Canaries

Nowornot Web Diary
Robert (Bob) Parry and Ann Parry
Thu 3 Mar 2011 18:28

We planned to leave Agadir on Saturday 5th February, so we thought it a good idea to bring in our chain, fill up with fuel and clean our ropes on Friday. The ropes had developed their own ecosystem after spending over 2 months dipping in and out of the water and we knew that the anchor was in mud. We had nearly 70 metres of chain out and at least the last 45 metres was covered with a liberal coating of thick, sticky mud. We would bring in about a metre, Bob would scrub it and then we would lower it back into the water for a rinse. We have an anchor wash but it was not up to this job. By the time we brought in the chain and picked up fuel, the morning had disappeared. A calm night was predicted so we tied along side at a long pontoon with three posts.

 

Just after midday Saturday, after formalities had been taken care of and the boat checked by the police, we were away. Most of the horn blowers had already left (everybody had a rowdy send off) but Jean-Claude gave us some hearty blasts and a small crowd of those remaining, as well as Hasan from the marina and the policeman, stood on the dock and waved and cheered until we were out of sight.

 

By mid-afternoon, we had enough breeze to kill the engine and sail. At about 2100, Bob decided it was time for bed. We did a check of the surroundings and saw the same three fishing boats sitting around in the distance. I thought it was a good chance to clean my teeth and then came back on deck. One of the fishing boats was now heading rapidly back to Agadir. It was RIGHT THERE, no navigation lights, only a deck light, and about to head across our bow. There was no point in contemplating the fact that we had right of way. A quick gybe accompanied by a few expletives brought Bob up on deck and the fishing boat continued merrily on its way. To quote James Bond, we were “shaken but not stirred”. Thoughts of Bart and Jean-Claude on Moana Toa crossed our mind as they had been hit on the port quarter by an unlit fishing boat and were lucky to tell the tale. They had engine problems and no wind at the time and could not take avoiding action.

 

 By 0130 Sunday we were motoring again and this continued until 2130 but the remainder of the journey was done under sail. We were safely tied up at marina Rubicon in the south of Lanzarote by 0950 Monday.

 

Lanzarote is volcanic, as are the rest of the Canaries, and about one quarter of it was formed by volcanic eruptions over a period of about 6 years in the 1730’s. There are extensive areas of the rugged remains of lava flows and the predominant colour of the island is black. Having said that, the buildings are mostly all painted white. The roofs are made of concrete and are also painted white so it gives a very distinctive look to the place. There is no surface water on Lanzarote and yards and farms are covered in volcanic ash that is used as mulch. The ash absorbs dew at night and it percolates down through the ash to the roots of the plants. Gardens and crops are protected by semi-circular walls and hollows in the ground. The northern winds in winter can be bitterly cold.

 

We decided that the best way to see most of the island was by guided coach tour. The first of these trips was to the north. Much of the legislation regarding buildings was instigated by a local artist/designer/architect, Cesar Manrique. He left the island in 1945 to study art in Madrid but returned in the late 1960’s to conserve the environment, especially after the building of a high rise hotel in the capital, Arrecife. It is still the only high rise on the island. He was the one who suggested that the buildings be painted white. He designed and built the most incredible house in the village of Tahiche. It is built over five volcanic bubbles in the lava flow. There is even a swimming pool in one of the bubbles that is open to the sky. Check it out on the internet. The house is now the home of the Cesar Manrique Foundation. He died in 1997 but his legacy lives on.

 

One of the sections of the great lava tube created by the eruption of Mount Corona is open to the public, as guided tours, in the Cueva de los Verdes .  In the days of pirates, Lanzarotes used to hide in the caves. It is made up of two galleries, one on top of the other. One of these galleries houses an auditorium that holds 1000 people. The acoustics are very suitable for musical concerts and there was a baby grand piano on the stage. Not sure how they got it in there. The piece de resistance is the final gallery where a shallow layer of water and clever lighting gives it the appearance of a huge, deep chasm.

 

The final area visited on the northern trip was the Los Jameos del Agua. Nearly 70 metres below the ground is a huge lava cave with a lake that is below sea level and is fed by small subterranean shafts. It is the home of rare small, blind albino crabs. The area also has the first architectural attraction designed by Cesar Manrique in 1968. It is a very large and beautiful complex that includes a swimming pool and exotic garden in a volcanic bubble, an auditorium capable of seating 600, a volcano display and research centre and various restaurants and a gift shop.

 

The southern trip took us firstly to El Golfo to see the green lagoon and then on to  Los Hervideros where the combination of  subterranean tubes, deep crevices and shafts formed by solidification of the lava and the pounding of the Atlantic Ocean gives rise to some spectacular scenery. Then it was off to Timanfaya and the national park. In the 1730’s, more than 25 craters covered 20 000 hectares of fertile plains and turned them into a desolate and hostile landscape. A dozen villages were buried but there was no loss of life.

 

On the Islote of Hilario, so named because legend has it that a hermit called Hilario lived here with his camel, we saw some examples of the geothermic activity that is registered in some 7000 sq metres within the park. A ranger held some dried gorse over a small excavation and it was not long before it began to smoke and caught fire. Then he poured water into a small hole in the ground. The second bucket full caused a loud and surprisingly large geyser. In the Restaurant El Diablo (you guessed it – designed by Cesar Manrique), there is a circular building where there is a well 5 metres deep with a temperature between 80 and 200 degrees Celsius. Chicken pieces were cooking on a grill placed over the hole.

 

From there, we traveled through the park on the bus on a very narrow, winding road. Cars are forbidden in this section, as is pedestrian traffic. Stops are made along the way and a commentary explains the various features of this incredible place. The landscape has been used for a number of movies including 2001, A Space Odyssey, Planet of the Apes and Barbarilla.

 

After lunch, we visited a winery in the La Geria area. Here we were able to see, at close quarters, the vines planted in hollows in the lava flows and protected by semi-circular walls. A variety of small crops is also grown using this method, without irrigation.

 

After a week at Lanzarote, we headed to Las Palmas. Our stay here has been prolonged by a crack in the inlet pipe of the water pump on our generator. Bob has been complaining about the leak in the water pump and thought it was the hose. It was old hose, hardened by time and use, and so he replaced it with new hose. Still he could not seem to tighten the hose enough to stop the leak. I might add that all of this is on the back of the pump and very hard to see. He brought a small section of 19mm hose from home and decided to fir it between the 20mm hose and the pump. As he pushed the hose on, the elbow on the pump broke off in his hands. It turns out that there was a significant crack in the pipe, possibly caused when the generator was removed in Turkey to be rebuilt. We are waiting for a replacement pump to arrive from Spain. Hope it is not coming with the same donkey and cart as the wind generator.

 

One consolation is that the weather is not the best and we would have had a wild, wet and cold ride if we had left a few days age.

 

Next installment from the Caribbean.