Wednesday was the last day of formal seminars and they have all been well presented and useful. This final tranche covered weather and routing, first aid, Cape Verde and St. Lucia and the return options. They have mostly been well attended but interestingly, the seminar on the return options was the least supported confirming what... Continue Reading →

Our first social occasion was the ‘Crew Supper’ on the evening we arrived in Las Palmas. Although we didn’t relish the occasion, it was actually enjoyable with a decent meal and plenty of liquid. The duck main course reminded me how good duck can be as it was really excellent. Seminars today on ‘Dealing with... Continue Reading →

Resuming the account of our Atlantic circuit, we have some catching up to do. Leaving Hejira in Rubicon Marina on the southern coast of Lanzarote, it proved to be an ideal location on all fronts. Paula and I used it as a base to explore the island and the swimming pool within the marina was... Continue Reading →

With Nigel joining the crew, we were all keen to ‘sail the Canaries’ before leaving Hejira in Marina Rubicon on the southern shores of Lanzarote. Our mission started with a short sail to the delightful Puerto Calero where we were made very welcome and moored alongside Triumph, a Baltic 64 from Sweden which will be... Continue Reading →

‘Marina Lanzarote’ has turned out to be a real find. It is less than a year old with the staff so keen to make one happy it borders on obsequiousness. With a 10% discount for ARC participants and superb shore side facilities, what could be missing. Well, it would be ‘nit picking’ but, a bar... Continue Reading →

Having breakfasted to our capacity in the hotel which provided an ‘all you can eat’ buffet of excellent quality and value, we did our final shop and slipped our lines, heading out past the Ilhas Desertas before adjusting our course for the northern end of Lanzarote. Using a non-slip mat and magnetic chess board, Barry... Continue Reading →

I have seldom encountered a Marina that tries harder to make visitors welcome than Quinta do Lorde. We were met outside the Marina by a rib which showed us to our berth and took our lines. The young lady in the office was most accommodating offering advice and giving us a voucher for 15% discount... Continue Reading →

Monday was a pleasant sunny day and the clear sky and flatter sea lifted the spirits of the crew with the sea sickness all but forgotten. Stephen was reluctant however to relinquish the black rubber bucket suspended at his bed head as a constant reminder of ‘the bad times’. There was time for Stephen and... Continue Reading →

With the deadline of flights from Arrecife on Lanzarote and the added attraction of an arrival for the England World Cup warm up game against Ireland, we are pressing on and with the feeble wind, we are resorting to the almost constant use of the engine. I am very happy to report that after a... Continue Reading →