This winter as well as being our home, Lanzarote has been home to the Ericsson racing team as they prepare for their race around the world in the Volvo Ocean Race. We have had quite a few opportunities to see and admire the boats out sailing, and also watch the guys working on the boats in the marina. Occasionally when I look at them I feel rather envious and think of my time racing with the BT Global Challenge, and then I look at them a bit closer and realise I would be scared stiff sailing around the world in these ultimate racing machines. This week we were treated to an additional view of the keel of one of the boats as we watched her being lifted out of the water at Puerto Calero for routine work.
The crane arrived whilst we were having breakfast and the whole crew watched from the deck as boom, mast and then hull were smoothly lifted out of the water. We had a birds eye view as we were next boat along on the same pontoon. With the boat dangling in mid air behind us it was amazing to see how smooth the underwater profile is. The whole lift was being filmed and we did our best to get included in the photos!
Eventually we managed to sail away, and continue with our adventure cruise. This week we were joined by Gail, Kev, Dave and Jimbo – all who had sailed before and were looking for some sailing in the sunshine. The winds unusually were mainly light but we still managed to sail 250nm, and visit two new places on Fuerteventura. We spent one glorious night at sea ghosting along under the stars and watching the dolphins that were keeping us company.
We say farewell to Lanzarote this week as we head northwards towards Iceland via Madeira, the Azores and the UK. We have really enjoyed our time here and will be returning next winter.