We had all thought that Gibraltar would be a good spot for finding boating gear due to it being the main port for boats crossing to/from the Caribbean. It was disappointing to discover that there were limited hours and somewhat limited supplies here.
The weather had improved when we left the marina and headed around to fuel up at the cheaper fuel dock in Gibraltar. It was a good thing we had some clear skies as there was a lot of debris in the water for the first 10 hours. (Although a sneaky log the size of a telephone pole wacked the hull at one point, and a branch threatened to take our fishing lure so we pulled the lines). The port water tank sensor had given up the goat when we arrived, so we didn’t realize the water maker was filling the bilge in the crew quarters/fender storage area in the forward port hull, until someone tried to get water from the galley and there was none. It was also apparent that there was no bilge pump in that area in spite of it being plumbed for water for the shower, sink, and head that was up there. Apparently the sink faucet had been flipped on when an errant fender line hooked it. The guys hand pumped the water out until they could put a hose on the shower sump fitting which sped up the process. Todd then shut off the water supply for that area as no one would be using it for a berth on the crossing, and it eliminated the problem from reoccurring.
The settled conditions didn’t last through the night though, and the guys were busy with sail changes and dodging small wooden fishing boats off the African coast that didn’t show up on radar, and had poor navigation lighting. With the exception of one other splendid day when we caught about 8 tuna, keeping the 4 biggest of them, the weather was gray with intermittent rain and variable wind.
We did have a fishing boat approach without hailing us or indicating that they needed assistance, so we headed on at a good clip. (It did prompt a discussion about boat security though). The last night at sea before arrival at Lanzarote, was a mix of lightening and thunder, heavy rain, and wind chop. The large Atlantic swells stayed at a decent interval so it wasn’t too uncomfortable, and the cargo vessels and fishing boats thinned out. Arrival day was more wind and rain so we didn’t get a good look at the stark volcanic Islands until the following day when the clouds parted. Most of that last day was spent cleaning and polishing as much as we could, because we would be getting off the boat the next morning and the owner and guests would be boarding immediately after we left.
The owner of the boat was eagerly awaiting us at the dock on our arrival just after 6 pm, as he and his mates had arrived in the Canary Islands on October 22nd. Due to weather and fixes, the boat was a few days behind schedule and they were keen to get aboard and see some of the surrounding areas. The owner graciously took us all out for a crew dinner at a local restaurant called “Naia”, which was a 15 minute walk away in the rain. On the way we passed by small fishing boats sitting on the mud at low tide, another reminder that we weren’t in the Med anymore. The food at the restaurant was excellent and we shared a number of plates with the table. (The fresh smoked sardines, and the beef loin from Uruguay were memorable, but it was all good!). The owner and guests went back to their hotel for the last night, and us delivery crew went out for a coffee then back to the boat for “delivery decompression hour”.
Todd and I hopped off the boat before 9 am the next morning, and were able to check in early at a little hotel in town. It was a surprisingly difficult and long process to get return tickets booked from the local airport in Arrecife Lanzarote to Catania Sicily. There were more flight options in the high season and if you booked 4 days ahead, but not so many in the off season on short notice. The rest of the afternoon was spent napping (it’s a bit like jet lag changing from a watch schedule back to a regular sleep pattern), and walking around town. With the clearer weather, we could see that the island was very barren, with brown, rust, and in some areas black colored hills. There were a few palm tree’s that fringed the hotel zone along the water, but no lush green that we could see away from the coast. Apparently there were vineyards in the area with a unique growing method where individual vines were planted in rock-edged semi-circles of volcanic soil. The owner and his guests had been on a tour and said that the volcanic ash and rubble had to be removed by hand and it was very labor intensive work.
The Canary Islands are a popular destination for tourists and as a training destination for all kinds of athletes, due to the warm dry climate which averages a January low of 15 deg C / 59 F and an August high of 28 deg C / 82 F. Rainfall on Lanzarote was 110 mm / 4.3 inches annually, and I think they had all of it over the previous 3 days!
The serendipitous thing that happened while we were there was that we had an email from Jean Luic, a lovely French/Basque guy we had met on the dock in Canet. It turned out that he was currently in another marina that was about a 20 minute cab ride away. We had an afternoon flight out the next day so emailed him back and said we would head his way for a quick catch up before departing. It ended up taking over an hour as there was a cycling event which closed the main road, thus providing us with a chance to enjoy more of the topography during the circuitous redirection.
The marina was a fair ways off the main drag but had a good haul out facility and a developed waterfront. We didn’t know what slip to look for but Todd recognized his boat, an Allures, on the second to last finger dock. (Med mooring does not work well in tidal waters so boats were all secured to finger docks like in North America). We were so excited to see Jean Luic and were pretty disappointment when his neighbor informed us that Jean Luic was off the boat and expected back in an hour.
With nothing else to do we headed back up top to the cafes and decided to grab a coffee before we took the cab to the airport. Imagine our delight when we saw Jean Luic’s familiar frame sitting near a cafe! It was terrific to catch up with him and his lovely wife, who was visiting for a week before the boat moved on. Jean Luic was planning to cross the Atlantic to the Caribbean via Cape Verde, around the second week in November. His boat partner and another mate were joining him for the passage, and he had a very organized list of parts needed and projects to complete before departure. Over the winter his boat had been struck by lightening and he had had to replace all the electronic’s which bit into his preparation time, but ultimately gave some added peace of mind. (Jean Luic had bought his boat from the Catana factory where it was a trade in for the owners new catamaran, so we were aware of some of the issues he had had to work through).
After an hour it was time to get cracking to the airport and our return to Right Meow at Marina Di Ragusa Sicily. It was a terrific experience doing the delivery and being able to spend some quality time with Scotty, Layla, and baby Isla, and a great bonus to catch up with Jean Luic and his wife. We didn’t know when any of our paths would cross again, but planned to keep in touch and see where we all ended up. For now though, there was no more sailing planned and we would be returning to our boat to get the winterizing finished before heading back to North America for the holiday season.
Having fun following your experiences. I appreciate you sharing them.
Be safe.