From Nirit: First landfall in the Canaries
PASSEPARTOUT
Christopher & Nirit Slaney
Mon 1 Nov 2010 20:02
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Loved Madeira. You have to listen to people. Everybody
told us Madeira is worth a visit, so we went. You can check the blog to
find more
about our wonderful time at that volcanic island
in the middle of nowhere in the Atlantic ocean.
But after a week it was time to move on.
So we left in light wind, not before we followed a whale
watcher's boat and had a quick look at the local whale
community.
And again enjoyed the endless sky that looks so
different in each different part of the sky.
Moon rise at 01:00 in the
morning changes the whole show.
Hoisted the spinnaker and enjoyed a good sail until the
wind dropped and we were on engine
and then we called at a nature reserve, an island half way to the the Canaries
called Selvagem Grande.
The mooring looked very protected in the book, but it
was nothing of the kind. We had to run on deck all night every 2
hours to check that we are not we were not drifting towards the
rocks. Definitely the worst night since the voyage began but after the sleepless night we went to
shore and the rangers took us for a long walk , which was worth it.
Weather forecast was indicating strong wind and high
waves The last thing we wanted was to have another
night at this unprotected bay. We moved on.
20 hours of very strong winds, around 30 knots, waves
that were building - in short, the Atlantic!
Arrived at our first destination, a small island called
Graciosa, close by Lanzarote. There are about 20 yachts already in the
bay.
As usual, there is somebody that tells you not
to anchor next to him, but we did.
The wind is blowing. Everybody is below decks, their
dinghies well tied and waiting for the wind to calm down. Maybe tomorrow.
The island is very small. no cars or transportation,
just few sandy beaches. Looks promising for a nice
swim and a good walk later.
Had a good sleep, a good meal and now back to sewing the
saloon cushions while listening to the wind howl.
Tel +870 773 156 537 Follow us at http://blog.mailasail.com/psp2
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