The book had predicted a fast downwind passage, and so it proved to be. Our journey from Madeira to Lanzarote: 295 miles in 2 days plus 7 hours. With a crew of only three now - Jim Lad, the Skipper and me - single person 3-hour watches were taken throughout day and night.This meant each person had 6 hours off between watches, a regime that proved to be perfectly acceptable to all, albeit still tiring.
Of course we also had Jane to help us. She is the self-steering wind vane (the Hydrovane) with the red 'sail' you can see in the picture below with Peter, our extra crewman who helped us on the Bay of Biscay crossing.
Jane has the ability, once set, to follow the wind. Not needing any auxiliary power and only occasional minor adjustment, she just needs a watchful eye kept on her to ensure she does not go off on a very occasional wild flirtation with the wind. And she definitely doesn't like anyone getting in the way of her view of the wind! But overall a wonderful sailing companion.
The wind varied force 3-5 mainly from NE but occasionally veering to ENE, the maximum wind speed experienced was 25.7kn and maximum boat speed reading was 8.5kn before that particular instrument gave up on its task yet again [Note to Bosun to try to fix this!]. The wind speed began to increase around tea-time of day 2 and prompted the reefing of the mainsail, first one reef, then another 15 minutes later and by 18:30 we had all three reefs in. Very good practice for the crew... This meant the canvas area exposed to unexpectedly strong gusts of wind was about halved and this made the ride much more comfortable, made us all feel a lot safer going into the night and our boat speed was diminished only by about one knot. Just as well we reefed down like this since a few force 6 gusts came in at about midnight that same night.
The morning of day 3 saw the sun shining with a gentle breeze blowing and the arrival of a visitor.
Jim, our resident animal expert, identified this pretty little bird as a member of the dove or pigeon family, probably an African variety, which had been blown off course by the high winds during the night. We do have a bird book on board (thank you Sylvia!) but it does not include African birds. Nick-named Ahmed, he stayed on board Follyfin for the rest of the day, occasionally flying off when frightened by crew movements but always coming back to rest, usually on the bimini arch. Once in sight of La Graciosa, a small island just off the NW tip of the main island of Lanzarote, Ahmed took off. Happy to have given him a lift, we hope he is welcomed by the residents.
Isla Graciosa is flat and sandy with four low volcanic cones and fortunately has retained its away-from-it-all feel, most likely because it is part of a marine reserve.
Visitors, human ones that is, to La Graciosa require permission to anchor and land. Having obtained this permission in advance, we did anchor in the Playa Francesca bay, along with about 15 other yachts. A swim was immediately enjoyed by the cabin boy and first mate, skipper deeming the water still too chilly for him. Much needed sleep on a beautiful quiet moonlit night was appreciated by all. Weighing anchor again at 11:15 Friday morning, Follyfin and her crew motored up the beautiful but desolate Estrecho del Rio, the narrow channel between Isla Graciosa and Lanzarote. We passed the two human settlements with their box-like single storey houses, looking very reminiscent of North African settlements. Logical I suppose as the Canaries are only a short distance off the African coast!
Once round the northern tip of the main island, full sail was set and we enjoyed the short 32-mile run downwind to Arrecife. Berthed in Marina Lanzarote by 17:15, we were in plenty of time for showers and a short walk into town to enjoy a farewell dinner of fresh sardines and salad, local wine and brandy with Jim. Sadly he leaves us on Saturday. But not before sampling the tapas and beer in a local café near the market.
Skipper and I will be here for another 10 days or so before going home until December. We will be making various repairs and improvements to systems on board and generally thinking ahead to the Big Adventure in January. One major task will be the provision and stowing of a large volume of drinking water. Wish us luck!
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