Change of Scene

Ile Jeudi
Bob and Lin Griffiths
Fri 21 Dec 2012 16:53
27:49.00N   15:45.88W
 
Monday 17 to Thursday 20 December 2012
 
Most of the week was spent trying to configure the new laptop so that it can work as a back up to the old one with the satphone.  Unfortunately all the new laptop stock I could find came with Windows 8 as the operating system.  If you get as bored and frustrated with PC's as much as I do, look away now.
 
This had only become 'standard' in November and I don't like to be an 'early adopter' of new systems, preferring instead to wait for things to stabilise.  Although written for mobile phones Windows 8 for PC's is based on Windows 7 with additional touch screen facilities so it would 'hopefully not be a problem'.  However it soon became clear that much of the email and weather software I needed to download, which had been written for Windows 7, would not run and it is too early for Windows 8 versions!  Lots of contact with software suppliers and it seems we will have to wait.
 
We did have some success with the solar panel regulator.  I discovered that the one that had been fitted in Turkey was for 10 amps.  Since our two panels can produce up to 20 amps it was perhaps no surprise the old regulator failed!  The local chandler carried the same make of regulator in a 20 amp version so I bought and fitted it.  Hopefully that will resolve our 'low volatge / high voltage' dilemma.
 
 
 
Friday 21 December 2012
 
Distance Run  45 miles
 
 
As it was unlikely anything was going to happen on the watermaker front until after Christmas we thought we would have a change of scene.  The south of Gran Canaria has a different climate to where we are in the north and our friends on 'Zaurak' had been in touch to say how nice it was in Puerto de Mogan and Ian and Judith had made some enquiries about our getting in to the marina there (it has few spaces for visitors).  We had a tentative booking and decided to make a dash for it to the south.
 
We left about 9.30 in light winds and motored around to the south west of Gran Canaria.
 
 
 
Leaving Las Palmas:-
 
 
 
 
 
The Cathedral in Las Palmas 'old town':-
 
 
 
 
 
A little of the shipping at anchor off Las Palmas, the largest port in the Canary Islands:-
 
 
 
 
 
The attractive front at Maspalomas in the south:-
 
 
 
 
For some reason this place is called 'Puerto Cementero'.  It is on one of the most prominent headlands on the south of the island ensuring it's visibility for miles around:-