Route: Las Palmas-Morro Jable-Gran TarajalPuerto del Rosario
Dates: 24.03-02.04.2023
Miles/ hours: 131Mm/29h
23-03-2023 Thursday
Our crew arrives in the afternoon. We make shoping for dinner and a yacht tour.
24-03-2023 Friday
Today is sightseeing day – we’re going to the Old Town, we’re visiting Columbus House – it’s a real house with balconies and a lot of rooms. There is an exhibition of paintings on the upper floors.
The next point is visiting the cathedral, it is “multi-style”. We climb the tower of the cathedral – there is a beautiful view of the city. We leave through the museum. After sightseeing, we go to lunch at a nearby pub. Then we return to the yacht, safety training and preparation of the yacht for sailing.
25-03-2023 Saturday
In the morning we get up at 6:30, eat breakfast and leave before 8. It blows 10-15 kn from the north-east so we sail on the mainsail and genoa. After 11 hours we reach Morro Jable. The average speed is 5.2 kn. The port is crowded and officially there are no places, so we stop at the gas station – unfortunately, there are no floating piers, so leaving the yacht in low water is slightly difficult. Fortunately, we have one tall person, so we manage. We meet Kazik from the “Wyspa Szczęśliwych Dzieci” and we go for a walk around the city. The town is cute but very touristy and small. After we return, we have dinner, and then I do the paperwork in the marina (in the security office), the marina office will be open only on Monday, so I don’t pay because there is no one, but I leave my e-mail address
26-03-2023 Sunday
We leave before 12 (there is a time change). We sail on a sharp baydewind on the foresail and the mainsail, turning from time to time (the wind blows from the direction where we are supposed to sail). It blows 15-20 kn. Beautiful weather. In the south, the island is very desert, but the views are beautiful. Around 7 pm we enter the Gran Tarajal Marina. The security guard shows the place, gives a form to fill out and says the office will be open tomorrow. The gates to the pier are not locked, there are no cards for the toilets, but the water in the showers is cold.
27-03-2023 Monday
After breakfast, I’m going to complete the formalities at the marina. First, the office is closed, and when I come in half an hour with a completed form, the policeman asks where I got it, because it should be filled out by a security guard, not me. He calls the security guard who fills out the entry form. The marina and the town are nice, but without tourists. The boys wash the deck (it was very salted), and then we go to explore the town. Gran Tarajal is on a slope, so we climb to the top and take pictures from the viewpoint. Then we go downstairs to the roundabout with the fountain, stop by HiperDino, buy rolls and eat them in the city park with palm trees. We return to the marina along the seaside promenade. After lunch, we go to the bike shop for a mirror, and the rest goes to the beach. Of course, there is no mirror, but in a Chinese store we buy a double-sided mirror. After that Tomek swimm in the ocean. On the yacht, the purchased mirror can be turned into a bicycle mirror and even the other side of the mirror remains, and the bicycle mirror looks like new.
28-03-2023 Tuesday
Milk with cereal for breakfast in the morning. We leave after breakfast. We sail along the shore and admire the views. Around 10 am the wind appears, so we set the sails (mainsail and jib) and sail 5 kn. Unfortunately, the wind knows where we’re going, so we have to tack. It’s beautiful, the waves are small, besides it’s already the 3rd day so no one is sick. We call Marina Puerto del Rosario on channel 9. They tell us which pier we should stand at and on the pier 2 policemen take the moorings from us. They write something down in the diary, give one card to enter (that’s how much you pay for the yacht) and ask you to come to the office tomorrow morning before 2 pm. We take the card and go to the city. On the way, we visit the toilets – it’s new and clean, but there are no showers.
29-03-2023 Wednesday
In the morning I go to the port office to pay for the marina. Then I go to the tourist information, take the maps and meet Kazik – he is going to Lanzarote to see if it is possible to renovate the yacht there. After coffee, we go to the city, we want to visit the market, but it is closed, we visit the local church and the love park, which consists of several dried trees.
We still look at the natural swimming pools, but the water is low, so there is little water in them, we stop for ice cream and return to the yacht. I’m ordering a car for tomorrow – unfortunately there are no cars at the rental company near the marina, so I’m ordering a car from the airport.
30-03-2023 Thursday
In the morning after breakfast, the boys take the bus to the airport to pick up the car. They get a Seat (I ordered a Corsa), but it’s cool. We go to the north of the island, visit Coralejo (the marina and the surrounding area), it turns out that there is no place for our boat in the marina, and the anchorage is not always safe.
Then we go to the popcorn beach – it turns out that there is only a small piece of “popcorn” and the rest is a normal beach. Then we go to see the volcano, we go halfway and we decide that it’s enough. The next item on the agenda is the windmills in Villaverde. There are two near each other. Then there was supposed to be a museum in La Olivia, but it was closed so we visit the aloe vera plantation. A Polish woman tells us about Aloes. We buy Aloe products and find out where to eat well and that there is a tapas festival in Puerto del Rosario. Only the sunset over the Ocean in El Cotillo (unfortunately the sun goes behind the clouds) and we return to the yacht.
31-03-2023 Friday
This time we decide to visit the center of the island. We enter the beautiful viewpoint of Morro Vellosa on one of the mountains, and then we visit the former capital of the island, the town of Betancuria. It’s cute, full of tourists, but worth it. We visit the sacral museum (€2 per person) and the archaeological museum (free). In between we stop for iced coffee and fruit cocktails. From there we go to Ajuy to visit the caves. The caves are huge and natural. We’re going inside. It turns out that a tunnel was supposed to be dug from them to the parking lot, but it was not finished (I would even say that it was barely started). We go back to the car and eat lunch, fending off striped squirrels. Another milling museum and we return to the yacht. We have lunch and go to Ruta de las tapas. We make it to 3 pubs and leave the rest for the next day. For €3 you get a small snack and a drink (choice of wine, beer, water and juice). There is one type of tapas to try – different in each pub. We get a tapas rating card and someone from the restaurant signs it. Different prizes can be won depending on the number of tapas scored. We return to the yacht around 10 pm, have some tea and go to sleep.
01-04-2023 Saturday
After breakfast, we set off to the highest peak of Fuerteventura Pico de la Zarza 807m above sea level
Aneta and Krzysiek stay downstairs on the beach, we drive to the parking lot, leave the car for them and head upstairs. We have a little over 6km to go – it takes us 2h 5 minutes. From the top, of course, there are beautiful views of both sides of the island. Of course, the top and the surrounding area are a condom, so we enter the last section along a path fenced on both sides. The descent takes us a little less (about 1.5 hours) at the bottom we meet Aneta and Krzysiek and we go to the Cofette beach on the other side of the island. The access is a 25km gravel road, but it’s worth it, the views are truly breathtaking. In the evening we refuel the car and return to the yacht. No one wants to go for more tapas anymore. We eat baked vegetables, pack up, write my opinions and go to sleep. Tomorrow we fly to Poland.
02-04-2023 Sunday
In the morning after coffee and breakfast, one more last packing and cleaning and we go to the parking lot to the car. Tom stays on the yacht. At the airport, we returned the car and fly to Poland.
