When at anchored in Playa Blanca it was a little unnerving seeing the high-speed ferry heading straight towards you - it always does a hard right shortly after this photograph was taken.
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We went into Marina Rubicon just across the bay from PlayaBlanca to fill tanks, do the laundry, wash all that muck of Warrior and have a nice hot shower in fresh water. Only staying a couple of days as it's expensive - 22 euros a day, I was paying that for a week in Grasiosa Marina, - this is the luxury end of the market - up market restaurants & shops - out of my league.
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On Wednesday I motored over to Playa Blanca and anchored a stone throw from the old town just a short row to the small pier. I like this part of the island much better, a more natural landscape but the usual commercial development - shops, shops and endless restaurants - a lot of tourists - seem to be mainly British.
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Left the anchorage at 9.30 am in a flat calm and then, surprise, surprise, the wind went round to the south east after being in the north for the past 8 weeks or more - light but had a great sail - slow but who's is in a hurry and anyway, the sun was shinning. I was about ½ a mile off-shore and just happened to look over the side - I could sea the bottom - funny we should be in deep water, switched on the echo sounder and it gave me 17 meters, looked at the chart and it confirmed - the water is so clear you can see down to those depths - 'I just don't believe it'. Sailed along the coast watching the holidaymakers on the beaches - yellow sand here rather than the black volcanic stuff in the north of Lanzarote. Anchored at lunchtime off the third beach, Playa de Las Mujeras in 5 meters of water as clear as clear could be, you can watch the anchor going down and settle itself in that lovely sand.
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Yippee - the wind went down today (Tuesday) and there was a 3 day window so up-anchor and away. Had a great sail to a bay called Playa Quemada just 10 nautical miles and anchored off the beach, there was a little swell running but manageable. Not sure what the building is - smugglers lookout
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Getting impatient about the lack of new water tank. I want a good hot 'fresh water' shower as I have been wash in the cockpit with salt water as all my fresh water has run out. There is no source of water anywhere here so I have to buy it from the supermarket at just under €1 for 5 litres. Because of these constant strong northerly winds everything is covered in fine volcanic sand actually more of grit so I have to constantly wash down and clean bellow decks, you can see the red dust it in this photo. Will give it one more week and if the tank does not turn up will move on and get it elsewhere - whinge, whinge, moan, moan.
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I have been talking to a few people about the strong northerly winds that we have been experiencing, they tell me that the weather patterns seam to be changing here as well as in other parts of the world. We have recently had 14 days of 20 - 25 knots of NE, NW mainly NNE wind without much break. I gather that the Canneries have had very little south in the wind that usually also brings rain and they have not had for a year. I was talking with the French skipper of this beautiful classic old-timer who is trying to head for Gibraltar and he was saying that he might have to wait till September if he wants a comfortable passage, he could bash it but he is not a young guy, has two women and three dogs on board - small ones - that's the dog's not crew, luckily he is not in any hurry.
I just had a look at forecast for the next 7 days and even more wind - gale force 8 for Sunday and Monday with wave heights of 3.9- bugger, predicting going down on Wednesday to 5 - sigh.
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I am staying put in Arrecife for the moment as it's a free mooring which means I can use the cash that I would be spending on mooring / marinas for my minor refit.
So far I have:
- varnished bellow decks - looks great
- replaced my halliards - the ropes that mainly pull the sails up
- repaired a leak in my hot-water tank
- drank some red wine
- repaired the pneumatic saloon table support - I don't have to wrestle with it anymore
- found the leak in my aft cabin and fixed it - when doing my passage from Morocco I found the bunks in the cabin wet, a nut anchoring the life rails to the deck had corroded and broken the seal
- drank some red wine
- after 30 years the sealant round the windows has started to break down and the forward port side was leaking, I have just removed it and replaced the seal. I was not looking forward to the job as I was petrified I might break the Perspex but all went well, will slowly work my way round all of them
- drank some red wine
I now need a new domestic battery as one of the old ones has given up, not urgent as there is so much sun the solar panels are coping with the demands
Waiting on delivery of a new 200-litre flexible main water tank which hopefully should be here at the start of June
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This is the seabed in Puerto de Arrecife - nothing for the anchor to settle into hence the concert block. Warrior is in the blue speck centre
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I snorkelled the other day and had a look at the mooring that I had picked up - shock horror - it was seriously bad, shackle was about to go and the rest looked dodgy the only good bit was the rope riser. I took my own chain down to the block so all is fine again. Just confirms my philosophy - never pick-up a mooring without checking it first - rely on your own anchor. As you can see the water is so clear - the block is just over 2 meters down. The upper air temperature has until recently been around a pleasant 25˚C but there has been a small heat wave with 30˚+ and warnings not to go out unless you need to. Some elderly British walkers on one of the islands died through heatstroke. On the water its much lower particularly when there is a breeze.
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There is always a deposit of Sahara sand over everything sometime the problem is worse than others, the Sahara is 333 kilometres (207 miles) from the Canary Islands. In the photograph you can see a layer / cloud of sand on the horizon, this phenomenon is called a Calema
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Well, it's been an interesting few days; Warrior has been very slowly dragging her anchor across the bay in these strong northerly winds - about 4 times. The bottom is stone with an overlay of boulders so the anchor gets pulled through unless you are lucky and hook up a nice big rock, then you may have problems breaking free. It's not so dramatic as it sounds as the process takes a few hours you have plenty of time to decide what to do. Anyway, solved the problem by finding a mooring that has a large hunk of concrete on the end. Moorings were laid a few years back for a regatta but most have had there riser removed but you can snorkel at low water - about 2 meters and find one, dive down and attach a mooring line. I was lucky as when a yacht left yesterday I picked the mooring up and it looks solid so problem solved.
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Changed my view by moving a few hundred yards as the crow flies that is to Puerto de Arrecife much nicer I think you will agree, its still very blustery but manageable. The town itself is just a short walk from the anchorage with three Spar supermarkets and all the usual fashion and tourist retail shops. I found a cinema so might go and see Titanic. I ordered my water tank today, expensive because of where we are but even if I bought it in the UK and had it shipped it would not work out much cheaper.
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I caught a bus down the coast to catch up with Bjørn & Berit at Puerto Calero marina. I had a fantastic day and fantastic meal that Berit had prepared after which we all went for a fun sail on their new 'Happy Cat', not much wind unfortunately and from the wrong direction most of the time but still great fun - I need a waterproof camera.
Tomorrow I am going to investigate getting a new flexible water tank as the present one is leaking I have already attempted repairing it but its past its prime now. I came across a Plastimo stockist so if they don't have one in stock they should be able to get one for me.
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Since I got back from the UK the weather has been very unseasonable, very strong northerly winds and not all that warm so Warrior was stuck in the marina for another couple of weeks. I finally got out today (2nd May) and made passage to the next island of Lanzarote and am now anchored in Puerto de Naos just a stones throw from the town of Arrecife. It's not as a glamorous setting as Graciosa but very convenient for chandlers and other shops. Over the next few weeks I need to do maintenance, renew some of the running rigging continue with varnish work and buy a new household battery as one of them has packed up.
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Hi everyone I am now back on Graciosa after my UK visit. I had some dramas with my flight back. After turning up at the rail station a day early and panicking as there was no anticipated train - what a bozo! I had a close shave the following day catching my flight as the train was 25 minutes late which in turn meant I missed my slot for booking in my bag at the airport, I was charged an extra £50 over and above the £30 that I had already shelled out meaning I paid more for my bag that my flight thanks - Ryanair.
I spent too much on this visit so I will have to stay till the end of the month before I can pay the marina - hay not a bad place to spend another couple of weeks especially as its proving extremely windy. I decided to use the time constructively by getting on with varnishing the interior of Warrior as it was looking a little tired and what a difference its now beginning to look bright and cheerful again. I had a very productive time in the UK, it was great to see Gail, Gina and of course Ozzy. Gina has done really well at work and is being trained as a trainer herself - onward and upward - well-done girl. Got my passport renewed, had my annual medical and pleased to report that all is well and ready to do a few more miles, processed over 100 images for the libraries and went up to Cumbria to catch up with friend and ex colleagues at the University. There are not many left now due to the cuts taking place at the University of Cumbria. It's really sad to see what was a very successful specialist art college with a history of over 100 years being dismantled. The criminal stupidity is that all those skills and experience that the technicians have are now disappearing and the management seems totally oblivious or just not interested, I put it down to ignorance. Needless to say moral is very low as everyone is wondering what is next to go. I can see that arts and humanities disappearing altogether from this so-called University, its what gives humanity its anchor and reference to everything else - sorry folks I'm going off on one but it does makes me so angry.
At the end of March I will be heading for the town of Arrecife on the northeast coast of Lanzarote and one of the main tourist centres in the Canaries, it will be quite a contrast to Graciosa will keep you posted
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Back in Rugby where I spent a good part of my early life in a little village called Churchover. I did my schooling in Rugby, undertook my apprenticeship and then worked as a staff photographer on the Coventry Evening Telegraph newspaper before moving down to London and Covent Garden. A lot of water has flowed under my keel since then.
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The main studio being used by one of the students. The facility still looks impressive even though I say it myself
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The computer and print resource area at the Uni
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Back to the UK for a couple of weeks to renew my passport and a few other jobs. I also decided to head up to Carlisle to see as many of my friends as possible and catch up with the gossip. Michael and I worked together at the University and when I retired 2 years ago he took over running the department
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It was lovely to meet up again with Berit and Bjørn when they arrived from Morocco in their fantastic ketch Temerity
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This must be one of my favourite anchorages Playa Francesa on La Graciosa with Lanzarote in the background
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I was invited to a musical evening in one of the local bars, local music with a South American influence - it was a great night. Warrior went back to anchor on Monday.
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Last Saturday they had a sporting weekend, consisting of triathlon swimming, cycling and running luckily it was not to hot for the competitors
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A picturesque corner in the town
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The hinterland just outside the town turns into desert scrub
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From a guide: lsla Graciosa is about 6.5km long and 3km wide. The land is flat and sandy with four low volcanic cones, the largest 265m high, no made-up roads, and a small population living in Caleta del Sebo and Pedro Barba. So long as development can pass it by, lsla Graciosa will remain one of the most appealing spots in the entire Canaries. 'When you land' a Lanzarotean said, 'you can take off your shoes and forget the world.' Local artist and sculptor Cesar Manrique, who until his death in 1992 exercised a benevolent and effective control over the design of buildings on Lanzarote as artistic adviser to the island council. In the lost paradise that inspired Robert Luis Stevenson for writing his book "Treasure Island", they discover the Blue Gold.
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It reminds me a little off an outback town or American cowboy setting. The temperature during the day has been between 18 - 21C and a great deal hotter out of the wind which tends to be a consistent NE, N, NW not bad for February.
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Old timers hanging out - watching the world go by
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Graciosa church - its Sunday afternoon and no ones about
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