17 Jan Travel Journey 5 | Gran Canaria – Kaapverdië

Travel Journey5 | Gran Canaria – Kaapverdië 

Two days after our arrival in Gran Canaria our girlfriends come by. So we still have plenty of time to desalinate the boat and do the necessary chores. Of all the maritime shops that exist, there is no 1 in the possibility to repair our Victron inverter. For this, the unit must be flown to the mainland. Because we are probably talking about a warranty case, we decide not to send it, who knows, you may not get that thing back after a few weeks. Mañana, mañana… .. They do tell us that there is a service center on Tenerife. When I contact them, no one speaks English and I wonder how good things are going to be if we arrive there in 2 weeks.

The time with the girlfriends on this warm island is wonderful. Everyone goes their own way and has some quality time, because the next meeting is only six months from the earliest. However, it has not been possible for me to put an end to the relationship after the holidays because 3-4 years without each other are very long. A difficult decision, but for me it gives me a bit more peace of mind.

Denise aan boord van de New Nexus

After a week in Gran Canaria, our next appointment is already scheduled, this time in Lanzarote. Here we will meet Miek and Joop, respectively 72 and 69, to sail for 5 days as part of our crowdfunding campaign last year. We make a trip every day, after which we go swimming or snorkeling. Lanzarote has the clearest water so far and when we drop the anchor at 10 meters depth at Lobos to go snorkeling we just see it lying. Fantastic! Unfortunately, the coral here has had to make way for dead rock, but the fish are still plentiful.

One of the days after that when I am snorkeling with Bas at playa Papagaya we see a huge ray called hitherto. The animal moves gracefully over the ground and its movements are somewhat like a shark. A little later, when we see an even larger specimen, say one meter long, with its protective color lying on the stones, I dive for it. The plan was to stroke the fish, but when I am close I dare not do it well. I throw a stone at him that lays on his back but he gives no kick. Bas dives and takes the stone from his back to which the beast reacts somewhat irritated and starts swimming away quietly. I take another dive and with the flippers next to each other up and down I dive after it. Suddenly the beast turns around and I see that with its mouth open up to 3 times it makes a kind of attack towards me. I honk it through my snorkel and Bas pisses in his pants with laughter. When we look up later what kind of animal it was, it turns out to be a sea angel, a shark-like with sharp little teeth.

The days that follow are wonderfully relaxing and the weather is still good. A bright blue sky and about 27 degrees complete the conditions during our sailing trips on Lanzarote.

Tjerk

When the last day is too windy to sail, Miek, Joop, Niels and I decide to go by car to an old volcano on the island that last erupted 100 years ago. What a hell it must have been here with all the glowing lava flows. All very impressive, but therefore also very touristy.

When Miek and Joop have left we decide to sail to Tenerife as quickly as possible. With the wind right from behind, this was a good time to test our asymmetrical spinnaker for the first time. This sail has an area of ​​80 square meters, the same as all our other sails put together. The canvas still crunches on all sides and in the absence of wind the sail alternates completely and then fully fills itself with wind again. The result of this is a huge blow as if a whip is being hit. Not really calm, and we decide to bring the sail back in.

After a day and a half we reach Tenerife. We rent a car to drive the heavy inverter to the service center on the other side of the island. We stand with an open mouth when the owner immediately takes us to the workshop and starts replacing the circuit board. Fortunately no discussion whether it is covered by warranty or not, showing the purchase price is enough. Great service from Victron!

Schrobben van de boot

The weather maps show a large purple spot around the Canary Islands. No wind! The forecasts also show no wind for Tenerife in the coming 2 weeks. 150 miles south of Tenerife there is a continuous front with a stable NE wind. We decide to leave Tenerife after 5 days and float the first 2 days under Gran Canaria towards the coast of Mauritania. The underwater ship gets a scrub because the first smallpox and long necks have already grown. After scrubbing, they fall into the 4000 meter depth below us. Don’t think too long about what’s under us! Exactly as predicted, we will pick up the wind after 150 miles and will not lose this wind until Cape Verde. Our gennaker, the asymmetrical spinnaker, is once again on duty and this time without loud rumors. With a speed of between 6-8 knots we sail for the wind to Sal. At this speed, the electric motor delivers between 400-500 watts by regenerating so that the batteries are constantly full. That means that we can cook extensively, bake bread, charge cameras and x-boxes, to name just a few of our basic necessities during the trip.

Cursus Spaans vanuit de hangmat

The fake octopuses hanging behind the boat apparently also look more attractive at this higher speed and within a short time the slip of the first rod is already screaming. A nice tuna hangs on a rope behind the boat to bleed. Our fish protocol is bearing fruit. The next day we eat tuna. In the morning tuna salad, in the afternoon wraps with tuna with a toast of tuna salad, in the evening grilled tuna steak, sushi with tuna or pasta with…. yes tuna. The rods lie inside the next few days in fear of having to eat more tuna.

We encounter 2 turtles in the middle of the ocean, sunbathing on the surface. We continue to wonder how those animals find their way. They must have a sense of which I am jealous of the fantastic sense of direction I have inherited from my mother. In the meantime the ship is completely red due to the sand from the Sahara. Our view is limited to about 2 miles, but after 9 days we see real land!

We throw another rod in the last few miles to make someone happy at Sal, we don’t know who yet. Half an hour later a nice tuna is on the line and Bas starts the fight. Just before we arrive at the anchorage, Bas won the fight. With the tuna behind the boat we enter the anchorage of Sal and lower the anchor to a depth of 4 meters. Jayjay, the boat boy for filling water, diesel and taxi to the quay welcomes us in his red, white, black boat. “No stress!” Is the motto here and we can make a good income there. Jayjay turns out to be our friend for the rest of our stay since we handed him the tuna. His family can eat again for a few days and our first good deed on this island has been performed. With our arrival we have officially left Europe and the first milestone has been reached. That feels good!

Bas aan het snorkelen