25.39 N 021.20 W

Mojo 2
Andrew Partington
Sat 7 May 2011 06:59
The boom was a relatively easy fix in the marina so we were able to get going again two days later when another patch of bad weather had passed.
We had all enjoyed Castelo de Santiago very much. It was the middle of the easter weekend and there were people everywhere. On the Saturday morning the local drum band made its way through the small cobblestone streets as part of an easter parade. Beautiful little town and a wonderful place to spend some time.
On the morning of the 24th April we were finally able to head out for our run to the Canaries. The first day we experienced strong winds but after that things settled down and we were able to plot a direct line course to Gran Canaria.
We had good sailing despite a couple of very calm days towards the end of the passage. Loads of wildlife. We sat metres from a pod of small whales, who just sat there and watched us, as we listened to the air whoshing from their blowholes. Late one afternoon a swallow flew around the boat and eventually into the boat several times before hitching a ride with us all night on the fridge. He left the next day happy and refreshed and even left us a small gift on the face of the fridge.
The entrance to Las Palmas was tough with winds reaching as high as 32 knots. We used both motors to work our way in over the last 20 NM. I'n glad we ungraded to the 30HP motors now!!
Las Palmas is the busiest port I have ever seen with what seems like a ship going in or out every few minutes.
John,Keith and Sharon have all decided to return to Australia, So joining us on the leg to the Caribbean will be Daniel Miller.
Spent much of the time in Gran Canaria preparing the boat to leave and organising travel to Australia for my dad.
Said our goodbyes on the 4th May and headed out for our long journey to the Caribbean.