Heading to the Canary Islands
We are in the ocean! For many of you this is nothing special or particularly exciting, as your country is surrounded by it. For us it meant crossing the historical Hercules Pillars, getting out of our Mediterranean box!
We left Gibraltar yesterday morning heading to Lanzarote as our landfall in the Canary islands. We crossed the Gibraltar Strait with some wondering about the very variable currents and winds. We had two booklets in hand showing tide and several other info, but at the end was nothing else than running a couple of knots slower for a few miles (since we decided not to wait for the “ideal” time to make the crossing, time that was not ideal for us).
We spent the night running with our Yankee (the head sail) solo with good 20+ knots of wind that made us averaging 6 knots of speed. The new day began with a total calm which forced us to turn on the engine.
On a special note, during the day we received the visit of a few little birds (species unknown to us) even if we were 50+ miles away from the coast.
Morocco! It makes me think of unknown sensations, but that I think are real. Maybe you feel the smell of the desert, even if you are far away. I imagine the darkness of the night, lit by the stars and by a thin moon. In two days it will be new moon, and then you will be alone, but at the horizon you will begin to see the lights of Lanzarote that will drive you back to the soil, lost since time. Then you will dream to resume the sea, with its waves that lull the free spirits.
Have a safe journey to the beautiful Canary islands!!! And may the birds bring you luck and happiness in the next days of adventure! 🙂
Love,
Javier & Flavia