

Flower artist 1 to flower artist 2 – “Does my bum look big in this?”

The Library in the old part of the city – where carved doorways and balconies abound.

CAPE vs. AQUAMARIJN in the ice-cream eating competition.

I wonder if Christopher Columbus held an ice-cream eating competition between the crews of his three ships (the PINTA, the NIÑA and the SANTA MARIA) before they left? I wonder if they even had ice-cream in 1492!

Top Gear comes to the Canaries

Beth and Bryn went go-karting with AQUAMARIJN and LADYCAT for Amber’s 14^th and Marjolein’s 10^th birthday.

Underage drink-driving...

Waiting for the chequered flag.

Bryn practicing his Jeremy Clarkson pose.

A Top Gear moment.

Goodbyes

LADYCAT went back to Blighty, PAX left to head back north to Portugal and is up for sale, and AQUAMARIJN went off to the Netherlands for a holiday.

The Time Traveller returned

David’s trip on the FUTAGAMI took him from Cape Town (South Africa), north up the coast of West Africa, west across the Atlantic Ocean to Natal at the easternmost point of Brazil. They then went east to the Cape Verdes to take fuel and finally back down south to Cape Town, crossing the equator twice and going from 1 hour ahead to 4 hours behind – and back again. He was at sea for 60 days, observing the transhipment of 1,400 tonnes of fish from Japanese, Chinese, Philippino and Taiwanese fishing boats including four different sorts of tuna, swordfish, blue marlin – and a sickening amount of shark fin – destined for soup bowls and sushi bars. His trip back to us in the Canaries was via London and Madrid, and his luggage joined him a couple of days later.