We are having a great time hopping between islands in the Canaries. Since mid-June, we left Tenerife via the south and explored the islands to the west. We mainly stayed in marinas because the anchorages are exposed. This offered the advantage of protected conditions for our working hours but also made it easier to visit the volcanic mountains of these scenic islands, where temperatures and sailing conditions are good all year round. The busiest time will only start in autumn, when hundreds of sailboats will arrive here to prepare for an Atlantic crossing.
Bye bye Tenerife
Our stay in Tenerife was coming to an end. The repairs were done and we were ready for a new adventure. We really enjoyed our stay on this island and had become good at using the local bus (la GuaGua) to explore the northern part of the island.
For our first leg, we sailed to the south of Tenerife and stayed one night in Las Galletas.
La Gomera
During our passage to La Gomera, there were two highlights. First, we saw several pods of sleeping dolphins. This was very surprising because we usually see them hunting fish or playing around the boat.
Second event worth mentioning: the strong wind acceleration zone on the east side of La Gomera. Fortunately, we had preventiveley taken a reef before.
LOS ROQUES
Being less exposed to beach oriented mass tourism, La Gomera has a reputation of authenticity and tranquility. There is a very scenic trail along Los Roques, volcanic domes exposed by the erosion process.
following the guagua
We took the public bus (called la Guagua) to Hermigua, located in the most water-rich valley of La Gomera. The Rio del Cedro supplies water throughout the year, allowing the municipality to live primarily from agriculture.
We waited for the next bus to continue the winding road through the mountains until the last stop in Vallehermoso. This village was getting ready for the San Juan festivities. They had prepared a large bonfire on the top of a promontory. It reminded us of our friends in Quebec and their national holiday on Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day.
SAN SEBASTIAN
We stayed one week in San Sebastian, the main town of La Gomera. It is famous for being the last place in Europe Cristopher Columbus stopped before crossing the Atlantic ocean on his journey to the New World. When the wind became favorable for the passage to La Palma, we took the opportunity.
Reaching for the stars in La Palma
It was a nice daysail from La Gomera to La Palma.
La isla bonita
True to its reputation, la Isla Bonita impressed us with its lush vegetation.
… and a bottle of rum
Before bananas, the island produced and traded sugarcane. A small production remains, which is used by Destilerias Aldea to produce high quality rum. The captain was very happy.
san Andres coastal path
There is a lovely coastal path between the distillery and the village of San Andres. From there, we took the bus back to Santa Cruz.
STUDYING the UNIVERSE
The island also offers ideal conditions for astronomical observation (altitude above the clouds, very little light pollution). Located at 2396 metres above sea level, Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (ORM) has one of the largest arrays of telescopes. They contributed to the detection of the most distant galaxy as well as the confirmation of the existence of black holes and the accelerated expansion of the Universe.
Roque de los Muchachos viewpoint offers a breathtaking view of a gigantic volcanic caldera. The Caldera de Taburiente was formed by erosion following a major landslide that affected the southwest flanks of La Palma 560,000 years ago.
Santa Cruz de la palma
Santa Cruz is the main town of La Palma. A charming city with pedestrian streets and many well restored traditional houses.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Our next destination lies a little more than 200 nautical miles to the east. It will take us 2 days to sail to Lanzarote located on the other side of the archipelago. From there, we hope to have a better angle to sail to Madeira with the prevailing N-NE winds.
