Week ending 25th October

Nightsong
Mon 26 Oct 2009 19:04
Dear Blog
 
Another great week with Norfolk friends Mike and Jane Wickstead and Jonnie and Janey Chadd - again in the western isles of the Canaries. Weather was very hot but alas we had too little wind - but whereas with the Loomes we did not see any sealife - this week we have had an abundance, seeing lots (>25) of dolphins, bottlenose and common, and a school/pod? of pilot whales on our last day. So the channel between Gomera and Tenerife which is supposed to have >600 marine mammals in its great depths (>2000m) finally proved its residents.
 
We started again at San Miguel marina where the Chadds and Wicksteads joined us about 9pm on Saturday after a quick taxi ride from Tenerife Sur airport - on Sunday we stopped off near Los Christianos for a quick swim before setting sail for San Sebastian de Gomera - a better berth this time than last week with the Loomes. On Monday we motored and sailed the 20 miles round to the other side of the island to Valle Gran Rey (for my 3rd visit). What a fantastic place anchored under the cliffs - on Tuesday we stayed there and did a long walk down the valley having taken a taxi up. The highlight of the day was the very nearby salvage of a little 27fter which had sunk at its anchor 10 days before (so the 2 Daves, Keith and I saw her afloat 2 weeks before). The owner did the salvage himself with divers and airbags - by the morning he had plugged the hole and pumped out all the water so she floated on her marks.
 
 
 
On next day to Santa Cruz de Palma - and stayed there also for the Thursday  (Janey's  ?? 49th !! birthday - promise not to tell!) while the Chadds and Wicksteads did the taxi ride to the top of the mountain to see the view and the observatories - a wonderful trip for the constantly changing scenery as much as the view. A great birthday meal out at La Placetta downtown Santa Cruz (thanks Mike and Jonnie for treating Libby and me).
 
Finally back to Tenerife - 72 miles in 12 hours - we tried the gennaker but had to motor for 7.5 hours since the wind stubbornly refused to go over 8 knots (Nightsong needs more than 10kts really to go ie 6kts of speed) - still the sealife made the day special. Rough despite this 'cos of the NW swell from a storm going up the Channel 1500 miles north of us. Anchored at Las Galletas for the night where we all swam both evening and morning - or did Mike chicken out I forget!
 
 
 
Chadds and Wicksteads sadly left Saturday morning and the Boases joined in the evening - now we are going to explore the eastern Canaries starting with Gran Canaria, then Graciosa (120 miles to windward), Lanzarote, Isla Lobos and Fuerteventura -so completing all 9 main islands in the chain of the islands of Dogs (the Canis islands christianed by the Romans)
 
AJB                                                                                                         25th October 2009