All Dressed Up

Las Palmas, Gran Canaria
Freshly showered and wearing clean clothes? Good golly, we need to document this! Before embarking on one of our festive evenings, a young sailing instructor passing by Issuma in his dinghy was kind enough to take this shot. I insisted that we get a picture before leaving Issuma, as we may not have looked quite like this after riding in Dark Dinghy. :)

Acceleration Zone – Richard

Southwest Corner of Gran Canaria
On Friday, July 25th, Richard, George and I departed Puerto Mogan on the south side of Gran Canaria for Tenerife. Our friend Maxime had warned us of the strength of the winds in the acceleration zone as you round north up the eastern coast of Gran Canaria. As you can see from the quality of the sea and the angle of the boat in relation to it, Maxime was right. And yet, our intrepid Captain Richard is unfazed by the seas crashing over the sides of the boat, giving him a refreshingly briny bath, over and over again. Is that the hint of a smile I see? :)

Acceleration Zone – Brittany

Southwest Corner of Gran Canaria
Given the wild surf, the highly focused look on my face, and the fact that my hair is literally standing on end, you might gather that steering in the acceleration zone is not exactly a piece of cake! The wind and waves amounted to a few notches below gale force, and in this photo, I was steering while Richard was busy reefing the main. The wind was so strong that frequently I had to use my entire body to steer. This was done by throwing the tiller hard over, and using my entire body as a “tiller extension” by forcing my arms and legs out horizontally between the tiller and the side of the cockpit…a la “Cirque de Issuma.” :) Shortly after this shot was taken, the powerful winds broke several of the mainsail hanks, forcing us to return to Puerto de Mogan for repairs. This was not a bad option as Puerto de Mogan, called the Venice of Gran Canaria, is a beautiful location in which to conduct repairs.

Bronzed Dog

Vegueta, Las Palmas, Gran Canaria
Richard and me on one of our outings to Vegueta. We are standing before La Catedral de Santa Ana. The dog that appears to be licking Richard’s hand is actually bronze…not bronzed. :)

Brittany Steering

Departing Santa Cruz for Punta de Antiquera
In Santa Cruz, Tenerife, we picked up George, who was a tremendous help in repairing the (not so) Lost Rudder. :) Shortly thereafter, we departed Santa Cruz and headed to the north end of the island, to the anchorage of Punta de Antiquera. The quietude of this small, isolated bay is always a pleasant contrast to the endless party scene at Marina del Atlantico.