Salvagem Islands limit the northerly approach from west

Catmojo
Matt
Mon 3 May 2021 08:41
30:04N 21:18W cog vaguely east sog8 ish

Oh I remember this now from last year. I want to approach the southbound winds around Lanzarote from as far north as possible, a nice angle to make things easier and the wind coming behind the boat, see? That way it's safer, and none of that nasty getting dashed on to the rocks thing. Simon has been STRONGLY suggesting I get the heck north, to allow for all this. The more north I get, the better.

BUT the limiting problem is the Salvagem islands. These are tiny islands in the Canaries just 110miles NW of Lanzarote. As I approach Lanzarote from the west, with the wind almost always blowing from the north, I don't want to be north of these islands at any time for safest route - I want to maintain clear empty sea in the downwind direction. The Salvagem islands dictate my route: I have to pass through a point about 30north and 16west, just to the south of those islands. So there's no point angling for a more northerly route (unless MUCH more northerly, as if coming from Gibraltar) cos I wd always want/need to go on the south side of these islands.

That Salvagem waypoint is about 270miles due east of here. I can jig er oops I mean waft around here as much as I like, but mainly I need to make quickest to that South Salvagem waypoint - because the northerly winds are building at the moment - and then to south Lanzarote another 120nm from Salvagem, and ta-rah, finished. So, that's the gig for the next two days.

Ooh jeopardy, see? Circumstances beyond control of the participants kinda thing. That's what makes a great story. Unfortunately it also often bogs up a travel story because the writer obviously got back to tell the tale, so yerknow, then it's more What I Did On My Holidays, really. So hum, no genuine jeopardy, again. Bit like James Bond never gets killed in the opening scene, or actually, ever. But Oh Just a minute - since it's in the future at the moment, well yes there IS actual real genuine jeopardy for the next 48hours. Ooer! After that, meh, just another OMG it was blah blah yeah yeah whatever.