Las Palmas again 28:08.00N, 15:25.00W
Saro's Gyda
Derrick Thorrington
Sat 19 Mar 2011 15:40
We had a good sail from Tenerife to Las Palmas
de Gran Canaria. The man
aboard the next boat in Santa Cruz de Tenerife was Canarian and he assured us
that, once 5 miles away from the coast, the wind and waves sorted themselves out
and pleasant sailing could be had. He was right! The quick decision to sail was
made in the middle of the afternoon so we arrived at the anchorage of Las Palmas
at 0400 the next morning. Despite the hour, we are creatures of habit, so after
sorting the boat out, we sat down for a well deserved whisky before turning
in (thanks Brian!).
For the next couple of days we enjoyed the seclusion of being at anchor,
making the most of this unusual state of affairs by enjoying the swimming from the boat
and giving GF a good bottom
scrub, but as we needed to do alot of organising for our next stage of the
voyage we soon moved into the marina.We were very pleased to reacquaint
ourselves with several boat crews previously met here at Christmas. A
great community had formed on pontoon R. Included in these crews were 5 children
aged between 9 and 14 who lived aboard permanently. These children tended to
have "school" on their respective boats in the morning but if other
opportunities were available and other people were willing, this might be
substituted by learning a new skill, such as practical electrics on another boat
undergoing work in that area. The children were free in the
afternoons to amuse themselves (joined by two girls of a similar age
from another boat). They made model boats (mostly boys), jewellery
(girls), went to the beach, sailed dinghies and
made music. We soon became part of the community, sharing tea, coffee,
beer, wine, experiences, information and skills such as marine
engineering, physiotherapy and music theory!
Back in Las Palmas
Also in the marina,
though not on our pontoon was "Pax Nostrum", a substantial, 60ft Baltic Trader
owned and lived on by Paul and Hilary. "Pax" was the centre of music, Paul
being an experienced guitarist and Hilary a budding bodhran player. Although
Paul was very definite about the fact that he didn't "do" children, he
had five of the kids over, twice a week for guitars and harmonicas,
teaching them the basics of playing, singing along and encouraging them to
compose their own songs and tunes. Later on, the adults came along and for about
an hour everyone played and sang together before the kids were dispatched back
to their boats to give the adults a bit of
peace!
Unknowingly we had returned to Las
Palmas during "Carnival". The weekends were particularly lively with bands
starting up at midnight and continuing until the (not so) small hours! We
decided to see the main carnival parade which started at 1700. It was a shame
because the heavens decided to open, only on this day, all afternoon,
evening and night, varying from drizzle to torrential rain - rather like England
actually! We stood near the beginning of the route and enjoyed the fantastically
dressed Carnival Queens and quite a few huge lorries with enthusiastic occupants
dancing to their own very loud music and throwing sweets to the crowds.
Each lorry had an enthusiastic rearguard of fancy dressed groups, dancing in
it's wake interspersed with happy samba bands. We stayed for a couple of hours
enjoying the atmosphere but were amazed later, by the constant continuation of
loud music etc, that the parade was still passing "GO" at 2300. Apparently it
was 7kms long and took 7 hours to pass by! The inevitable band started up at
midnight but, despite the many thousands of people on the streets and the easy
availability of alcohol, there appeared to be absolutely no
violence
We had left Santa Cruz
and returned to Las Palmas as we had suddenly had the opportunity, that
very afternoon to have the boat put on a ship to mainland Europe. The ship was
due to arrive the following week and we didn't want to miss the opportunity by
being stuck in the wrong place. We had decided that we didn't fancy the hard
slog northwards against all the prevailing conditions, but rather preferred the
option of going into the Med and returning home via the French Canals. It is not
recommended to start heading north from the Canaries until, ideally the end of
April when the northerly winds are not as strong and dominant as earlier in
the year. Waiting this long, however, would not have allowed us sufficient time
for our plans.
There was alot of hassle involving
paperwork and many a long walk in and out of the docks, but eventually all was
organised. GF was put aboard the ship after a long delay due to the boat
previously loaded, falling over in it's cradle on the deck! D was not
amused and we both felt very anxious when it was our turn as there didn't seem
to be alot of care regarding health and safety. At one point, before we were
aware of what was happening, we were being lifted, still on GF,swinging towards
and away, high up the ship's side. We were then told to
clamber aboard, over the ship's rails, onto the deck when GF swung near to the
ship. Quite scary, and definitely not within the rules. D has this ship
earmarked for very close inspection next time it enters
Southampton!
Our ship
Nervous moments
Due to the varying ETA of the ship,
we were unable to book flights until the last minute, which rendered us homeless
for one night. This was absolutely no problem, we had 3 offers of accommodation.
We were originally going to stay with Dave, Sarah, Bethany and Bryn on "Cape",
but a last minute offer of a double berth in the forward cabin arrived from
"Pax. Everyone agreed that this would be a better regarding available space, so
"Pax" it was, where we were made to feel very welcome. The flight left in the
evening of the following day, but far from feeling at a loose end, we spent a
very busy day visiting and saying goodbye to some lovely
friends.