We had been in touch with Canadian friends, Ann and Barry
from Cat’s Paw IV and knew they were somewhere in the Canary Islands. They were
in Marina Lanzarote near Arrecife and would wait for us if we were leaving
Morocco soon. We told them we would sail direct to the same marina and see them
in two days, if all went well.
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| Reunited with friends from Cat's Paw IV |
The wind stayed in the northern sector, so on Gavin’s
birthday (Happy Birthday, Gavin for 14
th November) we left Agadir.
Customs and Immigration only made us wait an hour and 40 minutes for our exit
papers. Other yachts have waited longer, so we considered ourselves lucky. An
hour later, the engine was switched off and we sailed all the way to the
approaches to Lanzarote. We began on a beam reach and put a reef in the
mainsail just before dark. The sun set in the west and almost immediately the
moon rose in the east, red and full. Not long afterwards, Venus disappeared
over the western horizon. A short, sharp swell hit us on the beam making us
rock and roll and spray splashed into the cockpit.
It was cold at night; full sailing
waterproofs were needed along with woolly hats and boots.
As we moved further SW we picked up the north east trades
and sailed downwind with the mainsail put to bed and the genoa poled out. Once
more there was a beautiful sunset and a stunning moonrise. The moon was bright
enough to cast shadows. The sea was rough after midnight making it hard to
sleep down below. Jeremy woke with severe indigestion, but came on watch
anyway.
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| Working hard preparing for two months layover |
I could see the lights of Lanzarote before the sun rose.
There was a wind shift off the coast which gave us a better angle for the
swell. We started the engine, furled the genoa and when Jeremy called Marina
Lanzarote on VHF 09, we were allocated berth E29. Cat’s Paw IV were in E2 and
were surprised, but pleased to see us at 9.30 am. I knocked my ankle hard on a
cleat as we set off for the marina office. I’m still applying ice packs three
days later, but it is much better now the swelling has gone down.
 |
| Marina Lanzarote |
Marina Lanzarote is in Puerto Naos, near Arrecife. Avid
readers of this blog will remember that we were here in 2008 when almost
everyone had to anchor. What a contrast. A retail park lines one side of the
marina and all facilities are provided. The cost for us is about 15 euros a
night with discounts for longer stays. Sal Darago will be here until the third
week of January 2017.
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| Distant volcanoes rise behind Arrecife |
We had a great time with Ann and Barry. The last time we saw
them we were in Antigua on our way back to the UK in 2014. It was great to get
together for sundowners on the first evening we arrived. The following day we
were invited aboard Cat’s Paw IV for dinner and cards. We played Bridge, girls
against boys, and I have to tell you that the girls wiped the floor with the
boys! The third night we had sundowners on Sal Darago and went out for dinner
in town.
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| Sal Darago flying the WOA 50th Anniversary flag in Lanzarote |
Sadly, on Saturday 19
th November, we helped Ann
and Barry leave their berth and wished them “Bon Voyage”. Perhaps we’ll meet up
again in the Caribbean. Perhaps we’ll meet up in Panama. Watch this space.
Jeremy and I are busy preparing SD for her sojourn here in
the marina. Our flights are booked and we are looking forward to seeing Emily,
Ben, Ellie, Sophie and Tess.
Happy Christmas, everyone and may 2017 be your best year
yet.
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