Log #38a Graciosa and Lanzarote

Isla Graciosa

We were anchored in Bahia del Salado on Isla Graciosa (29 Degrees 13.44 Minutes N, 013 Degrees 30.75 Minutes W) by 1630 on Oct. 23, having covered the 275 miles in 52 hours for an average speed of 5.3 knots, thanks to all our motor-sailing. One of the first things we did after anchoring was to turn the engine off. Would it start again, or would we have to do some major maintenance on the starter motor? It started right off! Whew!

We enjoyed a beach party with four other boats anchored in this bay on the east coast of Graciosa, only slightly indented but at least in the lee of the predominant northerly winds. The surf and flat ledges of volcanic rock on the beach did not make for an easy landing of the dinghy, and so after letting Judy and Doug off on the beach I took Sprite out about 30 feet from shore, in about three feet of water, and threw out our dinghy anchor to leave the boat bobbing in the water away from the rocks and stones on the beach, while I waded into shore for a good beach party and birthday party for Dan on Koshlong, the other Canadian boat.

Isla Graciosa is only 6.5 km long, and 3 km at its widest. It has a small population of 265 people in two small hamlets with whitewashed tinder block houses; no paved roads, only dirt and sand trails; and nothing outside of these two communities. It is a lovely secluded volcanic island with four low (the highest only 266 metres) volcanic domes covered with layers of sand and some scrub brush. Range Rovers and other serious 4x4s were the main means of transport along the few dirt roads and cross-country trails. We wandered through town, Pero Barba, impressed with the neatness of the low buildings that lay inland of the reasonably good harbour and marina docks. The grocery store and hardware store were well stocked, and we enjoyed a lunch on the patio of a restaurant facing the dock. We would have checked in with the officials if they had ever been near their office, but could not find it open. We saw a sad sight in the travel lift dock; a 45 foot French aluminum sloop was resting on its shallow (drop) keel, at a 45 degree angle on the ramp, the hull badly dented and scratched, the twin rudders bent in arcs like the floppy dorsal fins of pilot whales, a wind vane self steering system looking like a pretzel hanging on the stern. It dragged its anchor and was blown ashore a few days ago.

The anchorage was secure, but roll-y, as the swells coming down the Estrecho del Rio swung around into the shallow bay. There were a couple of other shallow bays to the south, also exposed to the swells coming down the channel. It is a dramatic view from the anchorage with the layered sandy mountain behind the town, and the towering mountains and cliffs of Lanzarote on the other shore. It was pleasant having several other English speaking boats around, several with children on board. However, as Doug needed to arrange his flight to Canada, we left after the second night for Lanzarote, dropping anchor in the north end of Puerto de Naos, an idyllic well-sheltered bay on the northern outskirts of Arecife.

An excellent anchorage on Lanzarote

This was the best anchorage we were to find in all the Canary Islands, with two sand beaches, good holding, secure, no swell, only exposed to a narrow arc of open water to the south, with a half mile dinghy ride down into the old harbour. This is crowded with fishing boats and local yachts in various stages of maintenance and decay, and has a set of steps to which we could secure Sprite for the 10 minute walk into downtown Arrecife. The anchorage area is located at the northeast end of this long narrow well-protected harbour (28 Degrees 58.34 Minutes North, 013 Degrees 31.87 Minutes West), with the two sandy beaches on the NW side and a large long commercial containership pier down the east side. However, this side of the pier was used only for a tug which went out a couple of times each day to guide container ships and cruise liners into the far side of the pier (Puerto de Marmoles), well away from our anchorage.

There were two boats in this secluded anchorage when we arrived, a lovely looking Australian registered ketch with flared bowsprit, Kulari, single-handed by Jack, a pleasant American, and a small 28 foot sloop, again single handed by a German (we think) who enjoyed reclining and working on his boat in the nude. We tried to dinghy around to the commercial docks to register with the authorities, but were waved off, and so had to go back around to land at the beach and walk 15 minutes through industrial lands over to the port authority building. When we got there, the port police office was closed, presumably not open until the end of the lunch break at 1630 (It was about 1500 at the time). I was frustrated at the gross inconvenience and refused to wait and returned to Veleda. Judy however said she would stay and then hail me from the beach when finished. OK, I had Veleda to myself for an hour or so before Judy returned to the beach - unsuccessful! The office did not open and would not be until 0900 next day. Next day Judy and Doug went over and this time successfully checked into the Canaries. Judy has more patience with these things than do I.

Within a day or two we were joined by four other boats. Rikili, an Australian boat with Blake and Kerry and their three delightful girls dropped anchor astern and inside of us. Quarterdeck, a Canadian boat, and Magnum, an Australian boat, travelling together, had been anchored down in the old harbour, but apparently were on some one else's mooring and so came up here. Kittiwake, a 44 foot American catamaran, anchored ahead of us at the head of the bay, the day after the nudist single-hander had left. It was a nice collection of English speaking boats. On the Saturday we organized a beach potluck party which went on to the later hours of the night. We have a Camping Gaz bottle onto which we can affix a single burner, and used it with a grill pan to barbecue some chicken legs for ourselves, and brought a couple of salads and munchies to share. It was a good opportunity to get to know these people better.

Our first trip into Arrecife we needed to help Doug change his flight reservation for his trip back to Toronto. No luck until the end of the month as this last week of October was a school holiday week in most EU countries, and he couldn't even get a flight off of Lanzarote until the end of the month. So, we were here for another week. No problem for us, as we were not on any schedule, and just wanted to be in the Cape Verde Islands for Christmas before crossing to the Caribbean in early January.

Timanfaya Volcanic National Park

We rented a car for a day for 32 Euros to tour this intriguing volcanic island, also known as Isla de los Volcanoes as it is covered by over 100 volcanoes, craters, and petrified lava fields. We went first to El Golfo on the SW coast where a group of truncated volcanic craters cut half moon bays into the coast line, one with a dark green lagoon separated from the sea by a ridge of sand, and creating some fantastic tortured coastal lava structures and chasms called hervideros (boiling pots) from the eruptions of 1730 to 1736, still being bashed and eroded by the ever pounding seas of the Atlantic. Just south of this phenomenon are the Saltworks of Janubio, wide salt flats scooped into rectangular fields rivaling those we saw in Aigues Mortes in the south of France.

On we went through the southwestern part of the island to Timanfaya National Park. Fantastic! This area was the site of a massive series of dozens of volcanic eruptions from 1730 to 1736, covering 195 square kilometres of what was then the most fertile area of the island, eliminating many villages. As we drove into the park on the solitary road, we were faced with large tracts of jagged lava fields, some black, others brown and ochre steppes beneath the brooding domes of the many volcanic craters and peaks. No vegetation but lichens, except for the occasional small plants or bushes struggling through these 265 year old lava fields. Near the peak at the park center we enjoyed a pleasant meal in the restaurant with a magnificent vista across this lava strewn sterile landscape, a few volcanic domes and craters testifying to their ancient powers. Below the restaurant was a display of the heat just below the surface; park rangers stuffed into a five-metre deep hole dried bushes, which immediately ignited from the subterranean heat, and poured water down a couple of pot holes which then produced a geyser, like Old Faithful in Yellowstone Park in the USA. After lunch we went for a bus ride through the badlands of this volcanic desert. The road wound down through tortured chasms, past exposed lava tunnels, around sliced open peaks, their hollowed cones mute testimony to the ferocious forces unleashed beneath the surface of the planet. We went past black jagged lava sculptures, over reddish brown lava fields, looking like freshly plowed soil in the midst of slate grey and sand coloured remains of volcanic activity.

Actually, when lava breaks down into soil from erosion and other forces over the centuries, it provides a very fertile earth for future inhabitants. Some of the soil has been cultivated for small stretches of farm land and especially vineyards. We toured El Grifo vineyard, which has a good museum showing the older methods of vintners. After Doug bought a few bottles of their vintages we headed back to Veleda.

However, since we were going to be gone all day, in the morning I had dropped Judy and Doug off on the beach, took Sprite back to Veleda and swam ashore, not wanting to leave Sprite along a seawall all day in Arrecife. When we returned to the beach late in the afternoon, I was ready to swim out to Veleda when Blake, from Rikili, came over in his dinghy to give me a ride out. Greatly appreciated! Thanks Blake.

More about Lanzarote and our passage to Fuerteventura in my next log.

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