With a good forecast for N/NE winds to blow us down to the Canary Islands, we left Gibraltar for the 650 mile journey south. We calculated it would take about 5 days and would be the longest journey together aboard Deep Blue and my longest journey ever.

We bought ready meals for the trip that could simply be put into the oven and eaten 30 minutes later. We also stocked up on lots of lovely things from the two great supermarkets there and the fridge was bulging. We were excited and ready to go.

Local knowledge advised us to hug the Spanish coast as we left because of the strong east going current. We kept as close as we could but the current was still strong and we made slow progress. It didn’t matter because we knew that once out, the N/NE winds would make up for our slow start. On this journey, we used the Iridium GO for the first time. It is a satellite system that allows you to connect a smartphone, tablet and laptop to it for sending & receiving texts, email, slow and basic internet, weather, calls, tracking and emergency assistance at the press of a button. It worked great but we were not very happy to see that the weather forecast changed almost 100% after we left to S/SW winds – exactly the direction we were going in. It was just like being back in the Med! We changed course accordingly, darted around squalls, got wet then dry and then had no wind at all and had the engine on. All we can say is thank goodness that fuel was only 34p per litre in Gibraltar!

After a few days, our bodies started to get used to the sleep routine from 9pm to 9am of 3 hours on watch and then 3 hours rest, however, one of the most difficult things for us both, due to the wind direction, was the constant boat movement which meant we were continually bracing ourselves, which got quite tiring after a while – imagine going to the gym for days on end! Having a shower was impossible so it was a question of flannel washes and wet wipes. I didn’t comb my hair for a week and just kept it tied up but when we arrived in Lanzarote and I finally had the chance to do something about it, it turned out to be in the nicest condition and style it had been in a long time!

Because of the weather, we arrived in Lanzarote after 6 days and had to slow down our arrival to let some rain and wind stay ahead of us. Although the fridge was well stocked, we didn’t always feel like eating much but on the last morning we were feeling peckish and I looked at what needed eating as per the Use By dates and our brunch consisted of Scotch egg, Melton Mowbray pork pie & mustard and a packet of Hula Hoops. I cannot believe I ate it but I did and here is the photo to prove it.

We are now tucked safely into Marina Lanzarote, just outside the capital, Arrecife. It is a very nice, new marina packed with boats just like ours preparing for long journeys ahead. Looks like we are going to be here for a good few days because the low pressure system that we encountered looks set to stay put.