Back down to Mogan

Ile Jeudi
Bob and Lin Griffiths
Wed 16 Jan 2013 19:23
27:48.99N  15:45.85W
 
Distance Run  45 Miles
 
Wednesday 16 January 2013
 
 
We have been in Las Palmas so long now that when I go into the chandelry at Rolnautic the cashier says 'Hello Bob'.  Having had the all clear from the diver we think it's time to move on before she starts greeting me by VISA number.  Lin has found the same thing happening at the local supermarket and fruit and vegetable shop where she has frequent 'conversations' in pidgin Spanish combined with smiles and hand signals.  (She always gets smiles in return and seems to come away with the things she thought she was asking for).  We also want to get back down to Ian and Judith on Zaurak because Ian is still under the weather. 
 
So there are always mixed emotions when we leave somewhere we have been a long time.  The need to move on is mixed with sadness to leave people we have begun to know well.  And so it was when we left Las Palmas on Wednesday morning and motored south again down the east coast of Gran Canaria to Puerto de Mogan. 
 
We arrived in late afternoon and tied up to the quay wall.  This is unlike marina pontoons, which float up and down with the tide with your boat attached, because you have to tie the lines so that they are not too tight at low water.  It also means at high water the boat is not held so closely to the quay which makes getting on and off interesting.  We were glad when we were allocated a pontoon berth the following day.
 
We joined Ian and Judith for drinks on Zaurak and it was immediately clear that Ian was too run down to be able to go anywhere soon.  There is hopefully nothing serious but recovery has been very slow and Ian and Judith can't yet contemplate preparing for a long passage never mind undertaking one.  This is entirely understandable and they don't now know if they will be able to go across the Atlantic this winter and so it was agreed we would should go on ahead.
 
This is very sad for all four of us as we had all been looking forward to 'buddy boating' across the Atlantic but we all agree it's not realistic just now.  Nevertheless we had a good evening together as usual.
 
 
A couple more photographs of the area near the marina.  A bridge over the canal complete with plant boxes:-
 
 
 
 
And running out to sea by the anchorage:-