The Last Port in Europe

Today is Wednesday 26th November and we have been in El Hierro for 6 days, 5 of them in Puerto La Estaca and 1 day and night in La Restinga.

We left the marina at Santa Cruz, La Palma, remembering to take our floppa stoppers on board. When we left La Gomera we motored for an hour before realising they were streaming out behind us like sea anchors. (Floppa stoppers look like traffic cones which you attach to lines and hang down both sides of the boat. They reduce the rocking motion when you are at anchor. You don’t normally need them in a marina!) At Tazacorte, we had been told there was a pontoon berth for us and this time there was with electricity and water AND the showers were HOT! We enjoyed 3 calm nights protected from the NE wind and good weather. The only drawback was the near vertical climb of about 2 kilometres to the town. Here we found 3 well stocked supermarkets, lots of other shops and a banana plantation – and it was downhill all the way back with our shopping.

Excitement at Tazacorte as an injured fisherman is flown to hospital.

We left Puerto Tazacorte, La Palma at 6.00am on 20/11/08 and completed the 54 miles to Puerto de La Estaca, El Hierro by 4.00pm. The weather was a mix of headwinds and following winds, sunshine and cloud, squalls all around but thankfully missing us and a cold wind. Jeremy stoically wore his shorts but I wore long trousers and three layers under my ocean waterproof sailing jacket! It took us about an hour to tie up to the inner breakwater in the sheltered harbour at La Estaca. There was a severe shortage of ladders and an overhang of different heights along the concrete wall but eventually we secured Sal Darago behind a big German yacht, which appeared to have everything on board, including a washing machine!

We used two methods of getting on and off Sal Darago – rowing ashore in the dinghy or climbing up or down the rigging on “steps” made from pieces of string stretched across the shrouds.

There are very few British people living in El Hierro. Kevin and his German wife, Gabby, gave us useful information about the island the day we arrived. The next day Bob and Liz took us to the 4 star Paramor hotel in their car where we met a couple (Fredo – American born German - and Catie - French) from London who were staying with a German, (Gabriella) who was going out with a Spaniard, (Jose)! They all spoke excellent English and 8 people of 4 nationalities sat down together for drinks on the terrace overlooking the sea. How random is that? That evening Fredo, Catie, Gabriella and Jose arrived at Sal Darago and we enjoyed chatting further and showing them around our 36ft home.

There was nothing in La Estaca except a café/bar, some toilets, a water tap behind the bar and booking offices for the ferries. However, new facilities are being built (originally scheduled for 2005). We took the bus to the nearest town, Valverde, the capital, about 8 kilometres away. All bus journeys cost 1 euro but the times are not always convenient. Twice we had to catch the 8.00am bus!

It was only a 12 mile sail down to La Restinga which does have pontoon berths but no toilets, water or showers. The boatyard has a tap but they do not recommend drinking the water. Fortunately, both supermarkets sell bottled water, are quite well stocked and there is a panderaria (bakery) and a fresh produce mercado on Fridays – no bus ride needed!

We are very conscious of being at the end of the world (before Columbus) and the zero meridian for about 300 years (before Greenwich). Ahead lies an Atlantic crossing of over 2000miles and 20-30 days at sea. Hundreds of yachts cross at this time – 218 have left already on the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers – and every two years people row across, so maybe we are not completely mad! I’ll let you know in about a month’s time, from Barbados.

Hasta la vista amigos!

El Hierro

We are now in El Hierro with about nine days left before we cross the Atlantic. Internet has been difficult to get hold of, so just a quickie to let you all know we are safe. Hopefully we can find somewhere to post a proper blog in our last port - La restinga.

Off shopping now and to catch last bus back at 11 am. It's Saturday and everything closes at lunchtime until Monday!

La Palma

As I write it is Saturday evening, 15 November. We are in Santa Cruz, La Palma and have been here nearly one week. We left San Sebastian last Saturday and, as predicted, moved around to Puerto de Vueltas on the West side of the island. Kathy and I were both quite upset passing the places where we had enjoyed Emily and Ben’s company. At Vueltas we snorkelled. Kathy nearly drowned as her mask filled with water, so I suggested we moved onto a shallow reef. At this point a huge wave picked us both up and threw us along the said reef. Fortunately it did not damage either of us and we both swam like mackerel for deeper water. On our return to Sal Darago, we had warm showers on the stern in the evening sunshine, followed by a delicious beef stew. What a relaxed life!

The alarms blasted at 0500 and as we groggily prepared breakfast, the Calor Gas ran out. Having changed the bottle for the one we managed to buy for €40 from Enrique in Las Palmas, we left at 0610 and arrived in our fifth Canary Island at 1410. We had been accompanied part of the way by ten or more meretricious dolphins which tried to outdo each other’s tricks at the bow. Here in San Sebastian there was a NEW, EMPTY marina, BUT (there always is one) each of the few yachts already parked took up TWO berths. This was because there was a constant, large swell.

After logging in on Monday, we used a hose pipe to wash the main and genoa, while I scrubbed both sides vigorously. We left the two sails up to dry in the pleasantly warm sunshine. Just before lunch, the wind got up and we struggled to get both sails down and in their bags, but we managed it. In the afternoon, we put the old genoa on. Kathy then went for a recce and some food and I put the old mainsail on. We now have our two old sails on so it does not matter so much if they chafe on the Atlantic crossing. It was dark when these jobs were completed.

Jobs continued on Tuesday with the attempted replacement of the diesel fuel oil filter housing including using the TWO, NEW, CORRECT BANJO BOLTS, which Emily had caressingly brought from the UK. It took a while as I had to change the gearbox oil too, but at the end of the morning all was fitted and Kathy who had twice gone to the local yacht club for a hot shower returned (unwashed – as the showers were cold) marvelled at the new leakless BANJO bolts. She demanded the engine was run for half an hour as a test and strangely disappeared into the hot boat shower while the test was being carried out. A much cleaner Kathy emerged from the shower declaring the test run a complete success. In the afternoon, we strolled around the traditional Santa Cruz streets finding another Santa Maria, but this one was stuck into the pavement and was closed due to refurbishment. I then went to the yacht club and enjoyed a lovely HOT shower – apparently only the female showers are cold ;-0

Having booked a hire car we went on to do some light shopping on Wednesday morning. In the afternoon we refuelled using one of our four 5 gallon “spare” drums. I then checked the stainless steel wire rigging (standing rigging), undoing and then tightening every rigging screw. Kathy meanwhile checked our tins in order to ensure we have enough food for 30 days minimum. The next day, at last we were mobile in a motor. The first job was to refill the GAS!! Regular readers will remember the SAGA (incidentally the Saga cruise ship called here earlier in the week) concerning the previous refill. So we drove two miles to the Disa Gas plant, rang the door bell, asked the man to refill the bottle and two minutes later he returned with the full bottle and asked us for …. For…. FOR….€5 … YES …€5.

We returned to Sal Darago in shock and had to have coffee and toast before driving 2426 metres up an incredibly tortuous mountain to La Caldera De Taburiente, allegedly the largest volcanic crater in the world. At about 1000 metres we drove into cloud and visibility reduced to 50 metres. Well I suppose we had been lucky with the gas. It was galling to read in the brochures “Its unpolluted and extraordinarily clear skies have made it possible the island to become an ideal place for astrophysics.” (No error in the quote!) However at about 1800 metres we emerged above the cloud into clear skies. It really was like driving in the sky. You can actually park at the top of the mountain and look down on a dozen international observatories including one operated remotely from Edinburgh University. And then there was the volcanic crater itself. Sorry Saucepan (near Tobermory) you just wouldn’t get a look in. STUNNING. We continued across the island round frenetic bends and crazy gradients until we reached the West coast, at which point Kathy decided to drive. The roads were less bendy, but more crowded and built up. We started to ascend the mountain again, further South when suddenly we were swallowed by a tunnel, down which we travelled for several kilometres (they are a bit like short miles for the truly English readers). Emerging from the sphincter on the East coast, it was dark and raining. We beat a hasty retreat to the boat and put the tent over the cockpit to reduce the effects of the rain.

It was now Gavin’s Birthday – 14 11 08 – and Kathy’s shopping list took so long, I was forced to do some hand washing ( there is no laundry at this marina) {actually there is very little here except for the swell of which there is far too much}. At last, by 1100 the shopping list was complete. We have been warned that this is the last serious shopping place and that El Hierro (our next and Last Canary Island) has only small Supermercados, which may not be able to supply our needs. We purchased everything on the list and on the way back bought 27 litres of diesel for €19.00. As you can imagine we were not ready to tour the South of the island until quite late in the afternoon, but the hire car had saved us much time and energy in returning our purchases to the dock. Eventually we found ourselves in Los Llanos and remembered that we had not bought cereals. Fortunately we found Frosties. Again we climbed the mountain to return home but this time we took a detour before the tunnel to see the South end of the vast volcanic crater at Cumbriceta. The cloud again enveloped us and we went for a short walk along the Aguina Canal. This had clear warnings signs saying it was dangerous and unsuitable for breathing things to walk along it, but Kathy insisted and I followed in front. When the drop became dizzyingly high and the crumbling foot holds were less than two inches wide, I sensibly decided to turn back. I like a challenge but… Later we discovered another supermarket and found Crunchy Nut Cornflakes AND Just Right. We bought several packets so you can guarantee we are not going to be short of breakfasts for quite a while.

After supper on the boat, I popped into the stern cabin (our bedroom) to find the rain leaking through the corner of the hatch onto my side of the bed. I finished sealing it at about 2245, by which time it had stopped raining. TODAY (sighs of relief all round), we returned the hire car and they did not even check it! Following the obligatory shopping (what else can there be to buy? – in this case fresh bread) we did jobs on board. Kathy did some washing and I changed the safety deck lines, cleaned and serviced the stern gland (it’s to do with the shaft that drives the propeller), serviced the spinnaker poles, filled the tanks with water and we had showers at the yacht club. Mine was lovely and hot, but don’t ask Kathy about hers. Later we had a delicious roast beef meal.

La Gomera

It’s 8th November today and Jeremy and I are very sad. Emily and Ben should be boarding their plane to the UK as I write. We are in a very crowded, but friendly, marina in San Sebastian, La Gomera.

The afternoon before Emily and Ben arrived we went to Marina San Miguel to find they had forgotten about our booking and there were no berths left! They found a place for us alongside a huge tourist catamaran called Freebird V. Almost by chance we found they had a laundrette and took the opportunity to wash and dry some bedding. Horror of horrors, when we returned for the washing, a cockroach was crawling out of the drop down seat back in the main saloon. Jeremy killed it and left me to cook supper while he went to the laundry. Within minutes another cockroach crawled out of the seat back on the opposite side. Being a bit squeamish, I put my rubber gloves on before I squashed it and cleaned up the mess. When Jeremy returned he emptied every locker in the saloon and found no more stowaways. We didn’t tell Emily and Ben about this until the day they were leaving, especially as Emily was sleeping on one of the affected berths! We didn’t sleep very well that night. Unusually, it rained heavily. At around 5.30am the alarm went off on Freebird V and a red light started flashing. We didn’t know whether it was burglars or if she was sinking! I wrote some words down from the Spanish phrase book and walked the full length of the unlit harbour to find the night security guard. He seemed to understand and one and a half hours later an engineer arrived and pulled the wires out of the alarm. Apparently the heavy rain had set it off!


Anyway, we had a great week with Emily and Ben. We crossed the 36 miles from Tenerife to La Gomera after a much quieter night on a proper berth in the marina. The swell was big and uncomfortable and the wind rose as we left making Emily unwell. She recovered quickly once we were anchored in a bay and we were all able to go ashore in hot, sunny weather to have a beach BBQ.


An engaging couple enjoying the warm winter sun on board Sal Darago.






The next 3 days were cloudy and warm with light winds. We enjoyed swimming, snorkelling, exploring caves and wandering round the remains of a fish canning factory. We went to the main ports of Sandiago and Vueltas, arriving here at San Sebastian on Thursday afternoon.





Continuing easterly winds meant the return trip to Tenerife might be rough so Emily and Ben booked on the ferry to Los Christianos, where they found some accommodation for the night.

Sal Darago seems empty without them but we have been busy doing shopping and washing and Jeremy had a fibre glass repair to do to the inside moulding in a near inaccessible place in the bow. This afternoon we will move back round to Puerto Vueltas and prepare for the 47 mile sail to the island of La Palma.

Emily and Ben wave bye bye from the stern of the hi-speed ferry.

Hasta la vista amigos.