29th Nov San Sebastian de La Gomera

Since my last we have been at anchor and have not been happy enough with the holding to go ashore.

My departure from Santa Cruz, on the 18^th Nov at 10pm, was delayed by two passenger ferries coming into the harbour, but having got out a good breeze (force 2-5) pushed us along, until we were in the lee of Tenerife just before making our first anchorage at Punta de Teno,

Sunrise over Tenerife

 beside a lighthouse under some impressive cliffs, the anchor bit first time on a rocky bottom, however I did do anchor watch every night, not taking the chance with that rocky shore!

At one point after dark I came on deck for a look around and saw the some clouds shooting past between us and the mountainside looking like wraiths, it took me a while to realise it was the lighthouse light (not very bright)shining on the hillside!

Punta Teno at bottomend of cliffs

 After a few days here we went down the coast and tried unsuccessfully to anchor at San Juan so moved further to Los Cristianos on rock again, tried to clean the green beard off the boottop but the swell was too much, so after a couple of days moved on to Las Tejitas at Punta Montana Roja

montana Roja

From the anchorage

 close to the airport off a sandy beach, out of the swell but not the wind. Managed to clean the worst of the green stuff off but wind meant it was cold. Having had enough of sitting on the boat we set off for the marina at San Sebastian on La Gomera with a nice wind building, however that didn’t last as the wind died half way across, so motored the rest of the way, one of the fast ferries barged past at 19 knots as I was getting ready to enter the harbour which unsettled me and on entering the marina the marinero directed me to the middle of a crowded pontoon,but we managed to get in without mishap, I must be getting better at manoeuvring.

In the marina there are a number of deep sea rowing boats, they are taking off next week for a transatlantic race, anything from 1-6 people on board, there are some crazy people about!

16th November Santa Cruz de La Palma

I had a lovely surprise on Sunday when the couple from the boat next to me (Paul and Catherine) asked if I would like to accompany them for a drive up into the mountains in the afternoon, they had hired a car for a couple of days. In the morning, I like to go for a walk in the mornings as it is cooler, I went for a look at the Naval museum which is in a replica of Columbus’s caravel ‘Santa Maria’, built using the original specifications, very interesting.

 After lunch we set off and after a detour to get their diving bottle filled, we had heard there was a dive centre close by so set off and asked the way at the fishing harbour where we were directed to the police station and ask for Miguel, who it turned out had his own compressor and filled the tank in the evening. The road into the mountains is narrow and very winding with the inevitable sheer drop on one side, but quite spectacular as we rose through the tree line and then the cloud base,

 eventually into the clear blue and cold air, the highest peak tops out at 2426m where there a number of radio telescopes and astronomical observatories and beyond which one can walk around the neighbouring peaks and the caldera (we didn’t);

Trying not to look cold

 we returned via the northern coast another very winding road 

 getting back to Santa Cruz well after dark, the sun goes down about 6pm and rises about 7am, where we had a very pleasant meal.

On Monday I set off on foot to find the dive centre, eventually finding it after a good two hours, in a shopping complex in a holiday village two bays south, well off the main road, so it was lucky we found the very helpful policeman on Sunday, I spent the afternoon recovering and tidying and doing chores. Wednesday morning I went off in search of culture, and wandered around the Museo Insular de La Palma which is in a 16^th century Franciscan Convent, which I found to be a very peaceful place, especially in the cloisters (helped by my being the only person there) as well as interesting,

 a couple of churches, historical houses and a pseudo fort built for a play(Castillo de la Virgen).

12th November Santa Cruz de La Palma

Well here we are tied up in another marina! In another backwater, everything pleasantly laid back and town is two minutes walk away, and looks very pretty, once past the seafront monstrosities.

The passage started badly with it not only raining, which the Fin from the next boat said was lucky! (he had come over to help me slip my lines) but the engine stopped soon after starting ( while I was still tied up fortunately) it took me about ten minutes to work out that fuel was not being picked up from the lower tank, so I switched over to the upper tank and all was well; telling myself I would empty out part of the lower tank and clean the fuel pickup on route. Got the sails up fairly quickly, especially as the navy boat on exercises was coming back into port, and sailed off into the blue, around here the sea is incredibly blue. We managed to sail for all of 24 hours before the wind died and we were drifting so engine on for the rest of the passage, during which I did undo the feed pipe from the lower tank only to find it had cleared itself as I had left both tanks turned on, must have been an airlock, the engine did not falter during the rest of the trip.

When we were about half way there were ominous clouds coming in from the west, we still had sails up in the hope of wind, but even the weather satellite showed something not nice, so I double reefed the main and took the jib in to its double reefed position, when the front caught up with us there was no wind at all in fact the sea looked like treacle in the moonlight, so I shook the reefs out before morning, but still not enough wind to sail at more than 2 knots. We tootled along at about four knots and entered the harbour at Santa Cruz at about 8am, it gets light at about 7am, I knew the entrance to the marina was at the far end and could see masts, but could not make out the entrance until very close-to, the marina captain waved me over to a berth immediately, worrying as I had all lines set for tying up at the reception berth and the finger he was beckoning me to was inevitably on the other side, luckily I always have one rope and fenders out on the other side, just in case, so we got tied up without too much palaver, I even managed to squeeze her in first time without ripping out the side of the boat on the other finger!

Santa Cruz about an hour out

Street in Santa Cruz

another street

Marina from the town

Look two Snow Whites!

Hay two boats up is a steel boat called ‘Snow White’

7th November Porto Santo Madeira

The storms have passed for the time being leaving variable or no wind at all, the engine is running again (touch wood) and the scratches have all been repainted. I am starting to look at moving on from this sleepy little backwater, maybe in the next few days.

The Center of the island

Marina from mountain

Up in the mountains

Marina from the town

Yesterday I took the bicycle off the boat, derusted the chain and took it for a spin, the only other problem being one pedal that kept working loose and even fell off once; my intention being to take a fairly easy run on a track round the mountain in the North East, but having got about a third of the way round the track had been completely washed out just leaving a vertical drop, so I headed back and followed the main road, this turned out to be very scenic but very steep runs up and down valleys, hard work in the sunshine and covered half the island! I came across what seems to be a popular weekend pastime of hunting rabbits with dogs, shotguns going off all over the mountains; but got back before sundown and after a shower retired to the bar where I fell in with the Fin from the boat beside me and another cruising Fin who had arrived here four years ago and stayed on, they drink as hard as the Irish, fortunately the evening was well on before I joined them.

Returning from my walk into town this morning to replenish supplies I found the marina crawling with army, they are on exercises for the next four days, having spent a long time in Northern Ireland seeing all these guys wandering around with guns does not worry me.

Safely tied up now with the promise of another storm passing over tonight.

We left Cascais first thing in the morning of Friday 28^th Nov with a fresh to strong Northerly, so got sails up fairly quickly and making 4 to 7 knots, without the engine! Although I did start the engine to avoid traffic (three Northboound one Southbound not leaving me much room in the middle)and sailed on until early morning  of Monday 31^st Passing the Monte Gettysburg which rises from 5000m to 25m below the surface, although I did not put a rod out a squid managed to get onto the boat! I originally started the engine to recharge the batteries which were down to 2% the main user being the autopilot, the wind gen did not have enough wind and at this stage we were not going fast enough for the water gen to help enough and to cap it off the sails were covering the solar panel.

Sunrise

First sight of Porto Santo

Closer with sea picking up

The batteries took about 6 hrs to charge by which time the wind had come round onto the nose and died, so we motored on by midnight of the 31^st the swell was building from the South West (on the nose) so we pounded on, Tuesday 1^st Nov was a matter of motoring on with force 1-4 on the nose; however by 4am  Wednesday the wind was 4-7 on the nose on a nasty short sea and a black night, by dawn we were well shaken up but with the prospect of being in port by lunchtime, however on getting to the headland and starting to think about what to look for the engine stopped, with the wind  SW (on the nose) 2-7 sailing was going to be difficult, so looked to engine again putting more fuel into the tank, it started and ran for about 20 mins and cut out again, had to be dirty fuel! Tried restarting and running at high revs to clear, still no luck maybe 15mins, all the time either being blown out to sea or towards the rocky headland, so I radioed the marina, the reply came from a skipper I had been talking to in Cascais, he managed to find by luck a guy who was training the local Maritime Police in search and rescue! Who came out and towed me into the harbour where the marina manager took over and put me on the end of a pontoon, where we tied up with the help of a couple of yotties from nearby boats. I think what has happened is that in the storm the fuel tanks were well shaken up and sludge has got into the filters and or pipes, so all fuel filters will now be changed, the engine is due a service now anyway, so might have to put off exploring here for a little while. Oh yes it was even raining when we got in although the wind is pleasantly warm.

Well the fates are not done with me yet, woke up with a jolt in the night to find I had blown up to the boat in front and the end of the pontoon I was tied to had sheared off, so with the help of the other skipper we pulled her over to the next finger and tied up with all available lines. Damage to Snow White is only scratches down the side and luckily the boat in front only had a slightly bent aft light mounting. So another sleepless night. Spent all of yesterday trying to get engine started, found dirt in all filters, crack in the bottom of one of the filters letting air in and one of the lines was worn.

Finally got it going this morning, and am taking a rest before changing the oil, she is due a service. The wind continues to blow maybe for another couple of days, maybe I will get into town this afternoon.