“Begin by knowing that you have already arrived.”

This, you may know, is a famous quote from Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull. It's utter nonsense of course but in the light of the jouirney I've just had and the confusion surrounding where exactly I thought I was heading for, I'd be enclined to change it slightly to...

"Begin, at the very least, by knowing where it is you're going"

I was going to embellish it further by adding a certain pragmatism "...and end after five long days of wishing you'd already arrived" but you'd just think I was feeling sorry for myself!

So, allow me if you will to explain why it was that, influenced by the opinion of more than just a few people in Mohammedia, I thought I would now be amongst a throng of English yachts preparing for the ARC in Las Palmas. It's simple really; my charts and my pilot book for the Canaries very definately named the tiny island chosen by the dice as La Palma with a brand new marina nestled under the volcanic hills surrounding Santa Cruz, the capital... very nice. Without exception, having thrown the dice in Morocco and revealed to my new Kiwi and Dutch friends that I was heading for La Palma, they corrected my pronounciation saying that it was known more commonly as Las Palmas and was the place where so many English yachts would be preparing for the start of the ARC.

Only once I was underway, and bored to tears, I studied the pilot book more closely and with great relief, discovered that Las Palmas is in fact the capital of Gran Canaria - another island entirely. To confuse matters further, the pilot book feels it necessary to explain too that Santa Cruz de La Palma should not be confused with Santa Cruz  the capital of Tenerife! Nor is it Europe. It is an autonomous region of Spain with its own parliament, much like the Channel Islands. The principle language is Spanish and the currency is the Euro but I as I say, constitutionally, it is not part of Europe.

Well, I've just arrived on a scorchingly hot Sunday morning at a brand new and virtually empty marina in La Palma. I've not been ashore yet but as I approached, I could see through the hazy morning sunrise that it is a spectacularly rugged island. It is clearly volcanic and looms out of the sea abruptly with clouds thinly hugging the steep, rocky hills but leaving the spectacular peaks clear and proud. The town of Santa Cruz looks from a distance like it's been flushed down to the water's edge leaving a residue of houses scattered along the contours of the rutted terrain. >From here it doesn't look very attractive although the pilot book promises an old town set behind the concrete facade of villas and commerce and, well, the rocky outcrop that looms over the marina and frames the town is, to say the least, impressive indeed!

I'll find load more stuff to bore you with in a couple of days time but for now, I need to shower and sleep!

See ya'

Bee