Canaries conundrum

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 doing the ARC with a crew of 12. It is their third ARC and proud that they finished first at their first attempt and judging by the array of sail bags stacked on the pontoon, they will be taking the competitive element somewhat more seriously than us. It was very good to talk some ‘bilge’ with them and their assertion that the return leg is just as rewarding with a memorable quantity of sea creatures to view was duly noted.

We were delayed fuelling (by a greedy ‘stink pot’) before leaving on our 50nm push south to Fuerteventura and when the wind died, we took stock of the situation and ‘played’ with the Parasailor for a while deciding to put into Rubicon rather than press on for an inevitably very late arrival.

On passage it was interesting to be advised to change course to avoid a holiday jet-ski ‘course’, an instruction also given to the impressive old (replica?) Americas Cup J class yacht Rainbow and they, of course, also happily complied.

The planned rather bullish itinerary was reviewed and we decided that the weather uncertainty which may well have delivered an uncomfortable last couple of days, was enough to keep us in Rubicon while we day sailed and evaluated some of the equipment and systems planned for the forthcoming crossing. It was certainly productive to discuss the merits and vulnerability of the sail plans and systems with two experienced sailors.

Although I had been told that the Lewmar Mamba self-steering drive unit was ‘bullet proof’, Nigel had suffered a different experience so I decided to seek advice from Lewmar who recommended (not surprisingly considering the cost) a service. So it was decided to take the (very heavy) unit in my hand baggage back to Lewmar in the UK for their ministrations and I am even considering buying a spare ‘back up’ unit just in case. Imagine continuously hand steering for over 2000 miles!

The most galling discovery however concerned the second Yankee Jib which will be part of our overnight sailplan, poled out, flown from the bow sprit opposite the primary Yankee. I had gone to the trouble prior to departure from the UK to have the sail serviced and a ‘torsion’ luff rope sewn in behind the bolt rope so it could be furled with a Karver furling system from the safety of the cockpit. Thank goodness we tried the arrangement before needing it in earnest. Not only was the luff far too long but, crime of crimes, it had not been sewn in so the rope would just spin inside the pocket. It would have been totally unusable as it could not be furled.

Fortunately we have found a local sail-maker and he is briefed to effect the necessary modifications but what a further dent in the confidence I used to have in UK marine ‘trades’ – this was unforgivable!

In that we are now staying in Rubicon and I have a list of jobs to organise back home, I have brought my flights forward to tomorrow, Friday so that I can ‘get on the case’ first thing on Monday. This unfortunately leaves Nigel kicking his heels until next week and I feel extremely uncomfortable about not delivering the promised Canary Cruise so I am braced for a keel hauling at the hands of the Southerly Owners Association of which he is Chairman.

Nigel writes:-

What a pleasure it has been to meet the elusive and worryingly furtive Barry. A man whose few achievements are more distasteful than his failures. Seriously, it has been a pleasure meeting with the crew of Hejira (some only briefly), and sharing the experience of people preparing their boats (especially Southerlies) for this great adventure. Whilst we have not sailed as much as had been billed, it has been a very sociably and informative week, and I will leave richer in knowledge than I arrived (and with a better suntan). What more can a boy ask?

Barry is actually cooking !!!

Paula and I will be enjoying some time in Rubicon (very different and probably nicer than Vilamoura) before Barry returns to haul out for a ‘bottom clean’ and the crew join him after the World Cup Final and ‘hot foot’ to our departure point in Las Palmas for the final preparation and victual for the crossing.

Blogs should resume on the 2^nd of November while we prepare and party.