Position 28 05.34N 017 06.48W

31/10/11 –

Left San Miguel for La Gomera.  Started out motoring with 5-6 knots of wind.  As approached La Gomera could see some breaking waves and white water.  Within 100m gone from 5-6 knots to over 32 knots, no reef in the main and finally two reefs in genoa and steaming along at 8 knots but peaking at 9.2knots.  Paul said he wanted to get rid of me as I held on!

Met up with Helen and Mark again.  We hired a car for three days and have done the roads and mountains yet again.  We have filled the boat up with bottled water, not sure if we are bow heavy now after being so long stern heavy.

Banana plantations

Remains of a volcanic cone.

Remains of terraces.

Village built on volcanic outcrop.

Looking down towards San Sebastian marina.

El Teide in the background.

Because the mountains are so high and communications difficult Gomerans have a whistling language called silbo.  Thought to have originated with the early settlers – who would have been Africans.  We found this great statue in the middle of the laurisilvas forest.

And here’s the hands whistling:

Not many people whistle now!