Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

I was on 06:00 to 09:00 watch and had the job of bringing us in the last stretch which is very confusing with about 6 large ships anchored in the bay outside the harbour. Quite alarming when they first appear until you work out the only one which is moving is the Armas ferry, which nonetheless seems intent on coming as close as possible despite a 90 degree change of course from myself to avoid it. I woke Kevin as we rounded the port entrance and he took the helm as I prepared us to take the reception pontoon.


Entering the port of Las Palmas

When we got in the marina, the reception pontoon had a yacht moored alongside, as did the fuel berth, both of which had obviously been in for the night. However, after a short discussion on the VHF we were directed to a short side pontoon near the fuel dock at 09:00, where the very polite marina attendant took our lines, apologised for the berth and asked us to check in to receive our final berth.
There was a queue at the marina office as a couple of ARC skippers were ahead of me receiving their welcome packs and berths. When I checked us in, we at least got a chart of the marina, the very friendly and helpful girl in the office tried to allocate us a berth as her colleague had not arrived back from assisting the ARC boats. I double checked that it was a wide berth, having played this game before, she then faltered and asked us to await the return of her colleague. Eventually we were assisted to a berth along the outer wall of the marina at 10:30, stern to a pontoon, probably one of the best spots in the marina and usually reserved for the large superyachts, one of the perks of a catamaran. We were only allowed to book in until the end of September however and may then be able to extend dependent on the number of ARC boats in. We were both relieved by our change of plan and the timing of our visit.

We gave the boat and ourselves a through clean after our passage and guests, stripped the bunks and then rushed round to the chandleries we’d placed orders at in mid July in the not too expectant hope that our goods would have arrived. We managed to catch Rolnautic before siesta who did not yet have our Seagull water filter replacements (for drinking water) and had ordered the wrong electronic chart cartridge for our plotter, both of which they promised to get in again within the week. The rope shop recognised us straight away (good start) and pointed to the drum of 12mm red sheets we’d ordered but didn’t yet have the blue 8mm or 12mm in the shop, though they were apparently on the island and would be available within the week. We enquired about a minor sail repair which was required on the head of our main sail where it is chafing on the D ring which attaches the main sheet halyard and a second area over one of the battens which Kevin had detected during the cleaning of them the day before. They would be able to fit us in the following week, after that it would be very busy. We congratulated ourselves again on our timing, as nice as La Palma would have been, getting across the Cape Verdes and the Caribbean rates higher on our priorities.

We had lunch at the Sailor Bar followed by a walk to the supermarket and a quiet night in with a book as we were both shattered. It had been a very long hot day (apparently September is the best month for Las Palmas) the reading on a street side sign was 30 degrees at 19:00.