2017 Sail La Palma, Canaries to Santa Maria, Azores

A favourable five day weather window for our planned trip to the Azores was forecast so at 0730hrs Tuesday 30th May 2017, we left Tazacorte Marina on the Canarian island of La Palma and headed NW for the 615 nautical mile trip to the Azores.

 

Leaving Tazacorte Marina

 

We motored for an hour in the lee of the west coast of La Palma. At 0840hrs we came out of the lee and were sailing at 60 degrees to the NE 3/4 Bft wind with 2 reefs in the main. 

By 0930 hrs we were in the acceleration zone with gusts of 35kts and lumpy seas still sailing at 60 degrees to the wind but with very little Genny. 

After an hour or so the wind settled down to a NNE 4 but the sea remained choppy. With the frequent changes in wind strength, we found the furling in and out of the Genny very demanding - until Jeannette had the bright idea of using our two electric winches which we had hardly used in all our cruising. We are now sold on the idea of electric winches - maybe a sign of old age!

 

 

 

Off watch

 

One the the several rain squalls

 

During the afternoon of 1st June we entered the Azores high, the wind dropped to a NE1 and the seas became very calm. At 1645hrs we were motoring

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Sunrise 3rd June

 

 

 

Afternoon 3rd June gliding along over a smooth sea sailing 60 degrees to a light ENE2/3 Bft breeze making 4 to 5 knots SOG - idyllic

 

Sailing into the sunset 2140 hrs 3rd June

 

 

Preparing to enter Portuguese waters - Spanish courtesy flag down, Portuguese courtesy flag up

 

Entered Santa Maria Marina at around 0600 hrs on the morning of 4th June - still dark but harbour lights make entrance relatively easy - and being in the lee of the island, sea was calm enough to prepare mooring lines and fenders before we entered.

 

Apart from the first 1 1/2 days when it was a bit rough, this was a very enjoyable trip - distance covered 648 nautical Miles in 4 days 22 hours of whic 34 hours motoring - maily through the Azores High.

During the trip we had set up an SSB net on 4021 and 8122 KHz at 1800 hrs each day with Theo & Michelle on S/V Faja Lobi ( who had left Tazacorte a day earlier), and Stefan & Anna on S/V Zanzibar who had left a day later - very enjoyable to be in contact with friends en passage.

Just missed Friends on S/V Danny Boy who were just leaving

 

Birthday boy !

 

2017 Sail Las Palmas to Tazacorte, La Palma

Mid May we were ready to leave Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, to sail to the Azores. However, there was a weather window for only 2 days to sail in a NWerly direction so we decided to sail to Tazacorte on the North West side of the island of La Palma and wait there for a longer weather window to continue our trip.

 

Our route from Las Palmas to Tazacorte - distance 175 nmiles

 

At 0730 hrs Monday 15th May we left our mooring and motored northwards around La Isletta against a NNE3 Bft wind

 

The laid-up oil rigs in Las Palmas harbour

La Isletta - the NE tip of Gran Canaria

 

By 0915 hrs we were able to alter course to the NW and start sailing in a NNE 3/4 Bft wind on wind vane autopilot set to 50 deg to apparent wind with 1 reef in Mainsail and full Genny

 

By 1400 hrs we were sailing across the shipping separation zone between Gran Canaria and Tenerife

 

Gran Canaria still visible astern

 

 

We managed to round the Northern Anaga Peninsular of Tenerife before nightfall and sailed through the night beam to broad reaching in an ENE 4 to 5 Bft wind

 

By 0800 hrs the wind had dropped to a NE 2 Bft and we started motor sailing

 

La Palma clearly visible

 

 

By 0900 hrs the wind returned and we were sailing on a broad reach in an ENE 4 Bft wind

 

Getting closer - sailing down the west coast of La Palma

 

Puerto Tazacorte just becoming visible behind the headland

Puerto Tazacorte

The large concrete outer mole of Tazacorte Marina

 

 

 

By 1400 hrs Tuesday 16th May we were safely berthed in Tazacorte Marina - there was hardly any swell in the marina - perfect

 

 

 

 Total trip 175.6 nmiles in 30.5 hrs of which 24 hrs sailing and 6.5 hrs motoring.

 Average speed 5.75 knots.

 A very enjoyable trip.

 

 

 

 

2016 Sail La Palma to Las Palmas

At 0745hrs 29th September 2016 we saw off our friends Tom & Annie who left Santa Cruz marina heading for La Gomera. 

We then downloaded yet another set of Grib Files and decided that, after all, this was the best day to leave for the coming 10 days if we wanted to have a chance of sailing back to Las Palmas the most direct route north of Tenerife. 

 

So, Mike returned the hire car to Orlando in Los Cancajos, taxied back for €8, and we cast off our lines at 1215 hrs and headed eastwards for the northern tip of Tenerife,  90 nmiles away, course 084 degrees

 

Leaving Santa Cruz

 

 

The wind was a gentle NE 3 occassionally 4 and the seas quite calm. We tried sailing a few times but the angle was too tight for us to be able to safely clear the northern coast of Tenerife. So we ended up motor sailing most of the afternoon and night. In contrast to our trip to La Palma under a Full Moon two weeks previously, we were now at New Moon and the night was very dark.

We rounded the NEastern tip of Tenerife at 0700 hrs 30/9 and were able to sail more south. At 0740 we were able to sail at 60 degrees to the NNE 4Bft wind 

By 1030 hrs we had cleared the Traffic Separation Zone and could set course 117degrees for La Isletta, Gran Canaria and free off further, sailing with full rig on a beam to broad reach.

 

 

 

 

Around 1600 hrs the wind dropped to a NNE 3 Bft and with quite a swell running, our sails started to flog and progress was slow.  So,  genny furled and motor on .

 

At 1930 hrs we were moored back in our berth in Club Varadero, Las Palmas

Total distance 146 nautical miles in 29.25 hrs average speed 5 Kts. Motored 21 hrs, sailed 8.25 hrs