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
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