Lanzarote

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    </B><B>|</B><B>     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="CY 2008"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> back to  <A HREF="canaries.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Canaries"><U><B>Canaries</B></U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=398 colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> <B>Lanzarote</B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="27c4c400.gif" border=0 width="588" height="576" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Lanzarote is Center, Graciosa is North, Dakare is anchored at South End</B></div> <bR> <div> Lanzarote is just a bit more than a stone's throw away from Graciosa.  The island is long and we were planning on going to Rubicon Marina on the southern end of the island, the furthest point from Graciosa.  It took us about 3.5 hours and we used that time to fish.  The wind was light and from behind us so we motored the whole way.  By the time we got to the southern end of the island, we began to experience some favorable winds, probably land induced.  We were so close that it just wasn't worth the effort to put up the sails.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Position Log Report from Lanzarote</B></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="508" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 562 WIDTH="496"><div> Oct 22, 2008</div> <div> Hi,</div> <bR> <div> We have arrived in Lanzarote.  We are on the southern end of the island in an area</div> <div> called Playa Blanca.  Given all of the volcanic debris here, it is surprising</div> <div> to see some beautiful white beaches. ...but I suspect that most of this white </div> <div> sand has been imported.  Graciosa, which we just left, is mostly volcanic also, but on its</div> <div> southern shore it had some pretty and natural white sandy beaches.</div> <div> We are at Marina Rubicon with its own swimming pool.  Way to cold for my tastes but there</div> <div> seems to be lots of northern Europeans enjoying it.  This is quite the resort town, lots of</div> <div> restaurants, trinket shops and art galleries.  Marina is exceptionally well maintained and it looks</div> <div> like they have a nice shoreline walking path that goes for quite a distance.</div> <bR> <div> So I have finished putting together my chore list and Karen has made </div> <div> flight reservations to return home to France for this Saturday.  Looks like </div> <div> I will be a bachelor for about 3-4 weeks.  Figure I will solo sail Dakare to Grand Canaria where I plan to meet Karen on her return flight.</div> <bR> <div> Dan and Karen and Josh</div> <bR> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Lanzarote, like Graciosa, is pretty barren and volcanic, though the increased population here and the high density of hotels and tourists have done wonders to terra-transform many of the areas into flowered, palm strewn oases.  </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="2b36c100.jpg" border=0 width="364" height="272" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Orange Volcano Crater, Timanfaya National Park</B></div> <bR> <div> On the way to Lanzarote, while going down the western side of the island, we past one of their most famous tourist sites, the Timanfaya National Park.  This area was set aside as a National Park in 1974.  The islands were formed about 2.5 million years ago but the current look of the island is a result of major eruptions that occurred in the 1730's that lasted for 6 years and in 1824. The latter eruptions  are noted for their liquid flows and evidence of such can be seen in the National Park.   The tour in the Timanfaya National Park is very structured.   They provide very nice, comfortable buses with big picture windows that take you to most places in the park via the Ruta de Los Volcanes.  This is not as dull as it sounds.  My heart pounded vigorously several times as the bus driver came perilously close to unprotected precipitous edges.  The tour has audio tapes in Spanish, English and German, that provide some limited information on the area. One can see baby and grand volcanoes, their sea of tranquility (Soft dust / pebble based areas) and of course, extinct lava flows.  It was clear that where the lava flowed, the outer surfaces cooled first, leaving the underside to flow with hot molten lava, creating lava tubes, like the ones we saw in the Galapagos and Hawaii.  Unlike the ones there, which were large enough to walk trough for long distances, the lava tubes in the Timanfaya National Park appeared to be smaller.  One would not know that they were there if it weren't for the fact that at irregular intervals, the ceiling of the tubes would collapse, bearing evidence to the tubes below.  At the end of the tour, we were treated to 2 demonstrations.  the first involved putting some dried weed and branches into a pothole in the mountain surface.  We were told that temperatures reach as high as 250 degrees C.  At those temperatures, the detritus bursts into flames in less than a minute.  The other demonstration was man-made geysers.  The park rangers put tubes into the ground into which they pour water.  Within seconds, the water erupts into a 10-20 foot geyser, attesting to the heat below.  If you choose to dine at the Restaurant del Diablo, the food is cooked over an open pit heated by the inferno below.  My only disappointment was that the tourist center for the park only contained a trinket shop and a restaurant and no detail /explanation on the history and geology of the island. I later found out that there is a museum in Yaiza that has the information I desired, but by then we had turned in the rental car so it would not be.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="716" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 362 WIDTH="352"><div> <B><IMG SRC="29ee95e0.jpg" border=0 width="233" height="350" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="2a2eb5e0.jpg" border=0 width="235" height="350" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 39 WIDTH="352"><div> <B>Lanzarote taken from summit of Graciosa, Volcano in the background</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <B>Mirador at the North End of the Island</B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 240 ><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="2a45ee90.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="2a65ee90.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 39 WIDTH="352"><div> <B>Dakare snug at Marina Rubicon, Playa Blanca, SE end of Lanzarote</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <B>Farms with black rock pebbles </B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 240 ><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="2a85ee90.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="2aa5ee90.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 240 ><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="2ac5ee90.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="2ae5ee90.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> <B>Rubicon Marina & Pics From Around the Island</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> We stationed ourselves in Marina Rubicon for several reasons.  One, as a convenient spot to rent a car to tour the island, to position ourselves for Karen's departure back to France, and to get some work done on the boat.</div> <bR> <div> There were several major items that needed attention and a few minor ones as well.  We had ordered a new water pump for our genset and that was being delivered to Marina Rubicon.  It arrived a day or two after we did.  With that in hand, I was able to install it in short order.  We also worked on the watermaker which had a small leak.  It wasn't a big leak, just an annoying one.  It turned out that the leak was coming from a small seal inside the unit that had cracked.  The third major item was to get our mainsail batten pocket repaired.  There was a sail maker in Lanzarote.  It was a good thing that we contacted him right away upon our arrival, as he was closing his shop for a protracted holiday in 4 days.  Getting our large sail down by myself was not a big deal, but I really felt the pressure trying to get it back up.  The first time I tried, I got up at 4AM in the morning to put nit up.  I wanted to take advantage of the light winds in the early morning which typically build to much higher levels.  The way Dakare was in the slip put us beam to the prevailing wind, an untenable situation when putting the sail back on.  The first try was a disaster because as soon as I started hoisting the sail the wind picked up.  It would come and go gusting above 10 knots.  Not a good situation.   I aborted that effort, rolled the sail back up and waited for another day.  For the next several days, the winds were not generous at all.  On the day that I had decided, according to the weather forecasts, that I would not be able to put up the sail, is the day I actually did it.  I was concerned the whole time that the wind would pick up, but miraculously it didn't.  It did pick up later but by then the main was fully furled into the mast.  I was most concerned about feeding the mainsail into the luff rod by myself and simultaneously hoisting the sail.  This turned out not to be a problem.  I just went slowly and was able to do both functions incrementally.  The hardest part was getting the mainsail initially fed into the luff.  Three hands would have been nice.</div> <bR> <div> This time of the year (Fall) is considered to be the busy season for yacht traffic, as many boats come this way on their sojourn  South.  I guess it is an American work ethic...  Why would you close shop at the busiest time of the year?  We have seen this phenomenon elsewhere in Europe, most notably Italy.  Strange!  I guess they have their priorities .  The bottom line is that we had all these things squared away within the first week of being at the marina.</div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="2b2b5860.jpg" border=0 width="949" height="134" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>180 Degree Panorama. Looking South towards Fuerteventura, our next destination, from Playa Blanca, SE shore of Lanzarote.  Far left is Rubicon Marina (East) and far right is looking West.</B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="716" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 239 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="2b85ee90.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="2b65ee90.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 239 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="3934de30.gif" border=0 width="333" height="227" ALT="Bitmap Image" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="2bb5ee90.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <B>Puerto del Carmen - Another marina just to the NE of Rubicon.  Very fancy and complete with polished brass bollards.</B></div> <div> This is where we found the Spectra Watermaker Technician, Jan (659 822 118) who</div> <div> repaired our watermaker</div> <bR> <div> As a reward to myself (Dan) for getting all the jobs completed, I treated myself to a night out at the 4 Lunes Jazz Nightclub at the 5* Yaiza Hotel in Playa Blanca.  Karen was still in France and would not be back to Lanzarote.  The night I went there they had a Cuban band.  The place was intimate with gracious seating arrangements in soft comfortable lounge chairs and sofas, the service was excellent and the music volume perfect.  The band of 5 played varying sorts of music, some clearly not Cuban. They played everything well and with heart and enthusiasm.  A Very enjoyable night out.  </div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>Return to </B></I><A HREF="canaries.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Canaries"><U><I><B>Canaries Page</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <I><B>Return to </B></I><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="CY 2008"><U><I><B>CY2008</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <I><B>Return to  </B></I><A HREF="http://www.dakare.com/MedCruise/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.dakare.com/MedCruise/index.ht"><U><I><B>Cruising</B></I></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.dakare.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.dakare.com"><U><B>Return to Home Page</B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>