Gran Tarajal and the erm. ..lesser white whale?
Stargazer of Southampton
Susie and Adam (both think they are skipper)
Tue 2 Nov 2010 10:05
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31:10.10,
28.12.40N 14:01.60W
Up and out early from Isla Lobos in the morning -
Adam saw a turtle swimming a few yards away from the boat - first one of the
trip so far.
We had a journey down to Gran Tarajal on
Fuertaventura in which there is allegedly a Marina with lots of space for
visiting yachts.
It was supposed to be getting strong winds on
Sunday but they didn't materialise till the next day so we had perfect weather
for a sail down the coast. At last - some more life seen in the sea! - we
were beginning to wonder what had happened to it all. At about 10 in
the morning we spotted a group of whales/large dolphins a couple of hundred
metres off the side of the boat. They seemed a bit too large and too slow
to be the usual dolphins that you see and the wrong sort of fins, but they were
a distance away so hard to make out. After 10 minutes or so we couldn't
see them any more so assumed they had gone. About half an hour later I saw
one of said beasties just next to the boat a couple of metres away and making
for the bow. We both dashed to the bow - fantastic sight - I still have no
idea what they are, will have to do some internet research or get a book, at the
bow of the boat were 5 of them, all too big for any normal kind of Dolphin -
probably about 3 to 3.5 metres in length , black tails but a body
that was mottled black/white - more white than black though so under the water
they just appeared to be white. They stayed only a minute or so swimming
about a metre under the water in front of the boat, then they dissappeared off,
clearly we were less interesting to them but worth a short visit.
We're now safely tied up in Gran Tarajal and today
(Monday) the wind has picked up and the seas are rough so glad that we're behind
some huge harbour walls for the next couple of days. In Lanzarote there
are a couple of huge Marina's like Puerto Calero, where we stayed, with
hotels around them - but it's all a bit different a few miles away in
Fuertaventura. The harbour we're in is half devoted to fishing boats, and
at the other end they have put a load of pontoons in for pleasure boats - I was
worried it would be full and there is nowhere else to go other than anchor which
we weren't keen on given the weather forecast. . . but this was pretty
unfounded - there are probably about 30 cruising yachts like us. . . some local
sport fishing boats and things. . . and loads of new and empty
pontoons - when we got here it was like where do you park in a half empty car
park? - too much space and choice. The town isn't a tourist resort, you
have to play 'spot the tourist' and I get to try and speak Spanish again which
is good for practice - and I need practice. There are a couple of armed
guards in the marina/port - apparently this was a favourite place for people
from Africa to try and get into the EU and every year lots of little wooden
boats crowded with people come over to try and get in so the guards keep an
eye out for shady goings-on. The guard who met us didn't speak much
english but he did say I had to take our papers to his 'mini office' - and it
was. . . . an office approx 4 foot square with a very small plastic table and
photocopier in it. . so 'mini-office' was fitting. At least he
didn't spot the 20 mauritanians we had hidden in our cupboards. . . . .
Fuertaventura is an odd place to get used to - it
feels very desolate as it is hardly populated at all, the landscape appears to
be arid hills and rock - although when you look closer there are lots of plants
that are mostly grey in colour - think they are hiding from the main animal that
resides on Fuertaventura . . . goats (they seem quite proud here that they
have a population of 60,000 goats on the island, you can buy all sorts of goat
souvenirs). There is even a french foreign legion
training outpost here somewhere (it must be desert-like enough for
them) so - if all else fails perhaps we can go and join them?
The landscape is quite striking though when you get
used to it - just a bit different to Madeira!
 Lighthouse at the end of the Cape just north of
Gran Tarajal
 I wasn't going to put this non-picture in - but it
goes some way to proving the 'lesser white whale-fish' spotting. . . my
excuse is that the small, cheap camera we bought for keeping on deck is
slow and generally takes not very good pictures. So the beasties would
come to the surface. . . I would take a picture. . . and about 10 seconds later
the camera would respond. . when they had already disappeared again
below the waves. BUT you can see white things under the water. . . if you
squint. . . and add some imagination .. .honestly - just think black tails and
white bodies. . . .
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