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Sunday, October 2, 2016

2016 Sail Las Palmas, GC, to La Palma

The weather forecast looked good for the planned 150 nmile sail from Las Palmas, Gran Canaria to Santa Cruz, La Palma
 
So, at 0800 hrs 17 September 2016, we left our mooring in the Club Varadero, Las Palmas and headed NW to round the NE tip of Tenerife.
After motoring north to clear La Isletta, we set course 329 deg to the entrance to the traffic separation zone between Gran Canaria and Tenerife and sailed with 1 reef in Maisail and Genny on wind vane set to 48 degrees to wind making 5 to 6 Kts SOG in a NNE 4/5 Bft wind.

 

 
After rounding the NE tip of Tenerife we freed off and sailed on a beam to broad reach in a NE4/5 Bft wind on a course of 269 deg to Santa Cruz making 6/7 kts SOG. 
It was a wonderful night sail under a full moon.

As we approached La Palma , the wind dropped to a NE 4 Bft.

 



 

 
Santa Cruz getting closer
 

 

 

 
Moored in Santa Cruz, La Palma marina at 1030 hrs 18/9/2016 after a sail of 147 nmiles in 26.5 hrs, Average speed 5.5 kts.

During the whole of our stay in Santa Cruz, there was quite a surge in the marina. Luckly there were quite a lot of empty berths so the helpful marina staff  tried to give every boat a double berth and advised us to moor on the upwind finger so that we would be blown off most of the time, saving our fenders.

After a neighbouring boat had a mooring line snapped and damage to its fairlead due to the surge, we put extra mooring ropes on Dutch Link including two lines over the vacant neighbouring berth to keep us off the finger when the wind dropped. We understand the marina is planning to modify the entrance to the marina so as to reduce the surge in the future.

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