New Crew & a Change of Plan

In the distance, the brown volcanic hills of Gran Canaria were a stark contrast to the lush green of La Palma that we had left just hours earlier. It was Moira’s last chance to catch a fish, and she did it in style. Not content with a nice tuna, she followed it up with a monster dorado. We ate well for the next few days.
Arriving in Las Palmas, the marina was full. Boats were gathering for the ARC. We found a slot in the anchorage and dropped the hook. It was time for a crew change. Moira to Lanzarote, to join another boat, and my daughter Nicki, with friend Liza were flying in. Sun was on order. First they tried the foredeck, then it was the turn of the beach. To my utter surprise they also wanted to go sailing, and fishing!
We slipped out of harbour, hoisted sails, and enjoyed a rolling reach 40 miles down the coast to the tourist trap of Puerto Rico. The girls could walk ashore and were soon vying with the Scandinavians for sun loungers on the beach and cocktails in the noisy bars.
The marina was great with boats of all nationalities, each preparing for their own next leg. I lifted Avocette again to replace the anodes, and finished fabricating a short bowsprit from which to fly the asymmetric kite. There’s a great little chandlery there too.
WE should have been heading for The Gambia next, but the talk was of Senegalese pirates, so we opted instead to explore the western islands of the Canaries.
La Gomera is a pleasant island, tourism is low-key. Buses leave on time and are cheap, so we have walked some of its dramatic hills, valleys, and cliffs while we wait for some vigorous Atlantic depressions to pass. The next is just rolling in. Thankfully the 50kt winds originally forecast are not now predicted to be greater than 35kts. We shall see……………..