Canary Islands, Lanzarote – Part 1

22 September to 18 October 2022

Anchorages: Rubicon

Marinas: Arrecife

And so, after our longest time at sea, we are now ready to enjoy and explore the Canary Islands.

There is nothing like revisiting a place you have been before on holiday. A year ago, we flew to Lanzarote to celebrate our honeymoon with the kids in an all-inclusive resort south of the island. This time, it is by sail and with all our worldly possessions.

As mentioned in the previous blog, we suspected we had a broken part of our vang (mast attachment and casting) due to the fishing net. After several failed attempts, we located a replacement part in the UK and arranged for UPS to ship it to the marina. In hindsight, it would have been better to have flown to the UK to collect, but all things happen as they should, and we need to learn to flow with these moments.

Arrecife Marina has a sailor’s bar called the Jolly Rodger (yes, they did it). There are mariners of all ages and calibers. You spot a sailor by their legs and choice of footwear. Legs are a tan that no spray tan salon would achieve (sorry, Djell), and shoes are either deck shoes, flip flops…or nothing at all. The beer here is cheap, and everyone is happy to share their story of crossing or how they ended up living here. There are loads of family sailors, and most are French. We had not appreciated how many sailors come from France.

The city is a short walk away and has most of the necessary amenities. There are three chandleries, each of which sees Sander daily (a fun outing for any sailor is going to a chandlery where you do not need anything but return with a bag of items you need). The kids are constantly finding new play parks to play in. The Spanish have an affinity for entertaining children; well done, city planners!

On one of the many days in the marina, we meet three boys (they are in their early 20s), and they ask if we would be willing to sail them across to the Caribbean. They’ve been backpacking from France to Norway and down to the Canaries to find a ship to sail them across the Atlantic to the Caribbean. Where do they sleep? Wherever there is a spot for their tents. What do they eat? Whatever handouts a restaurant or kind person allows. Why are they doing this? To see the world and meet new people. They are clean and kept and do not portray the typical vagabond look. It is admirable and a way of life Sander and I have never appreciated existed.

On another occasion, we meet three lovely Italians renting a boat next door to our berth via Airbnb. It was the first time they had been on a sailboat, and they wanted to change things from the general apartment rental.

During our stay in Arrecife, there is a festival that takes place every Friday called Arrecife en Loco. The party continues until 4 am. Sander and I take turns enjoying the music and getting some dancing done. During one of these occasions, we meet the stewardess and mechanic for one of the super yachts in the marina. They tell us that this vessel carries 60 000 liters of fuel. With this amount of diesel, they can cross the Atlantic to their next port of call in Brazil. Then came the kicker…salaries. The stewardess was earning $7 000.00 per month. Granted, she said she was tending to their every need and would sleep 5 hours a night, but at 24, that is not an insufficient salary. Hearing all this has us thinking about another means of financing our circumnavigation; working for short stints on super yachts. Only time will tell.

There is a local brewery called NAO close to the marina, and we celebrate with a couple of local beers and Iberico pork. It used to be a fishing net factory and now allows space for large fermentation tanks. The serving and seating area is much smaller, giving a more intimate experience.

A strip of restaurants is next to a water inlet with tiny fishing boats bobbing about. Someone was smart enough to start an indoor play area for children, smack bam, in the middle of all the restaurants. So we take advantage of the opportunity and enjoy a one-hour date night. A local advised us to go to a specific restaurant called Charco Vivo. The restaurant serves daily caught fish and exceptional cuts of meat. He was not wrong; we enjoyed an abundance of tasty meals and local wine.

The beach next to the marina is black and rocky due to the volcanic rock. This does not detour our tiny sailors, and we spend the day building castles, dykes and collecting snails to live in the palaces (no need to fret, they have released afterward).

Next to Arrecife is Tequise. There is a clear difference between locals and tourists. It’s poverty vs. gluttony and about 40 kg of wobbling weight. Teguise is an all-inclusive tourist mecca. Huge resorts tower around the beaches, and signs shout out the daily specials aiming to attract the English pallet. It’s a mesh of tattoos, gluttony, false lashes, bad sunburns going for a second run, and mobility scooters. But this, too, has its appeal. We understand almost every conversation, rather than trying to figure out what this Spanish word or that French sentence means. And last year, we were enjoying the same gluttony, cheap beers, and sunburns. The beaches here are whiter and more attractive than those we visited in Arrecife. We enjoy a few days on the beaches and spot some genius city planning again. There are tons of play parks surrounding the restaurants. The Spanish are brilliant; adults get to chill, and kids get to play. This calls for another hour’s date.

And then, finally, after waiting almost four weeks, the vang part arrives. Throughout this wait, many locals tell us that they never use UPS as they tend not to have the formalities required in Spain in place. So parcels get stuck in Madrid waiting for clearance, then Gran Canaria (another island on the Canaries), before being cleared for Lanzarote. And if customs clear it, do not expect the parcel to arrive the following day because tomorrow means next week. But all this is behind us, and we can head down south of the island to Playa Blanca.

We arrive by afternoon and are surprised at how clear the water is. In 10 meters of water, you see the sea floor. It’s idyllic, and we are fortunate to experience this together as a family. The heat here is welcoming, and the water is warmer than in Arrecife. Ava surprises us with her confidence in swimming. One, two, three, and she jumps into the water from the bow. On the other hand, Will prefers the safety of the sugar scoop and bobs about while holding onto the swimming steps.

Rubicon marina is a short dinghy ride away. The marina allows you to tie your dinghy up without charge. It allows for a peaceful time at shore rather than wondering if your dinghy will be stolen or damaged. There is a sailor’s bar called Bar One. Again, beers are half the price of the neighbouring restaurants, and the food is local and tasty.

One spot we loved was Elise’s ice cream shop called Agri Gelateria. All her artisan ice creams are divine, and Ava especially enjoys the dragon fruit and basil (Ava’s favourite) decorated with teddy bears and flakes. Sadly, both times we attempted to see her again, she was closed. But on our final day, she is open. Ava had made her a drawing, and when she spotted the children recognized them from the previous year and gave them their ice creams on the house. My beer comes with a salt rim and a touch of lemon (sadly, no teddy bear or flake).

And so, our adventure in Lanzarote comes to an end. We will now set our sights on Fuerteventura, an Island south of Lanzarote that promises greener sights, turquoise anchorages, and sandy beaches.