My new anchorage just outside the marina with my personal cave to commune in astern. The road in and out of the town climbs the hill behind Warrior you can just make-out the fence first layer down from the top. There is a hairpin bend almost at the top, it's a surreal sight at night with the car headlights on, it looks as though there is a convoy of vehicles coming and going from the heavens
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Puerto Morgan was on my visit list but also two of my friends Berit and Bjørn are there and Bjørn had promised me that this south west of the island was much kinder to us sailors, less wind and more sunshine and guess what - it's awesome. I am anchored just outside the marina in a lovely little bay just off the beach. The town and marina are a picture, a beautiful setting. Bjørn & Berit have once again done me proud their hospitality is something else - they constantly feed me and even took me out to the restaurant just beside Temerity their beautiful and much admired Hudson Force 52 ketch
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I had a great time in Las Palmas it's a lovely city, the people are very friendly, it's warm but not too warm and the marina is just affordable. I gather that there are a lot of live-boards who have decided that this is where their travels stop and they have made it their home. I met a great couple Vassil & Inga, who are on their circumnavigation in their yacht Olgalou. I had breakfast a couple of times with them and joined Vassil in his celebration birthday meal with Inga's brother & girlfriend - fantastic hospitality, I hope our paths will cross again.
As I mentioned, it has been warm but overcast which I gather is usual for this time of year and it had also been blowing again from the north for the last couple of weeks but there was to be a four-day window so I set sail on Tuesday lunchtime for the south west side of Gran Caneria. When I got out of the harbour there was a considerable swell running, even the massive commercial ships were wallowing at anchor. The swell was from the NNE and over 2 meters and the wind started at 12kts from the north, over the next hour it increased and I had to eventually anchor for shelter in Bahia de Arinaga bay, just off the town in 40kts of wind and a big swell - rock & rolled for the night but a safe anchorage. This was not the forecast that I had expected but it was another down wind run - two reefs in the main no headsail so no problem until 40 knots - that WAS a blast. I have found that a running before just with a reefed main harder to steer but more comfortable as the wind in the sail helps to stops the rolling about - at times I was bowling along at 7 knots not bad for a 35 footer. It's not an accepted anchorage - restricted but I needed somewhere safe so I got ready to leave early at 8.30 just as the police arrived to move me on. That terrible swell had gone down so I just had the wind - 20kts much more civilised. As I approached the headland the wind disappeared and the sea was doing a strange dance with itself and blow my socks of if the wind came to the SE giving me very relaxing sail with blue sky's and sunshine to my next anchorage of Puerto Morgan
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It must have been about 11 in the evening and I was dozing of in bed when I heard this incredibly loud cat meowing coming from the stern of the boat where my dingy was tethered. It seemed to be coming from water level but as it was dark I couldn't see anything so I went to get a torch - still nothing to see. I then got into the dingy and thought is was coming from underneath but the torchlight caught two eyes looking at me from the floor in the front - it was a tiny, very wet black kitten making the noise of a full grown cat. I picked it up and took it bellow, it was shivering and just skin and bone. I dried it and as I had some tortilla in the fridge offered it some - it just devoured it and some more I then gave it some milky water and that went down as well. It then ran and hid in the quarter berth. When I approached it did the wildcat thing spitting with ears back so I just left it for a while. I then feed it again with a little chicken and it allowed me to picked it up and as I stroked it started purring settling down in the crock of my arm. It was now getting late so I put it back in the quarter berth and went to my bed.
In the morning I found it under my berth and as I approached it did the wildcat thing again. It's now lunchtime and it's sitting on my lap purring, cleaning itself and keeps looking up at me as I type this for the blog.
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Were did Moggs come from - a mystery, the only scenario I can come up with is that someone dumped him - yes it's a he - fell in - possible, and as he floated / swam past there are two thick stern lines going into the water with the dingy lying between, he must have climbed one and fallen / jumped into it. He certainly made his presence known as a yacht 200 meters away heard him yelling last night
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Moggs the cat - yes I have named it - I suppose that I now have a cat!!!!
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Warrior has been living with a little problem for a while now. A washer under the nut on the left hand side engine mount broke in half and although I have dosed the nut regularly with penetrating oil I could not shift it the result was some engine vibration. I took one of the other four to a local chandlers and surprise, surprise, they had an exact match. I borrowed a Dremel with a cutting disk and attacked the nut but had to cut three sections out and use a chisel before I managed to prise it free. As I was on a role I decided to replace the right hand side one as well and although it was also solid it proved a little less stubborn, the two rear ones are fine. All is well again - problem solved so celebrated in a few glasses of wine with super.
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A panoramic view of Las Palmas looking from the port area towards the entrance with the marina towards the right
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Situated in the car park of local Las Palmas yacht club
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This cow theme is an international exhibition of public art displayed in the streets Las Palmas city. There are 40 of these cows made of fibreglass, painted and decorated by local artists and have been exhibited in New York, London, Paris, Sao Paulo, Madrid, Buenos Aires and Tokyo. Apparently it was originally an advertising gimmick in 2001. Love them
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Although I was enjoying being in Morro Jable I decided to take a weather window and make passage to the next island of Gran Canaria so on Sunday I made the 55-mile passage heading for Las Palmas and an anchorage just north of the marina. I left at 2.00 am so that I would get there in daylight as it's a very large and busy commercial shipping port. The forecast was for the usual NE up to about 20 knots just right, as I left it was flat calm so I motored for the first hour or so. I am getting a little more comfortable with these fickle winds round here so had a reef (reduced sail area) already in on the main, the wind the slowly built up to about 20 knots - my wind speed monitor has stopped working - something else to sort out. The wave height was about 2 meters and it was very overcast so not too pleasant, a little like sailing back in the UK. Eventually I shook-out the reef and was making about 5 - 6 knots - not bad. I didn't see any other vessels until about 3 miles off Gran Caneria the ferry heading out.
As I approached the port there was a sailing boat heading out and we gave each other the usual courtesy wave. They then headed back in and as they caught up with me in perfect English said hello and to follow them into the anchorage - how nice. I dropped anchor at about 1.30 average speed 5 knots, not bad going. They had also anchored and shouted across to come and have some wine when I was ready which I did. What a lovely welcome, we sat in their cockpit and drank wine and had some food, Juan is involved in air traffic control for the islands and his partner is a teacher. Juan told me that I would be left alone for at least three weeks but at 8.30 the police called by to say that there ha been a change in policy and no anchoring between June & September and I had to go into the marina. I was concerned at the cost but found it very reasonable €57 for the first week going down to €47 (£40) thereafter, water & electricity include - relief I can live with that. When I told Juan he was as surprised as I had been and he is local.
The large structure on the skyline right is an enormous container carrier being manoeuvred by 6 tugs
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Leon who I first met in Gran Tarajal Marina sailing with his kids on a Hobie Cat. He lives onboard their yacht on a pontoon in the harbor and is an instructor at the surf center
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Sorry folks I know I'm being boring but just look at the view - Warrior bobbing away at anchor - its such a hard life
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A beautiful cactus flowering just up from the beach
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Imagine yourself sitting on the rocks or in the bar having a drink.... Not had anymore of that vicious wind and having 30 meters of chain in 5 meters of water is the answer to sleeping well at night.
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Benign and beautiful - don't you believe it - two nights ago for 24 hours I was caught in this bay by a vicious NNE off shore gale force 8 wind - it might have been even more. My anchor started dragging so I decided to move from being nearer the camera and in line with a valley running down from the mountains behind the town to where I am now, more west and in the shadow of a massive hotel complex. I couldn't actually raise the anchor even by motoring into the wind, past it and as Warrior fell back taking in the slack chain she fell back so quickly it was bar tight again in a split second. I just went full ahead and slowly dragged the anchor across the sandy bottom to more or less where I am now. It's only 5 meters deep but I have 35 meters of chain out and its mud (normally it should be 15 - 20 meters of chain). However, the third day was nearly as bad so I prepared a second anchor just in case! The worst part of it was the intermittent gusts that made Warrior veer about, very uncomfortable.
I was taking with a one of the sailing instructors who lives with his family on their yacht on a pontoon in the harbor and he told me that a 60 knot gust was recorded as it speed down the side of the mountain straight into the harbor for about 30 seconds. In the scale of wind that was a storm to hurricane - blimey. Hold onto you hats folks, speaking of which I have had two blown off in the last week or so - windy or what. As I mentioned in one of my earlier blogs June & July can be windy but this year is an exception
Yes we are the only ones in the bay - Warrior nearest camera - despite the wind problems it's a great place to be
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Tarajal was a nice marina and cheap only €8.22 (£6.60) per day discount for week/month/year, not much to the town but pleasant. Forecasting high winds again - don't want to get stuck there also paying for the marina so headed off on the 28th to the next port of Puerto De Morro Jable, 20nm (miles) on the southern tip of the island. Left at 1.30 with 2 reefs in just in case as wind is very fluky here abouts. On a reach - wind coming from the quarter - doing about 5 knots - just over ½ way the wind went very light to nothing so shook out the reefs. Suddenly the wind came back and increased until it must have been blowing a very good 7+, over canvassed now but as its only 7 nm so decided not to reef. Had a cracking sail, hard work as a lot of weather helm but doing 7 knots - not done that before. As soon as we got round the point - flat calm - just like that so motored the last mile or so. Went into the harbor to anchor as charts indicated anchorage but sent away by the harbor staff so went at anchor in a bay just west of harbor, what a pleasant surprise this must be one of the prettiest anchorages so far
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After the crossing from Lanzarote I anchored in the lovely bay El Puertito, on the uninhabited island of Isla de Lobos, I still can't get over the beautifully clear water around here. I was keeping an eye on the wind forecasts as it looked as though strong winds were on there way again. The wind started to pick-up during the evening so I decided to have an early start and make for a safe haven, this would mean that I could not explore the island or stop at numerous anchorage on the east side of Ferteventra - keep that for another time. Strong to gale force were being suggested so I decided to sail to the port of Gran Tarajal at the south end which would be sheltered from the north east wind. I had a great sail and did the 37 miles in 6 hours that is an average of 5 knots - not bad.
It's been so quiet over the past couple of days - flat calm so I thought that I may have overreacted and walked to the top of the hill behind the marina and had a look out to sea - braking waves off-shore which means winds of 7 - 8 so it was a correct decision after all.
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Finaly left the Lanzarote and crossed to the next island Ferteventra only a 7-mile crossing. We are having strange weather due to La Calema - sand blown over from Western Sahara - its like a haze or mist but fine particles of sand rather than water and different from that of Lanazarote which was like fine grit and unpleasant.
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Outside a restaurant in Play Blanca
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Warrior (center) anchored of the old town of Playa Blanca, very sheltered from the north winds
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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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