Wet stuff coming from the skies

So now we know why La Palma is green and verdant.

This is the first day time rain we have seen since leaving La Coruna back in June 2017 and we have had rain on 3 days so far in the last week. Today we set off to walk to the local maritime museum and had to duck into a cafe to avoid a sudden downpour. When we had exhausted both coffee and conversation we set of back to the boat, getting thoroughly soaked on the way.

That said, it's still T shirt and shorts weather and we have been swimming quite a few times from the beach next to the marina. The marina here suffers from the swell and the boats certainly roll a great deal. It is relatively empty and all the boats have lines rigged to the adjacent pontoons to hold them out  in order to minimise snatch and creak. The management is now in the process of installing a gate in order to improve business, as the marina round the corner in Tanzacorte installed curved walls and, when we went over to see it, it appeared quite full and the boats were not rocking at all. So .. manyana ..... We are happy to stay here as we have managed to solve the snatching problem, the swell does not worry us and it is handy to be in the capital for amenities and transport links and it is a very pretty place.

Though the island is relatively small, it is much bigger than La Gomera and it has a very good and very economical bus service so we have been packing lunches and donning walking boots.

One corner of the island is different from the rest in that it is pretty arid and volcanic and we enjoyed walking through the lunar like landscape down to the salt pans on the coast.

On La Gomera we tended to go by bus to the higher mountains and then walk down (albeit some extremely steep downs). Here, however, we have been walking up as well as down so new muscles are being exercised.

Lots of flowers are in bloom already and this is mid winter here so I guess the spring will be glorious.

 About an hour's walk directly out of Santa Cruz - all steeply uphill, is the museum and church of the virgin of Nieves. She is the subject of a massive festival every five years, when the statue is carried down into Santa Cruz to bless the area and bring prosperity. Lots of people who no longer live here return home for this festival to enjoy the parades, Elizabethan costume dances, dance of the dwarves, plays written for the occasion and much more.

The church itself is in a beautiful setting, surrounded by a leafy plaza and affording great views of the surrounding landscape

We are here in Santa Cruz de La Palma for another three weeks or so and our friend Nick arrives on 25th so we will be getting out and about, seeing more of the sights and enjoying more new experiences. Hopefully there will be a gate at the marina entrance by the time we leave.

Hola La Palma

So - after a very enjoyable Christmas with a great Christmas Eve meal on board Dada Tux with Hansueli and Helen's excellent company plus a Christmas Day swim and several free music concerts - it was time to say goodbye to the delights of La Gomera and move on.

On 29th December we said goodbye to the fantastic staff at Marina La Gomera with hugs all round and an offer of anaesthetic to ease the pain of departure, Scruffbag and I prepared for a midnight sail. We set off a few minutes into 30th, motored into the outer harbour, hoisted the sails and set off. We had decided not to set a watch system but just to see how we felt as it was only 55 miles -  albeit all of them to windward. Just as well really as at 3 a.m. I was feeling extremely queasy and had to go below and lie down. Conscious that Scruffbag had not slept, I got up at 6a.m. to give him a break but I needed to take a bowl up with me. At 8a.m. , bowl full,  I had to call him up. He was amazed to notice that my suntan had disappeared and had been replaced with a ghastly pallor. Still - all's well that ends well and by midday we were tied up and ready to relax.

La Palma on first acquaintance is very green and verdant and the capital, Santa Cruz, where we are berthed, is much bigger and more cosmopolitan than San Sebastian de la Gomera. However, it is still very small and the houses are stunningly attractive with their bright colours and wooden balconies.

As in La Gomera, poinsettias were abundantly displayed for the Christmas season.

The day after our arrival was  New Year's Eve so we made some gin cocktails with the kit I bought Scruffbag for Christmas and we decided to go out at around 22.00 to see what was happening as we had seen the street bars and the music setting up in the afternoon and we knew from experience that the Canarians do not go out till later in the evening.

Well not this particular evening. By the time we got into town all the bars had closed, the bands had gone and there were a few remaining drunks worse for wear and party debris everywhere. We live and learn - as did our Norwegian neighbours. So we went back to the respective boats and sat in the cockpit drinking amaretto and coke. Scruffbag first footed - the boat being our home - and then we watched the firework display together.

So here's to a happy new year and to further exploration of this green island followed by more sailing in fair winds and more exploring of beautiful islands in the sun.