Tuesday 27 October

Tuesday 27 October The High Point
I made it upwind to Lanzarote. In a way this is the high point of this adventure. As I said to Normandie, it is downhill all the way from here to the Caribbean. Typically prevailing wind will take us to Cape Verde and trade winds across the Atlantic. I think I had exceptionally good weather for the five day hop coming up. Except for the first day it was really smooth. The rather strong, unusual south-east wind, and I was really happy to get to Santa Cruz Marina. Then the easy crossing to Gran Canaria, and the great anchorage in the commercial harbour of Las Palmas. Then the very comfortable anchorage at the south tip of Fuerteventura. There is a hook at the south end much like the hook at Cape Lookout that protects it from the ocean waves. There is a lighthouse on the extreme tip, and a village on the crescent shaped beach. It looks typical for Spain, White cubical looking with tile roofs, but there were some odd things about this village. It is located many miles across desert dunes from anything. I mean there is nothing there for 15 or 20 miles. No buildings, no trees, no utility poles, no fences, nothing. OK, so it is a fishing village. There were no boats on the beach, no docking facilities, no quay, no mole, no nothing. And the village seems to have been built backed up to the water. I was looking at the backs of the buildings with no roadway between the buildings and the beach. But it was a good place to stop, and I slept well. Then Monday I went to the northern-most place to anchor on the east coast of Fuerteventure. It was just a nook in the rock cliffs with some protection if needed from the north-east. Ashore were some buildings. I hesitate to call them a village. It was a row of about eight buildings? booths? rooms? and they may have been joined together. There were some people, maybe 6 or 8. One man spent the evening fishing with a pole from a nice little rowboat. At night, two of the buildings had lights, but when I left at O black :30 the Tuesday morning everything was dark. Next was the crossing from Fuerteventure over to Lanzarote, and to anchor off a resort beach back in a little bay, under the protection of high cliffs to the east and west, and high resort hotel on the north.
By far the most enjoyable time was from 05:00 until about 07:30 when it is getting light. I just loved it. So much of this I want to share. Ant this little trip uf the last few days would have been a great experience to share.
Not that I am here, I hope to explore some of the anchorages for a few days. Today the wind is from the north or north-east, and I am in an acceleration zone, so that may be something to consider when I go exploring.
Reef Early
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II