Having our stomachs full of what is probably the best pizza we ever had, and our minds assured that for the next 3-4 days the wind would be ideal for sailing northwest, we went to bed hopeful and ready for our next trip to…Menorca! Yes, after hours of discussion, analysis, counter-arguments, and research, we decided…
Category: Spain
Hiking trails and tiny islands
Graciosa is a small but beautiful island. We did a little walk with Jelle to the anchorage, “Playa Francesca”, which is considered one of the best in the Canaries. Although the bay looked nice and the surroundings beautiful, the boats in anchor were rolling so we decided that the harbor was good enough for us…
March: The Birthday Month
Tenerife was a short stop, only spent a night at marina San Miguel and before the first light, around 4 o’clock in the morning we hoisted our sails and set course for Las Palmas. The trip was beautiful, we sailed upwind, but the sun was shining, the sea was almost flat and Libra glided through…
3 weeks, 3 islands!
Albeit February is the shortest month of the year, we managed to visit 5 islands, starting from Tenerife, sailing to La Gomera for a day, then La Palma, El Hierro, La Gomera, then again to Tenerife and back to Gran Canaria! On the 4th February we left Tenerife to sail to La Gomera. It was…
Volcanoes, Orcas and Water Slides
On the 27th January we left Puerto Mogan anchorage in Gran Canaria and sailed to San Miguel marina, in Tenerife. Nothing particular about this marina, apart from it being quite sheltered from all winds and has minimal swell inside. The next day we rent a car from our favorite CICAR company, and we got a…
Gran Canaria: A miniature continent!
The first week of the new year found us in a spring-cleaning mode. Feeling the need to do a proper cleaning in and out of the boat and also as a preventive measure for the cockroaches roaming in the piers, we spent the next days taking all our belongings out of the boat, removing panels,…
Christmas Special Edition
Following the Dutch tradition, we had our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, aka 24th December. The plan was simple but ingenious, we would all cook of one or two dishes and we would gather at Ben.nl boat and eat and drink all together. Despite the awful morning, where Jelle and I watched a catamaran sinking…
Start of An Anchor Voyage-Part 2
On 30th November we lifted up our anchor and started our motor with direction the Lobos island. Arriving there, however, the sea was so restless and the swell so big, that anchoring there for the night did not seem a very good idea. So, we hoisted our sails and headed towards Puerto del Rosario, the…
Start of An Anchor Voyage-Part 1
After 2 weeks in the marina, it felt so good hoisting the sails again and feeling the cool breeze against our faces! The sea was smooth, the sun was shining and Libra was gracefully gliding over the sea in our upwind sailing. We had a nice speed and reached our destination fairly quickly; Playa Quemada….
Crossing to Canaries? Check!
We left Portimao on Thursday, 1st November at 10 am, filled with great memories, heartbreak over Chica and a new crew member; Jelle’s dad, Tom. We had quite a trip, as many things did not go as planned and some damages occurred, but we made it sound and safe and in record time! The first…