Tuesday 6th December. Left Ihla Deserta Grande at 9am just as the rain swept across it again. Had a rough sail all day, night and until noon to Ihla Salvagens which looked even more grim and barren than the Desertas. We still had a nasty E’ly swell and a squally wind which made anchoring in the tiny, rocky bay on the southern tip of the island, untenable. We did try to find a safe place for over an hour as we were all tired after being bashed around for 30 hours and really did not want to head out for another night – but despite the temptation of showers, a hot meal and sleep we did reluctantly leave as it was the only safe option. Surviving on marmite sandwiches and tea we sailed away towards the Canaries with the sea bashing the boat, waves coming over the decks and water dripping down onto the bookshelf with all the school and reference books on it. It was too rough to get the books off (they would have slid around the place) so we covered them with plastic topped with towels and hoped they would survive. By dawn on Thursday the seas had calmed a little and the sun came out, making us all feel a lot better. The E’ly wind, the sirocco from North Africa, was causing a thick haze of Sahara sand to obscure all the Canary Islands and was coating the boat in a fine dust over the layer of sea salt that already encrusted the rails and decks. We sailed through the ships at anchor off Las Palmas and slipped into the anchorage, ready for those showers and a long sleep. We did rescue all the books and realised that the dinghy, lashed on deck, had knocked the engine air vent, allowing water in. We don’t usually sail overnight with the dinghy inflated , so at least it is a solvable problem.
Friday 7th December. Time GMT
After breakfast we weighed anchor and pottered round into the large marina, where a huge variety of boats from Brazil to New Zealand, Australia, America and Russia and most European countries are moored. Las Palmas is a very popular port for yachts crossing the Atlantic both ways, and as a stopover en route to the Cape Verde Islands.
 |
| An early Christmas dinner with Tom from Makatea |
