From mid-September:
I have seen the Canary Islands mentioned many times in various literature over the years, but no real descriptions. So in my ignorant mind's eye I pictured some tropical islands with nice yellow dirt (I tried to not imagine little yellow canaries everywhere because that would be overdoing it). That image was great until the other day when we actually made landfall in the Canary Islands.
Far from tropical or yellow, a dry barren land rises up into mountains and old volcanoes surrounded by a light blue sea, and an African sun peeks through clouds overhead. The closest thing it reminds me of is Baja but with touristy little beaches crowded with swimmers and street vendors. It is, as the first mate told me, "Europe's sunbathing destination."
The ten day leg from Lisbon to Las Palmas was a nice one. Despite starting in a fairly calm anchorage in Lisbon, most of our new guests were seasick the first evening, and continued to be so as we beat through some weather the first few days out. There was a poor woman looking green at the rail next to the pin for the t'gallant halyard. I got a few guests to help me hoist the t'gallant, and as we got the sail near to being set, I called "two-six, heave!" The woman heaved over the side while we heaved the halyard home. I do hope she felt better afterwards.
Those first days also tested us a little as a watch. There were quite a few new people with us, and the first night we had to hand and furl the courses (those are the big bottom square sails) while some of the bigger swell broke near the bow and washed across the main deck. If the forecourse hadn't been flogging it would have been humorous seeing two of the new crew forget about hauling while they stared at the sea swishing around their knees. After your first experience like that, though, you get used to the elements changing, and you learn to cope with it.
The rest of the leg was smooth sailing, although the wind could have been a bit more favourable, direction-wise. The weather became warmer, the voyage crew found their sea legs and we made landfall in the sunny Canaries.
