Fuerteventura

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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>FuertaVentura</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> I cannot remember how long ago it has been since Josh and I had the pleasure of having only each other's company on a sail - perhaps never?  ...  I know, poor Josh!  I woke up the morning of our departure  from Lanzarote with a swollen ankle.  I don't know how it happened.  I went to bed feeling just fine.  My only regret is not remembering if I had a good time or not the night before!  So swollen ankle or not, it was time to leave and after doing all of those fatherly chores, like feeding Josh, petting Josh and cleaning out his kitty litter box, we were off to Fuerteventura, the next island in the Canary chain.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="2c139120.jpg" border=0 width="569" height="530" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>Isla Fuerteventura showing Dakare's track from</B></div> <div> <B>Rubicon Marina in Lanzarote to Puerto Tarajal</B></div> <div> <B>Notice the freighter off to the right picked up on our AIS system</B></div> <bR> <div> Fuerteventura is the second largest of the Canary Islands, but with a much lower population than Gran Canaria the third largest.  In its disposition, it is much like Lanzarote... dry, volcanic and stark. Fuerteventura is one of the flatter of the Canary Islands, yet like all the Canaries it's marked by previous volcanic activity. There are dramatic rock formations and volcanic craters, the pretty interior villages which Anna Marie had mentioned and finally, Fuerteventura has some of the most  rugged coastlines of all the Canaries. </div> <bR> <div> I had planned for my first stop to be Poza Negro.  With the winds and the seas coming out of the NNE, I was overly optimistic that this bay would provide good shelter from the swells.  After sailing 4-5 hours in wonderful conditions from Marina Rubicon on Lanzarote, I was treated to a scene that I didn't want to have any part of.   The swells were going directly into the bay and there was no relief from the one meter seas.  So with that resolved, I continued to head South along the east coast of Fuerteventura and dug out our guide to the Atlantic Islands and began to look in earnest for a place to spend the night.  Karen had highlighted one spot along the South shore of the island and it looked like it would be better protected from the swells, so I headed there.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="2c44ebb0.jpg" border=0 width="590" height="443" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>Pozo Negro Never Happened!</B></div> <bR> <div> I found this segment of the sail absolutely delightful.  The seas were less than 1 meter and the winds were between 15 and 20 knots, pushing Dakare along at 7-8+ knots.  There was a boat ahead of us and Josh absolutely insisted that we try to catch up to it.  So I did my best to do so.  We were gaining on them as we were broad reaching, the point of sail that Dakare seems to like the best.  The southern coast of Fuerteventura was off to our starboard side and the other boat did a rhomb line course towards the island.  A fatal mistake and that put them on a downwind sail, wing and wing.  If I could keep Dakare of a hot broad reach, oversail our rhomb line course and then gibe onto a port tack broad reach, there was a very good chance that we could beat them in, assuming we were all going to the same place.  All of this was fun in that it gave Josh and I something to no other than just sail.  We had to plan our tactics just right and not overshoot our gibe position.  This took a lot of negotiation, as Josh was very particular about what angle his food dish would be at.  All those matters settled, we aimed Dakare for her gibe location, 3 miles away and awaited the tactical results.  At fist, it looked like a bad decision as we were so far removed from the other sailboat that I thought that we would never catch up.  But having committed to that strategy, it was too late to change and so we carried on.  Even after gibing, it seemed hopeless as the other boat was so far away from us and seemingly so much closer to our final destination.  But 8 knots under a broad reach moved Dakare along very, very well and soon, we regained all that mileage on the other boat and Dakare was in the lead.  </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="3984bc40.gif" border=0 width="587" height="452" ALT="Bitmap Image" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>Puerto Tarajal, the new docks are not shown in the chart above.  </B></div> <div> <B>Dakare is not anchored but tied up to the new docks.</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Originally, I had planned to anchor out in the bay to the East of the harbor, thinking that being on the southern coast it would be well protected from the swells.  But the swells had refracted around the SE'tern point of the island and now were scudding along on a east to west course and going into the bay.  There was one boat anchored out in the bay and the wind had turned him broad-side to the swells.  After a drawn-out consultation with Josh, it was decided that we would venture into the protected harbor.  Josh absolutely refused to help with the dock lines so my first cut was to anchor out in the protected harbor as the charts in our version of the Atlantic Islands showed that a spot for anchoring was available.  After taking down the main we entered the harbor and the inside of the harbor did not look anything like the chart.  In fact it had changed.   The anchoring spot had been replaced by docks and it was apparent that we had no choice but to tie up or go back outside and brave the swells in the bay.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="2cdf44d0.jpg" border=0 width="500" height="333" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>Porto Tarajal</B></div> <bR> <div> Fortunately I saw someone on the dock and pleaded for there assistance since Josh was totally indifferent about helping out.    She agreed and advised me which slip to pull into.  The winds were not strong, but sufficient to push Dakare around in the tight harbor.  So while I began the process of readying Dakare to tie up to a slip, I had to keep a close eye on her position in the harbor.  Several times, I had to stop my preparations in order to move her away from certain incursions on jetty boulders or impaling on the pointy ends of boats tied up in the docks.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Position Log Report from Puerto Tarajal</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= 299 WIDTH="496"><div> Nov 6, 2008</div> <div> Hi,</div> <bR> <div> Josh and I are now in Puerto Tarajal, Fuerteventura, Canary Islands.  Karen is back home in Esparros.</div> <bR> <div> Our sail to the southern reaches of the island of Fuerteventura went without a hitch and so far, all the repairs done in Lanzarote seem to be doing fine.</div> <bR> <div> Not sure how long we will stay here.  I have updated my source code for information about Fuerteventura but I am having trouble finding a location where I can make an update.</div> <bR> <div> Dan and Karen and Josh</div> <bR> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> As I started my approach to pull into the slip it seemed like the whole marina turned out to help me.  This I welcomed as Josh was still reluctant to assist.  At least six people were there to help.  As I pulled into the slip, I became painfully aware of how short the slip was.  It was clearly smaller than half the length of Dakare.  Now it is not usual for European marinas to have finger peers and this one, like Marina Rubicon had them.  I guess however that they hadn't quite worked out the right length for these finger peers of perhaps they were just planning for boats half the size of Dakare.  Being already so committed to tying up, I had not choice but to keep going as the  people on the pier had already grabbed Dakare's dock lines and were already in the process of tying her off to the cleats.  All of the bumpers had to be relocated to the forward half of Dakare.  After a certain amount of scurrying about, Dakare was safely tucked into her slip for the night.  I was delighted to find out that the docks had AC power.  Fantastico!</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="2cef44d0.jpg" border=0 width="500" height="333" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>The Town and the Immaculate Beach of Tarajal</B></div> <bR> <div> The woman who originally came to my assistance was Jill on Nychea. She and  husband Tony Cunningham owned Nychea, a Hylas 46.  Later on Tony explained to me that Nychea was the name of the nymph that lured Hylas into the pool (See the Impressionistic painting by Waterhouse - at <A HREF="http://www.Dakare.com/HylasSpecs/Specifications/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.Dakare.com/HylasSpecs/Specifi"><U><B>www.Dakare.com/HylasSpecs/Specifications/</B></U></A><B> </B>. - she is the one with her hand extended beckoning Hylas to come into the water from which he never returned.)  Jill and Tony, had purchased their Hylas 46 from Roger Burroughs in England. They were in the second slip away from us.  Between them and Dakare was an Austrian boat, Anna X with Anna Marie and Helmut aboard.   They were also involved with helping Dakare get tied up.  So I invited them aboard for a drink and we had a delightful time getting to know one another.  Even Josh got into it and allowed them to take turns petting him.  What a guy!  Anna Marie invited me aboard their boat for dinner the next night, so Fuerteventura was beginning to look up.  They also told us about an island party that we must stay for on November 10, where all the entertainment, food and beverages were gratis, much like the party that Karen and I had attended on the Greek island of Magistri (We referred to it as Magothonisi - off the coast of Turkey near Kas.).  The next morning, Anna Marie went to the bakery and brought me some baguettes and gave me a tube of cream to use on my swollen ankle.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <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= 269 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="42f5e070.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="263" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="4315e070.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="263" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <B>The Barbecue Party on Fuertaventura</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> As it turned out my ankle continued to get worse to the point where I could not stand on it.  I was very fortunate to have wandered into this marina.  Without the help of Anna Marie and her husband Helmut and their Austrian ex-pat friends, I would have been in serious difficulty.  As it turns out, they knew of a German doctor who was ale to diagnose the problem immediately and remedy it.  Within 36 hours I was like new and the following day was able to accompany the group from our marina on a hike up one of the local mountains.  Anna Marie took very good care of me and I thanked her for that.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="2d21d5e0.jpg" border=0 width="285" height="350" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>Kelly from Rapture 1 and Anna Marie from Anna-X</B></div> <bR> <div> Anna Marie also told me about two towns that are a must see on the island, Betancuria and Pajara. </div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="2d52cc80.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="200" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>The Traffic Circles in Most Towns were lined with Flowers</B></div> <bR> <div> Historic Pajara, with its 17th century Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de Regla, and to the north pretty La Oliva, also once the capital of the island. The Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria (covered in scaffolding at the time of our visit!) is usually the focal point of this pretty town with its notable Ecomuseum which explores the tough rural history of the island. Checkout the Rural Tourism weblink right on Fuerteventura for further details on Guanche history, museum listings and walking holidays on Fuerteventura.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="2d7c92c0.jpg" border=0 width="201" height="300" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>Cracked Soil After a Strong Rainstorm</B></div> <bR> <div> No shortage of blue flag beaches here on Fuerteventura- two of its most popular resorts - Morro Jable to the west of us and Costa Calma are both blue flag beaches. While sailing down the eastern coast, it was clear that there were miles and miles of beaches.  The best naturist beaches  are to be found down in the far south of Jandia at remote Cofete, or up on quiet spots on the endless white sands of Sotovento.</div> <bR> <div> The main iconic feature of Fuerteventura are their windmills, most of which today are not in use and some of which date back a couple of centuries. </div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Not to be morbid, but...</B></div> <div> <IMG SRC="2de4df40.jpg" border=0 width="333" height="500" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>Car Crash Site</B></div> <div> <B>It must have been a hell of a ride down from the guard rails above</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="2db23120.jpg" border=0 width="291" height="274" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Blow-up of the Crash Site- look for the Blue Car</B></div> <bR> <div> There's a  choice of museums on Fuerteventura focusing on agricultural history, religious history and the Guanche pre-hispanic settlers including the Archeological and Ethnographic Museum, Scaro Art Gallery and Craft centre in Betancuria, the Antigua Windmill Craftwork centre, the Grain Museum and Canarian Art Centre in La Oliva, and the Unamuno Museum in the capital Puerto del Rosario.  The boat that Josh and I were racing into Porto Tarajal had spent the previous night at the marina in Puerto del Rosario and had very nice compliments about it.  I have added this place to my itinerary of things to do and see while on this island.  Already, it is becoming a long list.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <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="2e35ee90.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="2e55ee90.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 311 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="2ed5e0c0.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="268" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="2efeb310.jpg" border=0 width="235" height="305" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <B>Art Works in Puerto del Rosario</B></div> <bR> <div> I was not very excited about what I found in Rosario, which just goes to show, different people have different tastes.  The only things we found of interest were the giant sea shell sculptures that were strewn around the seashore and the good meal we had at the Chinese restaurant in Rosario.  We did go to the museum of modern art and I personally found it very disappointing.  This also seemed to e the consensus of the other 4 in our group.  Having failed to appreciate all that Rosario had to offer, we packed up and headed back to our marina.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="3135ee90.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>Nipple Mountain - Mother Nature the Ultimate Artist</B></div> <bR> <div>  Another of my must sees was the is the Palm tree laden ravine - Vega del Rio de Palmas. I was so disappointed in this ravine that I didn't bother to take a picture.  It's claim to fame is that it has very tall palm trees.  Sorry, not only are the palm trees not that tall, but there are so few of them.  Want to see tall palm trees, go to Miami or elsewhere in the States. At least we got to see Nipple Mountain (My name for it...) as we were driving around.  </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="2f15ee90.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Girl & Surf Contrasted Against the Black Sand of </B></div> <div> <B>Anamay on the Western Side of Fuerteventura</B></div> <bR> <div> There were over a dozen WiFi networks that I could see, all of them save one were not open.  The only open system had a very bad signal and I could not connect to it.   There is an Internet Cafe on the island, so either I will use my Vodaphone stick or trek over to the cafe once my foot is doing better.  As it turned out, WiFi was a bust and I couldn't do any updates, just email.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="2f55ee90.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Above - Entry into Betancuria</B></div> <bR> <div> Settlements in the interior of the island which are particularly popular include historic Betancuria - Jean de Bethencourt (leader of the Spanish invasion of Fuerteventura) set up camp here in 1405 - the spot was well served by water and a strategic defensive position against Guanche attack. With the usual pomp and circumstance of colonists, Bethencourt named it after himself - but as you can see its been twisted to Betancuria since. Betancuria was the island's capital for a spell.   We found a great, upscale waterhole in Betancuria with beautiful interior gardens which we enjoyed while refreshing ourselves (Pictured below.)</div> <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= 356 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="2f7eb5e0.jpg" border=0 width="235" height="350" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="2f9eb5e0.jpg" border=0 width="235" height="350" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 356 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="2fbeb5e0.jpg" border=0 width="235" height="350" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="2fdeb5e0.jpg" border=0 width="235" height="350" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 39 WIDTH="352"><div> <B>Pretty Courtyard w Fountains in Local Pub/Restaurant</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="345"><div> <B>Remains of Original Church</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 356 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="301eb5e0.jpg" border=0 width="235" height="350" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="3055e0e0.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <B>Scenes from Betancuria</B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>The Goat Cheese Farm </B></div> <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="3075ee90.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="3115ee90.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 394 WIDTH="352"><div> <IMG SRC="30feb5e0.jpg" border=0 width="235" height="350" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> They had all sorts of things including a camel & a peacock</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="345"><bR> <div> <IMG SRC="30de25e0.jpg" border=0 width="226" height="350" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <B>Cumbres de Betacuria - Queso de Cambra</B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>The Deep Caves of Fuerteventura</B></div> <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="3155ee90.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="3195ee90.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="31b5ee90.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="3215ee90.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 356 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="31deb5e0.jpg" border=0 width="235" height="350" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="31feb5e0.jpg" border=0 width="235" height="350" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 356 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="32deb5e0.jpg" border=0 width="235" height="350" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="32feb5e0.jpg" border=0 width="235" height="350" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <B>There are large, deep caves on the western side of Fuerteventura</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> On October 15 there was a fete in Pajara.  This is one of the many Fetes on the island and there location rotates from village to village.  We were told that this was one of the best Fetes on the island so we made it a point to go.  The food and entertainment were all compliments of the town and proved to be quite enjoyable.  We were served traditional local food and watched towns people dance traditional dances in garb typical of the period around 1900 - 1930.  In the lower left hand picture (Col 1, Row 3) you will see a young woman dressed up in traditional garb.  She told me that her fashion was typical for the Victorian period.  She wore gloves that had only one side to them.  She told me that the women of the village would wear these gloves while working in the fields to prevent sunburn.  If you look closely, you can see them on her left hand.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <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= 356 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="331eb5e0.jpg" border=0 width="235" height="350" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="333eb5e0.jpg" border=0 width="235" height="350" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 239 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="3355ee90.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="3375ee90.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 356 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="339eb5e0.jpg" border=0 width="235" height="350" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="33beb5e0.jpg" border=0 width="235" height="350" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 332 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="33deb460.jpg" border=0 width="235" height="326" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="33f5e0d0.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="269" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 239 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="3415ee90.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="3435ee90.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <B>The Fete at Pajara</B></div> <div> <B>Celebrating the Canarian culture & Free Canarian Food and Entertainment</B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Position Log Report from Puerto Jable</B></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="672" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 525 WIDTH="660"><div> Nov 17, 2008</div> <div> Hi,</div> <bR> <div> Josh and I are now in Puerto Jable, Fuerteventura, Canary Islands.  </div> <bR> <div> It was a short and uneventful 3.5 hour sail in 20 knots of wind.  We (Josh and I) only flew our Genoa and still managed to do 7 knots.  </div> <div> Seas were typically 1 meter with occasional 2 meters just to keep us awake.  So much for the predicted light winds out of the East.</div> <bR> <div> We were the only boat anchored here until a bit later when 2 other boats, an Austrian and a German boat, from our previous harbor showed </div> <div> up.  That made for 3 separate solo sailors.</div> <bR> <div> So we did what solo sailors do when we hit a port and went off looking for a bar to have a drink.  Jable, a resort town, has plenty of </div> <div> them.  I would say that the average age of the tourist on Jable is about 5 years older than me.  Needless to say it was a disappointment </div> <div> for the other sailors.  Yet they managed to find 2 fraulines and chit chatted it up in German and Austrian for several hours.  Finally and</div> <div> mercifully they called it a night.  I needed them to get back to Dakare which was, like them, anchored out.  When we got back to the boat </div> <div> the harbor was howling and all three boats were stretched out on their anchor lines. Despite the rocking and cavorting about, all anchors held.</div> <bR> <div> Looks like I will be leaving tomorrow for Gran Canaria.</div> <bR> <div> Dan and (Karen) and Josh</div> <bR> <bR> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <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> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>