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LOG ENTRY DATE: November 12, 2003 Please click here to view a map of the Canary Islands. Between Lincoln's departure on November 1, and Katie's arrival on November 4, Tom and I spent several days working on the boat, mostly to repair deck leaks that had been plaguing us since we left in June. Despite the appearance of a totally relaxed lifestyle, cruising is more often a series of never-ending chores. There is always something on the "to fix" list that needs to be done, either in port, or when at sea. Since our arrival in Madeira, for example, the tasks we worked on and fixed looked like this: headsail swivel and halyard wrapping problem; delaminated headsail repaired with stickyback; ripped mainsail grommet; leaks in the handrail, forward hatch, head hatches, and galley ports; full cleaning of bilges; spreader repositioning; mainsail slide lube, new thermostat and piping for galley oven; fitting and mounting of CD racks in cabin, and personal items like footwear and clothing repair. All this takes place around the normal, scheduled maintenance demanded by the engine, battery system, zincs, rigging, etc. So, lest the world think that we come into port, break out the beers, and work on our tans. . . Boat work, though, did take a back seat upon Katie's arrival. We spent the majority of our time touring the islands of Tenerife and La Gomera, hiking, and visiting with Max and Lynnie—who arrived in Santa Cruz late, due to weather delays and to having lost one of their propeller blades. After their propeller failure, they were forced to go entirely under sail to the eastern most island of Lanzarote, where they nestled her into a marina, and did a quick haul and propeller replacement. They arrived here in Santa Cruz, Tenerife, on Sunday, November 9. In the meantime, Katie and I spent the first three days of her vacation driving around the island, and taking hikes wherever they appeared to be a.) scenic and b.) not too crowded with tourists. On day one, we drove through the southern end of the island, where most of the tourists are been concentrated; in fact, much of the natural black volcanic sand has been replaced with imported sand from the Sahara, as it's color is more pleasing to the Europeans who throng (or should I say thong?) here. Although the drive around that end of the island is amazing—extreme heights with spectacular views—the roadway is clogged with small rental cars (like ours) stopping at every mirador (vista) to take pictures. But, we were rewarded when we found our first hike in the town of El Palamar, which we walked through to get up to the heights of Teno Alto. The town is dominated by an old volcanic cone, from which large strips of soil have been excavated for the enormous and ever-present banana plantations that are found on every possible corner of the island. It was an honest, steep walk up to a saddle that allowed us great views of the western corner of the island. The reward at the bottom of the hike was equally exciting: 4 cold beers that we used to re-hydrate ourselves. On the way home, which turned into a circumnavigation of the island, we passed through the amazing town of Icod de los Vinos, where the Atlantic hurls itself onto the pebbled beaches in fearsome waves and lingering mists. We spent the second day checking out the northern end of the island, including the unspoiled town of Taganana. The town was quiet, pretty, and uncrowded, as was the hike we took up to Roque de Taborno. At the top, we had great views, as well as a surprise: several houses where people obviously lived full-time, eking out a subsistence living far away from any roads. We saw this repeated several times in mountain villages where they were connected to roads only by hiking paths, necessitating the hauling of all goods manually to the villages. On Friday, November 7, we decided to take the fast ferry over to the island of La Gomera. It truly is fast—at 33 knots, it ate up the 18 miles between the two islands in no time, and offered amazing views of them from it's windows, which are positioned 180 degrees around it's seating area. Tom accompanied us, and we spent two nights at a fine hotel perched on the side of a mountain in Hermigua, called the Ibo Alfaro. Like most of La Gomera, it was full of German tourists, and run by a German expat, but it was extremely well done: comfortable rooms with great views of both La Gomera and Tenerife, and excellent food. All for $65 a night. We spent the following Saturday checking out the visitor's center in the Parque Nacional Garajonay, which is located in the center of the island, and preserves the rare, subtropical rainforest that exists there. We also hiked in the hills above the town of Vallehermoso, on a half-day, round trip excursion that took us deep into the ravines of the islands (which are cultivated in innumerable terraces, irrigated by high mountain dams), and around several amazing rock formation. On Sunday, we traveled back to the port town of San Sebastian by way of the Parque Nacional, cutting through the thick myrtle evergreen forest with it's dense, wet foliage. The town of San Sebastian is very neat and clean, and the marina there first-rate. . . we decided that if we could manage it, we'd stop there on our way "out of town", as it's basically on our southwestern track to the Caribbean. Sunday also marked the reunion with Max and Lynnie and their crew Steve Keener, who had sailed overnight from Lanzarote after their prop repair. Despite the lack of sleep, they rallied for the standard cruising evening of a good dinner (spaghetti with lots of spicy things in the sauce) and too much wine, rum, and beer. Fortunately, we've all been well-schooled in this procedure, and have the discipline now to carry ourselves with some residue of dignity. More than anything, though, it's great to get together with folks that we actually know. While cruising is a valuable and on-going exercise in meeting new people and being a good social animal, it's really so refreshing to have fun with friends you don't have to reiterate your history to, or watch how you present yourself—they know you, you know them, and it's easy to slide into relaxed and honest conversation. Funny the things you take for granted when you are at home, surrounded by friends and family. . . Katie and I spent our last full day together hiking in the northeastern part of the island, on another round trip that started from the totally unspoiled hill town of Chamorga. It passed up and over a large ridge, where we shinnied out to the northern-most bluff, getting a view of the Anaga lighthouse far below, and glimpses of the islands of Grand Canaria and Fuerteventrura, far to the east. Fortunately, Chamorga is blessed with one bar/restaurant, from which I was able to purchase my now traditional (and quite necessary) four cold beers with which to revitalize myself after my mountain assaults. A final dinner with Max, Lynnie, Steve, and Dave (an Englishman we met in Rota, also bound for the Caribbean), and Katie parted company with us the following day. As I told Max, I'm unsure if the "up" emotion of having her arrive and spending such fun—though short—time together is an equal balance for the flip-side emotion of putting her on a plane to go home! Oh well, it's the last time that will happen, as the next stop will be the one just before I head home on December 15. In the meantime, we await the arrival of Ed Leary, my brother in law and erstwhile sailing companion (and a familiar hand on Chase, having helped me deliver her from Maine to Tortola in 2000, logging a 200 mile day on the way), and Nat Henshaw, who will arrive on the 13th and 14th of November, respectively. Since the 14th is a Friday—and sailing superstition prohibits embarking on a trip on a Friday—we are poised to leave the Canaries on Saturday, the 15th, for the 18-21 day passage to Antigua. |
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