ICE SKATING
01 December 2020
Robert Coates
01/12/20
I worry sometimes about the Spanish people, they can be very excitable. It was announced that an ice rink would be set up on the plaza, naturally in an area with no shade. Stay warm while you skate! Well, it’s here and made of some clever plastic and very popular. No, I haven’t tried it.
The harbour is getting active with the start shortly of the Talisker Atlantic Challenge. 21 rowing boats from around the world (biggest entry from the UK) setting off for a 3,000 mile row to Antigua. One of the Marshall yachts has been next to me. Almost unbelievable stories of determination and endurance. It is hard to believe that the record is 30 days, which is as fast as some small yachts could do it in. Much of the time the oars are not used for rowing but as brakes to keep the boats straight while surfing down enormous seas at huge speeds. Utterly amazing and having experienced ocean gales (let alone storms) I find the very thought quite frightening. I hope to assist the shore team with the more mundane tasks ( would I be paid with a bottle of Talisker?) The boats are pretty neat, and a fairly standard design. Hope for picture next week.
The UK Government has confirmed that UK owned yachts out of the UK for more than 3 years will lose their VAT paid status and be reassessed for a new demand on return. How sweet. Why not charge VAT a second time on anything and solve
all the Covid borrowing debt. This is not a joke. I would need to be back by the 24/05/22, which is probably ok. Also I have to leave the Canary Islands group by the 23rd April 21 to avoid a similar issue here. Then there is the same issue in principle in mainland Spain and France for a yacht (owned by a non EU citizen) in the EU for more than 18 months (Gulp!) I hope with the world as it presently is there is a degree of understanding and flexibility in the enforcement of these rules.
You will be pleased to know that we have a forecast of a week of frequent rain here. The island needs it. It will make me homesick.
On that note have a good week. The Christmas lights were turned on here yesterday to cheer things up
Picture of the North coast of La Gomera early evening.
If anyone’s wondering I’d like a VAT voucher for Christmas.
Cheers
Bob.