I already have a visitor, Sikaflex came to check me out she belongs to one of the yachts on my pontoon. The marina is great and very cheap, 33 euros a week (£28) water but no electricity and just a short walk to the town. Graciosa boasts three supermarkets a butcher and well-stocked hardware shop (feretoria) as well as the usual cafes & restaurants.
|
Comments [0]
I decided to head for Graciosa island because it is the most northerly and most isolated being 13 km long and 7 km wide. It is also interesting as it is a marine and land nature reserve. The colours of the volcano and plains, contrasted sharply with the white houses of the only village on the island and where the marina Coleta de Sebo is situated. The town is very picturesque with its white buildings and sand streets, there are no metalled roads apart from the dock area. I had to get permission to stay in the marina 10 days in advance and you even need to get a permit to anchor in the very beautiful bay Playa Francesa which I arrived at on Saturday.
The seven main islands of the Canary Islands are well spaced out so that it is only a day's sail between most of them. The logical route for most yachts arriving from the north is to visit Lanzarote and Fuerteventura first before sailing to Gran Canaria, then Tenerife, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Palma.
The Canaries remain the logical jumping-off point for yachts crossing the Atlantic to the Caribbean, ever since Columbus started the fashion over 500 years ago, and from November to January the islands are full of yachts preparing for their Atlantic crossing. Las Palmas continues to be the main port of departure on a westbound transatlantic passage.
I have only been here a few days and loving it. One of my friends from Rabat has made a comment on my blog about the sea conditions which is interesting and confirms my reflections. I am leaving the marina on Monday and anchoring in the bay again before exploring further
|
A celebration meal - see the next story
|
I was planning to leave on Monday for my epic 500 miler to the Canneries but my plans were scupperd as the card machine in the marina office was caput so had to go and get cash from a machine. After saying my farewells, I was piloted out of the river and cleared the bar at 12.20 on Tuesdays 7th February. Lovely weather but very little wind and from the wrong direction but I expected this and was going to have to motor a little, there was this lovely long rolling Atlantic swell that always seems to head into the bay. Motored till 2.00 and then the wind came round from the NW and I was under sail. I slept in the cockpit that night so that I could keep a watch for shipping - very little and a long way off.
Next morning the wind was still a little light so decided to try the cruising chute (a simple spinnaker used when the wind comes from astern) it had come with Warrior, a brand new sail I had never had the bottle to try before, after couple of attempts I managed to get it up and drawing for an hour before the wind got too strong I had been bowling along at 6.5 knots - not bad.
I was becoming aware that I wasn't feeling brilliant; it almost felt like seasickness that thanks heavens I don't suffer from. It got steadily worse - felling dizzy, nauseous and grotty especially when I went bellow, the only comfortable position was lying down in the cockpit just getting up when I had to make some sail adjustments. At one point when the ride was getting somewhat lively it crossed my mind that I may go back and what was I doing out here anyway, gave myself a good taking to and pressed on.
I won't go into too much detail as it's a little boring so will compress the days into a generality of what was going on. The wind was moving NE, N, NW and increasing as were the waves and swell at least we are all going the same direction as Warrior. Now, the only problem with this scenario (running before) is that the boats starts to roll which then can become an erratic pendulum action especially when the sea starts to get confused (coming from different directions). Normally, when sailing into the wind it's the weight of wind in the sails that keeps the boat stable, healed over but not doing this rolling action. By now the wind had come up to about 21 - 22 knots that is termed 'Fresh breeze', I can't be more accurate about the strength as my wind speed indicator stopped working. The tops of the waves were just being blown-off so I put a reef in the mainsail, I had already rolled up some of my headsail (roller reefing).
Its now like ridding one of those fairground cowboy-bucking broncos, you just have to literally hold on. Going to the loo can be difficult to say the least the motion (excuse the pun) is such that it is conspiring to try and throw you off all the time. When you make a drink you do this with only one hand the other is holding on and the moment you put anything down even for a split seconds its gone. It was getting so violent that I decided to alter course even if I wasn't heading in the correct direction I could deal with that later. I brought Warrior round so the wind was coming from the quarter (broad reach) this puts some weight into the sails and provides a much smother ride. The waves and swell must have been about 3 metres or more and were now generally coming from the same direction lets put it this way, when looking astern they were above my eye line. Warrior took it all in here stride she just slipped down the waves beautifully I felt so confident in her ability to cope with it all - no anxieties whatsoever. We continued with this for a number of hours, at night I would drop the main and just run under headsail, slower but safer as the wind was rising & falling 24 - 26 knots (force 6) and at times 28 which is near gale and back down again. Once Warrior gets in the grove she feels so good, her best points of sail are from broad reach, beam reach to close reach she just ploughs her furrow that's the benefit of a long keel. I had not eaten anything for about 24 hours just took water, one morning I felt like food so made scrabbled egg and toast, I was on the mend. As I was not able to make the heading (the direction) I wanted to go I did it with a number of tacks heading east and west sort of zigzagging but ultimately heading in the correct direction.
On the forth day the 11th at 3.15 pm I sighted the Canary Island on the horizon and got very excited as I calculated that I might make the passage in just 4 days but guess what - the wind just dropped, I was becalmed - bugger & blast. I was feeling peckish so decided to celebrate and take advantage the boat being upright by cooking a proper meal - Cajun chicken with red & yellow peppers, french beans and rice, no alcohol on board as Morocco had been celebrating Mohammad's birthday and there was no booze on sale. A slight breeze came up so I was heading in approximately the correct direction at 2 knots which is better than nothing. It was just getting dusk and a lovely sunset when the wind just went. I waited and waited, it was dark and the tide seemed to be taking me east we were 30 miles off. I don't like using the engine unless I have to but as I was getting really tired - very little sleep just 20 to 30 minutes at a time to keep watch during the passage I decided to motor in. I headed between Graciosa and the island of Isla De Montana Clara down the east side of the island to a safe anchorage on the south east corner of Graciosa, Playa Francesa, out of the way of any northerlies that might come along. I dropped the hock at 3 am very tired but job well done and went to my real bed not camping in the cockpit or saloon and slept for 8 hours - bliss.
Photo: dawn on third day
|
Here I am after a 500-mile passage - Rabat to the island of Graciosa in the Canaries in 4.5 days. I arrived in the dark at 3am and when I looked out at 8am this was my view - what can I say. More about the passage shortly.
|
Farewell to Temerity Bjørn and Salé
|
Looking towards Salé giving some idea of the investment that is going on here. This is a completely new viaduct spanning the river that includes a tramway system linking the two centres. Serge, the guy that was in charge of building this massive viaduct system visited a few weeks ago in his yacht Vanilla
|
Looking down the Bouregreg towards the sea from the viaduct Hassan II. The marina is towards the right and the old bridge which is shortly to be demolished
|
Looking up from the marina with a tram going past and full moon
|
I intend heading for the island of Graciosa part of the Canaries during the first week of February. The passage is about 458 nautical miles which equates to 518 road miles and at an estimated speed of 3.5 knots (3.5 nm per hour) should take Warrior about 5 ½ days + or -. Each triangle on the chart represents a days sailing. This volcanic island is north of Lanzarote and one of the 12 islands that make up the Canary Islands
|
There is a great deal of manpower still being used here
|
The wall that surrounds the old town of Salé
|
You come across this a great deal
|
Looking across Rabat's cemetery with Atlantic in the background
|
Some areas in both Rabat & Salé are somewhat smelly they don't seem to clear up very often
|
One of the shop fronts in Rabat - not sure what the wool is, could be camel
|
A women's gathering outside the suk (bazaar)
|
I don't think they could get much more on board
|
I had a walk into Rabat today - this is part of the suk
|
A very picturesque corner in the old town - Kasbah des Oudaias. The lower part of the buildings are painted blue to discourage mosquito's, I gather it gets to hot for them
|
Another unique door in the old town
|
One of the many picturesque doors in the old town there are no two the same
|
This is the entrance to the river Bouregreg that I will be leaving through shortly. The Atlantic swell sometimes builds up and when over 2 meters the entrance is closed, the breakers really come rolling in - fantastic for surfing.
|
Ferry's that work between Rabat & Salé with Rabat in the background
|
Looking towards Salé from the Rabat side of the river with the marina on the left just behind the last white building
|
It's now coming up for the second week in Morocco and I am considering when I should start my next leg to the Canneries however its a similar scenario to leaving Portugal little or no wind. From what I hear on the world service I think the UK has been hogging it all you've certainly been battered by it. Still Sale is not a bad place to be as the marina is relatively cheap this time of year, I certainly couldn't afford it in the high season. It works out at £37 per week that includes electricity, water and wifi what also makes it affordable is that food is cheaper than Europe. The other major reason I don't mind staying is that I am saving up my shekels to fill up with as much diesel as possible as its only .55p per litre (7.21 Dirhams), I was paying £1.21 in Portugal - some saving!
|
The beach as Salé looking towards Rabat - there's a mist over Rabat so I think we might be in for some fog coming
|
Children playing football and city wall
|
Salé sometimes translated as Salli or Sallee is situated in the north-west of Morocco, on the right bank of the Bou Regreg river, opposite the national capital Rabat. Most of its influential and wealthy inhabitants have departed to live in Rabat on the other side of the river however it is now starting to be developed with a new bridge over the river, a new Salé-Rabat tram system, marina and coastal property development but by the look of it work has been slowed down possibly because of the word financial situation. Apparently the film Black Hawk Down was partially filmed in Salé.
I am going to explore Rabat next week
|
Some of Salé is a highly polluted and very poor
|
