Gran Canaria. 28 7.85N 15 25.571W
Persephone... Cruiser/Racer
Nigel & Karen Goodhew...
Tue 10 Mar 2020 09:54
This year, we are spending more time in the various ports and marinas we have visited and somewhat less time “en passage”. This is because there is a very loose agenda, no particular urgency or timeframe either, so we are wandering, not aimlessly, but opportunistically, this time. Puerto Calero was fun, almost to the point that after 3 weeks, it was almost a wrench to leave. There is a long term plan, to take Persephone back to the UK, but slowly.
Our short term plan requires us to return to the UK for a few days....I have some work to do and a meeting to attend, and we have friends and family to have a proper catch up with as well. But the world is cowering under the spectre of Covid 19, and this has inevitably affected our plans as well. Plan A was to sail to Tenerife and fly back to London from there. But then a hotel in Tenerife became the focus of attention as an Italian guest introduced the virus there, so we looked for alternatives. Tenerife itself would be fine, but why climb into an aluminium tube with potential carriers?
So we decided to go to La Palma, and stop off en route in GC. Plan B.
The sail down was fine....a period of very light wind as we passed between Lanzarote and Fuertaventura, meant that the passage was not especially fast, but it was comfortable and smooth, thereby satisfying some important criteria for happy cruising!
It was an hour or so before dawn when we reached the anchorage next to the marina in Las Palmas, and dropped the hook down. The next morning, there was a knock on the hull and a visit from the marina guys, requesting our appearance at the marina office to check in.
So we pumped up the dinghy and made the trip, paid the anchor fees and decided, despite the apparent availability of a space in the marina, in fact to stay out at anchor.
Later, we explored the city, found the shops, and the market.....all lovely reminders of the excitement, almost 8 years ago, of the preparations for the Atlantic Rally......
Then, enjoying a snack for a late lunch in a marina waterside restaurant, we saw a couple of people we were sure we had previously met.....and eventually struck up conversation with Louise and Julian....returning in the evening to meet up for a drink and watch the carnival as it processed through the city streets. Cutting a long story short, it seems we had never actually met before, but it was amazing to discuss the things we found we did have in common....Louise is an actress who was, in some sense, sponsored or supported by one of my well known pension fund clients, whom I acted for in the early 1990’s.
The other point of interest was that we spotted a Sigma 38, called Acrobat, sitting in the marina. One morning a small yacht puttered out of the marina, and dropped anchor a few metres away from us. After a little while, its skipper swam over to speak with us. He asked what kind of boat Persephone was. When I told him, he immediately remarked that a friend of his was the owner of Acrobat, and promptly set up a meeting.
So I had the great pleasure of meeting Diego, with whom I had exchanged correspondence some years ago, and who was now reluctantly selling Acrobat. The boat itself is a fine example, in good condition and has been the subject of considerable investment over the last few years, including a new engine. We talked all things Sigma 38 for more than an hour....
We stayed in Las Palmas for a long weekend, and set off on Tuesday 3rd March, bound for Tazacorte, on Las Palmas.
Sent from my iPad