On the waves again.

Beautiful flowers

We left Arrecife, Lanzarote on Monday. The winds were light as we passed down the east side of the island and the swell was kind. As we turned west through the passage between Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, the swell built up and became uncomfortable. We cleared the lee of Lanzarote and the NE wind came on pretty strongly so we could turn the engine off and sail all the way to Gran Canaria, where we arrived by 10am on Tuesday. It took two hours to be berthed in the marina. We will leave on Thursday for El Hierro. Hasta Luego.

Outside Chris Columbus' house

Back in Lanzarote.

Christmas Eve at Whispering Pines

Welcome back to another year of reading our blog. Please feel free to leave comments.

Our 10 weeks of being landlubbers passed quickly. Our house was in good order except for a sticking ballcock in one of the cold water tanks, which was soon fixed by Jeremy.

It was good to spend time with our daughter, Emily, son-in-law, Ben and our grandchildren, Ellie, and Sophie. We stayed with them for 3 nights: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. It was lovely to watch them open their presents, first of all, on our bed and later, downstairs. Sophie particularly favoured the cardboard gift tags, which were perfect for chewing!

Very soon after New Year, I flew to the Isle of Man to visit my 91 year old mother and my two sisters, Pat and Sara. Mum continues to be given the best of care at home by an excellent team of carers organised by Sara and assisted by Pat, when she is not working. Although Mum is now fully dependent on her carers and continues to have health issues, she is as well as can be expected. She was very pleased to see me and enjoyed looking through photograph albums, even though she could not always remember the people pictured or the places she’d been to on holiday.

Pat, Sara and Mum

Pat flew back to Gatwick with me and stayed at our house. She came to Sophie’s Christening and to a buffet lunch afterwards at Christine’s in Woodbridge. Here we met up with Jeremy’s brothers and their wives: Ritchie, Gavin, Catherine and Eileen. There were many more Deacon family members and plenty of friends with babies and young children. The church service was informal and fun and the buffet was delicious. Thank you, Em and Ben, for organising a delightful day.

The Christening

Two days later Pat flew back to the IOM and the very next day Jeremy and I set off for Stansted Airport. We were glad we were spending the night in an airport hotel when our bus arrived 45 minutes late. All went well for the rest of the journey. We were up at 5.00am on 19^th January and checked in before sunrise! There was ice on the plane windows as we left the UK. Three and a half hours later, the sun was shining on the runway at Lanzarote, where the temperature was 19C out of the wind.

On the way to the party

Sal Darago was in good shape with all lines still attached and no water or mould inside. There was a coating of Sahara dust all over her decks and Jeremy was pleased he had removed the halyards and sheets. The engine started second time as there was a loose electrical connection to the glow plugs.

Yesterday, we provisioned for 2 months and finished recording and stowing everything today. I have another sore throat and hope it won’t develop into a cold. I seem to have been fighting off viruses since before Christmas. Hopefully, the best prescription is going to be sunshine and sailing.

Ellie and Sophie

We hope to leave for Gran Canaria in a few days’ time. It’s an overnight sail of 114 miles. Then we want to visit El Hierro, about 144 miles from Gran Canaria, before setting sail for the Cape Verde Islands. Hasta luego!

Agadir, Morocco to Lanzarote, Canary Islands

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Mohammedia to Agadir

The anchorage off the beach and just outside the harbour at Mohammedia was well sheltered from the southerly winds that we were experiencing. We checked the weather forecast and knew that northerly winds were coming soon. We also knew that we should wait a day before leaving to allow a gale further south to blow itself out. What we didn’t know was that the wind would switch direction so quickly. We went ashore for supplies for the two day sail to Agadir in calm, sunny weather. We returned in strong onshore winds with waves breaking into the dinghy and Sal Darago pitching and tossing on her anchor. Jeremy wanted to leave immediately, but we still had to clear out, which meant another dinghy trip ashore.

All sailors know the dangers of a lee shore – if the anchor drags the boat will go aground – but they also know the dangers of a gale out at sea. We went ashore and cleared out with Customs and Immigration, returned to Sal Darago and hauled up the dinghy with some difficulty on our bucking bronco of a boat. We decided to stay put until first light with the anchor alarm on, but be ready to leave immediately should we need to. Thankfully, the wind eased a little in the night and the anchor held firm. We motored out of the harbour waving at the returning fishing vessels.

Sunset over Agadir beach

We flew the genoa only as the strengthening wind was behind us. Soon the first squall hit us and we furled the genoa to a small triangle. The squall took the wind away and a yacht called Panacea that had been in the anchorage with us came sailing past under full sail. We raised our mainsail and later put the engine on as well as the wind varied in direction and strength. Our trusty autopilot, Neco, stopped working after another squall. Jeremy ducked under the stern bunk and found a grub screw had come loose and was able to fix it.

Agadir motto - God, Nation, King - on the hill

We motor sailed all night. Several fishing vessels came too close and we both had to take avoiding action to avoid a collision. By morning the wind had settled down to NNE direction and rose from 5-22 knots. Jeremy took the mainsail down and poled out the genoa. The wind blew stronger and the swell grew larger and breaking waves showered water into the cockpit. During one violent gust the inner forestay came loose and swung about like a pendulum threatening to smash our windows. It caught on the safety rail and I grabbed it. Jeremy secured it and tied it down. No damage was done.

Panache decided to make for the port of Essouira. We decided it was too risky to approach an unknown harbour in the dark in a near gale and headed away from the coast into open waters. We had an uncomfortable night with six knots on the log and 33 knots of wind from behind. Rough seas and breaking waves came rushing past like express trains. We rounded Cape Sim, the gale blew itself out and by 0500 hours the engine came on as we had only 3 knots of wind. 

Agadir Mosque

It was a delight to motor into a “proper” marina close to the beach at Agadir, where a staff member greeted us, spoke good English and helped us tie up. The sun shone brightly and the sky was blue. All was hunky dory until we saw the shower and toilet facilities – ‘nuff said!

The marina is very sheltered with non-drinking water and electricity at every berth. Apartments and shops surround the marina, but a breeze blows through from the hills nearby. In the daytime it is hot and sunny, but cools off quickly in the evening. Marium, in the marina office, gave us a map and good information about Agadir. She recommended a place to eat at the fish harbour – Abdel Krim number 7. We were glad to have this recommendation because the stalls selling food went into the hundreds. We shared a fish dinner, which included calamari, several small fish each and dozens of prawns, with a tomato salad starter and a plate of bread for 82 dirhams (approx. 8.20 euros). It was the freshest fish I’d tasted in a long time.

Being smoked alive at the Souk

Another day we caught the bus to the Souk and ate there for even less, but the food was not as good. We wandered round the Souk for two hours and didn’t see all of it. It had 15 entrances and there was much for sale and many stalls to take in. Almost everything you can think of was for sale from carpets and furniture to herbs and spices. The colours and the smells were overwhelming. One stallholder asked for help writing a postcard in English to a friend and took us behind his stall. In return for our help, he put the kettle on and left us with his fellow stallholder to share a glass of mint and citron tea. We felt like honoured guests until the big sell started. Would we like some herbs or spices? Look at these lipsticks? You like? We thanked him and walked away.

Stand Up Paddle board across the Atlantic

One day a strange craft was lowered into the marina. Some thought it was a submersible and others thought it was an ocean rowing boat but there were no oars or rowlocks. The craft became Sal Darago’s neighbour and we learned that it was an SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard) which South African surfer, Chris Bertish is going to paddle across the Atlantic. This will be the first time that anyone has attempted this. Chris and his team already have impressive sponsorship, but more would be welcome as they want to raise as much money as they can for needy children in Africa. Check out Chris’s website and if you would like to donate you’ll find the details there.

This shows the relative sizes

As we left our berth at Agadir Marina, bound for Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, we looked at Chris’s little craft and remembered the wind, waves and swell that we’d experienced in our 36 foot yacht. There is no way that we would swap. Good luck, Chris.

Mohammedia and Casablanca

Reconstruction of the pontoons

At first the French speaking member of staff on the pontoon in the harbour at Mohammedia told us there was no room and we must go outside and anchor. We could see three empty berths but repairs were taking place on the pontoon. We were allowed to tie up and had to reverse into a berth with a short finger. We had to pick up a bowline attached to a submerged mooring and secure it over our bows. Immediately Coastguard or Maritime Police arrived and checked our papers. Then the marina manager came and said we could not stay as he had boats coming in. Jeremy said we would leave if any boats came in. Next the Port Authority arrived, checked our papers and told us the charge was 26 euros or 265 dirhams per day. We were shocked as we’d been expecting to pay about 10 dirhams per day. Finally, Immigration and Customs came and our passports were stamped for entry. Later, we learned that the marina would charge 40 dirhams per day in addition to the port charge. These fees made Morocco as expensive as the UK.

Close and it is in reverse!

The marina was in the petroleum part of the harbour and big tankers were piloted in and pushed into their berth by tugboats only a few metres ahead of us. All day and night the engines or generators roared loudly and a rubbery, gas smell permeated the air as the tanks were filled. We began to wish we’d anchored outside.

Mohammedia is not a tourist destination (surprise, surprise)! Fortunately, we were given good directions by fellow yachties and found our way into town, stopping at the bank ATM for Moroccan dirhams. The train station was harder to find and about 45 mins walk from the marina. Here, we found a good Wi-Fi signal and information about trains to Casablanca.

On 3^rd November we got a taxi to the station (7 dirhams) and bought return tickets to Casablanca, about 14 miles away. At first we had to stand as the double decker train was full. On arrival, a few taxi touts tried hard to persuade us to part with our money and take tours. We took a guess at the main road into town and walked away. A policeman directed us to Tourist Information and we found a tiny, glass-cube office near a tramline. The young man inside spoke good English, but he only had tramline maps and one leaflet in English. He directed us to the Christian art deco church. We walked for 60 minutes at last finding a gateway through the sheet metal fencing which surrounded the church. The church was being renovated; no entry allowed. Jeremy was cross and frustrated. (Kathy polished her halo.)

Elusive Art Deco Church

Our day improved when we worked out the French style of designing cities with roads radiating from plazas. Since we had a tramline map, we followed the line and made our way back to the harbour. We found the more interesting old town behind the old city wall, bustling with local people, but we avoided the narrow alleys and kept to the main streets.

Play it for me Sam

The highlight of the day was Rick’s Café as featured in the film, “Casablanca”. The atmosphere was perfect with the décor and furniture straight out of the 1940’s. Our table was next to the piano and we frequently said to each other, “Play it for me, Sam.” Waiters in dinner suits served us our meal and we sipped Casablanca beer.

Here's looking at you kid

Then it was back to reality, a rush to catch the train and a taxi back to the marina. The noisy, smelly tanker had gone, but another less noisy one from Douglas, Isle of Man had arrived. The next morning, we moved to the anchorage.

View from the train - almost desert