Moggs panting even in the relative shade of these rocks. He decided to cool of on the way back to Warrior, we were about half way and I heard plop from behind me and there he was swimming back to the dingy. He always roams around when going or coming and looked a little bedraggled when I pulled him onboard. Now I know that he can swim and was no the worse for his experience after drying off he just wanted to play
|
Comments [0]
The next couple of days in Playa de la Guancha bay were great, very little wind and almost calm just a little rolling from time to time. Spot the cat in the photo - two eyes give it away just in the v of the two grey boulders. Being a black cat me feels the heat and always tries to find the shade even when walking
|
Sea being whipped up by the strong down drafts.
I made the passage from Tenerife to La Gomera a couple of days ago (30 August). No wind when I left the bay and as I was about half way of the 18 mile crossing I got an email from Bjørn to say that when Teremeti had done the crossing the day before and they experienced 40 kts of wind and big seas about 7 miles out of San Sabastian - no joke - bloody hell so did I. This was the worst I have experienced so far NW wind and big seas - I got three soakings as waves came on board a breaking wave soaked the sail two-thirds up the mast - twenty three feet!!!!! I couldn't leave the helm for more than 30 seconds as I was trying to ride the waves as they came through. At one point I nearly decided to run-before the wind back to Tenerife but the headland that would give me shelter was tantalizingly near - anyway made it past San Sebastian harbor into a little bay, Playa de la Guancha - almost flat calm but not for long. I had just recovered and had something to eat when whoosh, a gust of wind came down the valley - 30 knots and that was the pattern most of the night - alternating 0 to 25/30 kts. I wanted to sleep so even though it was an offshore wind I laid a second anchor 45 degrees from the main one. I had a reasonably sleep considering and today, flat calm so Moggs and I went for a beach walk.
|
Moggs taking a break and getting some shade on one of our morning walks. It was about 11 in the morning and just warming up
|
A different view of the bay looking from the canyon with Warrior, Temerity and a French yacht at anchor. You can just see the front of a cave dwelling that has been made slightly more sophisticated by a concert façade. It's a strange phenomenon but if you look at the rock edge in the picture from the sea, it sometimes looks as though the rock face is floating and drifting backwards and forwards against the furthest part of the landscape. An eagle (not sure what type will have to look it up) flew past this afternoon and soared above the 500-meter peak. I'd heard it calling last night - that shrill scream but this was the first sighting.
|
A few days ago I was motoring back to the anchorage when I sighted one of the large tourist boat hanging around which could only mean one thing whales or dolphins. I headed over and suddenly the boat headed off a great speed, a man was waving at me and pointing at something in the water it was a couple of the dolphins jumping, they must have been clearing 2 meters it was amazing. What a spectacle for the tourists, this was the best I could manage as I couldn't keep up.
|
Dawn light coming through a canyon in the bay. Over the last few days Warrior has been the only yacht at anchor at night and if I swim or row the dingy in the dark I am surrounded by a halo of phosphorescence it's amazing. If I just site and watch from the deck as the water laps it creates little sparks like a stars in the sky. I have only seen it once before on the west coast Scotland. I sometimes go snorkelling in the afternoon and there is an area where the fish are multi-coloured. There are two wild goats that appear from time to time a larger one with really serious horns, which I presume, is the male and a smaller one which must be the female
|
Moggs looking a little small and lonely as I row away. He finally braved it and came in the dingy for a long walk on dry land. He followed me around chirruping and giving a loud meow when he got to far away, he did take a little coaxing to get back in the dingy but we made it back to the boat although we were both a little wet from the surf.
P.S. For those who may be interested I have added a few back blogs from Gran Canaria
|
Sunset from the bay and one of my two favorite anchorages so far in the Canaries, Plya Francesa on La Graciosa being the other one. The island to the left on the skyline is my next destination La Gomera
|
I had an email from Johannes & Estrella to say that they were in a 'beautiful and quiet bay' just after the town of Los Gigantes' just 12 miles along the coast from where I was. I am here now and it's absolutely awesome, there are no words to adequately describe the bay and my photos can never do it justice. The volcanic mountains rise strait up from the sea to 500 meters, there are no strong currents, no wind and just a gentle boat motion - I go to sleep and wake-up to the sound of the sea gently braking on the shore. You can just see us at anchor in the bay
|
After spending a couple of nights in the bay just west of Jan Miguel marina I headed for the south west coast of Tenerife. I had met Johannes & Estrella on their yacht Dorsay in the marina and Johannes showed me some good anchorages along this part of the coast on his chart plotter, he also showed me where I might catch-up with pilot whales. I made an early start just before lunch - yes, getting very Spanish in my time management. After a very light wind it dropped off completely and as it was a flat calm I decided it might be a good opportunity to try and see the whales. I had put a mark on my plotter on the 1,000-metre contour and I could also see some other boats floating around ahead of me. As soon as I got to the mark I heard a whale venting off and there they were about 6 to 7 and fantastic to see them. Johannes subsequently told me that they had seen around 200, what a blast that must have been. I then headed to the first suggested anchorage of Las Gaviotas. It turned out to be a lovely little bay and very interesting as it was inhabited by people living caves and bivouac type dwellings - hippies I suppose!
|
One of the Pilot whales off the southwest coast of Tenrife
|
We made the crossing to Tenerife on the 8th which was interesting as you have to cross one of the more energetic acceleration zones and the wind went from nothing to 30 knots 8 miles from Gran Canaria and stayed until we got into Jan Miguel marina. I am going to go to anchor today in a bay near the marina.
|
Temerity and Warrior For Life at anchor in cement bay (our name for it because of the factory)
|
Moggs likes to see whats going on
|
Well I have tried not be boring and bang on about Moggs the cat that appeared half drowned in my dingy but here goes. He has turned out to be a bright little thing house/boat trained in ONE day, I put together a litter tray scratched the gravel with a finger and next thing he is using it and has ever since - amazing he only let me down once when visiting another yacht and he had a pee, I put it down to nerves. He was really amusing for a while - when I went to the toilet he did also. He is very affectionate and sits on my knee/chest purring and gazing at me for great lengths of time. Until recently he only had one real problem - food - as soon as I prepared to feed him or myself he would turn into a beast climbing whatever to get at it, once I had my back to him and he just launched himself at my bare back with all his claws out but soon let go with my response. I am pleased to say that he has calmed down now and seems to have realised that food will come at regular intervals. He has also stopped wolfing the food down a quickly as possible and even leaves some for next time he fells peckish. As we are at anchor I took him in the dingy for his first walk on dry land since he arrived, he was very nervous about getting into the dingy and when ashore fascinated by everything which he sniffed extensively. We visited Berit and Bjørn who are anchored nearby and he seemed blown-away at the size of their yacht and space, exploring the deck and bellow. He soon made friends with them especially when Bert feed him with tuna. He did let me down when he peed on a carpet but they were very relaxed about it - he is very small and cute.
|
Bjørn ready to tuck-in. The seafood platter with one of the local fish, all very delicious
|
Berit & Bjørn with their favourite waiter at the Puerto Morgan marina it was a great meal
|
Puerto Morgan marina with Bjørn & Berit's yacht Temerity in the foreground you can see Warrior as a white blob just to the right of the port building - see photo bellow
|
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
|
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
|
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
|
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.
|
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
|
Moggs the cat - yes I have named it - I suppose that I now have a cat!!!!
|
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.
|
A panoramic view of Las Palmas looking from the port area towards the entrance with the marina towards the right
|
Situated in the car park of local Las Palmas yacht club
|
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
|
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
|
