Month: February 2015

Whilst the boats in the Volvo Ocean Race have been struggling with light winds in the Doldrums, here in Lanzarote we have been experiencing gale force winds and 4 – 6 metre seas – unusual for this time of year.  On 3 out of 6 days this week it was too windy to go sailing so we had to find other things to occupy us.

There were plenty of things to do as despite the wind the sun was shining with clear blue skies.  A trip to the volcano at Timanfaya, and a trip along the coast to El Golfo on day one.  A walk to the lighthouse then an afternoon on the beach at Playa Blanca on day two.   A cycle ride to Punta Papagayo on the last day, where pedalling was not required as there was enough wind to blow the bikes along ‘under bare poles’!

The wind never totally went away, but died down to a manageable Force 6 and we were able to sail for 3 of the days. We had a lively beat up the coast to Puerto Calero followed by another lively beat to Arrecife.  The final day was then a sleigh ride home, surfing down the waves between Arrecife and Marina Rubicon and a joy to be joined by dolphins.

Whilst we were in Arrecife we were tied next to ‘Pirate Ship’ La Grace who were meant to be on a trip between Tenerife and Gibraltar, the strong northerly winds had forced them off course and to seek refuge in Lanzarote.

The skies were clear and so there was also plenty of time for star gazing in the evenings, one spectacular night we saw Venus, Mars and the Moon just as it was going dark.  In the photo the moon is obvious, Venus is the very bright planet and just up and to the right is Mars.  Not so easy to see here (try tipping your laptop screen forward a bit) but with the binoculars there was a clear red glow coming from the planet.

Despite the lack of wind a norfolk farmer writes in our guest book …..after an absence of 5 years from sailing it was an absolute joy to be back on the water again – with great hosts, wonderful company and a good wind!  Would I do it again?  Definitely (one of the main reasons I love sailing is cos I cant see any fields!)

Lanzarotes very special lava landscape

Fingers crossed for better wind next week!

We are full now until we return to UK in May.  See our Schedule for dates and spaces after that.  Our trips from October to December will be added very soon.

 It is really important on a sailing boat to be able to communicate effectively, especially when it’s windy and the instructions are important. If instructions are not being heard because of the wind or because the person you are talking to has their back to you, a quick tap on the shoulder helps to get their attention. Hand signals also work, especially to communicate with the foredeck.

We had plenty of practice at this type of communication this week because – I LOST MY VOICE! In fact it still isn’t back yet but at least I can croak out short answers to questions now. For a good part of the week I would tap Richard on the shoulder and then make some ‘mad’ gestures for him to interpret and pass instructions for me. Ranging from simple things like – who wants a cup of tea, to more important things like how to deal with the running backstay when we are tacking. Even at dinner, if someone asked me a question, I had to point at Richard to get him to answer. It was hard I tell you, I kept trying to speak but nothing came out. Luckily, having sailed together for so long, Richard and I already have a good system of silent communication, we can almost read each others minds. We do 6 milebuilding passages a year, and in the middle of the night in the dark it is good to know what the other is thinking!

So, my lack of voice did not hamper our sailing. We had great wind all week, mainly from the NE and Force 5/6. For the first time in 4 trips we managed to circumnavigate Lanzarote and spend a day ashore in La Graciosa. The north easterly wind gave us 3 days of beating as we headed north with stops in Puerto Calero and Arrecife. We anchored in Playa Francesca with 100 miles of sailing already under our belt.  We were also lucky enough to have dolphins swimming with us every day.

After landing the dinghy on the beach our guests headed off to climb the highest volcano on the island. After a tapas lunch in the village the day was rounded off with a swim in the ocean before returning to Velvet Lady. The evening entertainment was a game of ‘Speed’ Scrabble.

Downwind for our 5^th day to the anchorage in Playa Papagayo to complete the circumnavigation of Lanzarote.

On the last morning we were worried that we were going to be short on wind so we waited for the sea breeze to kick in – which gave us enough wind to complete the smaller circumnavigation of Islas Lobos.

A fantastic week and I quote from our guest book

Lin, you asked if the week met our expectations – well, given the exciting sailing, gorgeous anchorages, fine food, entertaining company and surfeit of marine mammals to exclaim over your more than exceeded!

We are running 4 more of these sailing weeks in Lanzarote which are all now full – but no need to worry, we will be back in Lanzarote in December 2015 for another series of 7 night relaxed sailing holidays.  Sign up for our newsletter and you will get the dates just as soon as we know them.

If you are looking for a last minute spring sailing holiday you can still join us. From March until June we offer a series of milebuilding passages as we head northwards to Norway. We are happy to take sailors of all levels of experience on these and still sell all berths on an individual basis. These trips sell up fast but spaces are available as follows:

Lanzarote – Madeira : FULL

Madeira – Azores : 1 space

Azores – Plymouth : FULL

Plymouth – Oban: 5 spaces

Oban – Bodo, Norway: 3 spaces

Bodo, Norway – Kristiansund, Norway: 6 spaces

Feel the Atlantic Ocean swell beneath your feet, the wind in your hair and the sun on your face. Experience fabulous sunrises and sunsets. These trips are all about enjoying sailing and the beauty of being at sea.