23 October to 1 November 2022
Anchorages: Playa del Antequera and Los Christiano
Marinas: Santa Cruz
With heads a little sore from the party the night before, we set sail for Tenerife to surprise Sander’s parents in Santa Cruz marina.
In the Atlantic Islands book, which is now our go-to while sailing the islands, we read that we need to take care of the acceleration zones between the islands. When the predominantly northerly winds blow, they go up and over the volcanic peaks or divide and funnel around and between the islands. When this happens, the wind can change from blowing a 5 to a 25 within 200 meters.
As we sail past the southern part of Fuerteventura, we experience our first bout of the acceleration zone. Winds are picking up, and the Atlantic swell is coming from the same direction. A little bumpy start, but good to be out in the elements again.
By nightfall, we pass the northern tip of Gran Canaria. We would have liked to visit this island, but this time of the year, most anchorages and marinas crawl with hundreds of boats sailing with the ARC from Gran Canaria over to St. Lucia in the Caribbean. The organisers ensure that all the entrants have space in the marinas. We have noticed some of these entrants become very self-absorbed…remember the guy who claimed too much anchoring space in Fuerteventura…he was one of them. You spot them a mile away with their massive ARC 2022 flags hanging from the mast. We notice a clear divide between people participating in this race and the other sailors crossing the Atlantic by themselves, and many nights go by exchanging stories of how they behave. Mind you, we have also met a couple of lovely people sailing with the ARC, and due to them, we will stop making fun of them.
I am on watch, and we are using Hydrovane (Rob). I make a few adjustments to ensure we cross a shipping channel at a 90-degree angle and avoid the oncoming cargo ships. With the adjustments done, Susie Jane reacts differently. Some more anxious pulls and pushes, and we need to reset Rob and the sails. She is back on track, and our speed has decreased. With no real explanation for this, we assume the tide and our sail set-up has something to do with this.
By sunrise, we can see the enormous cliff faces of Tenerife’s northern coastline. It is breath-taking; you feel so small and fragile between these rugged cliffs. A pod of dolphin’s swims off our starboard side, and the waves splash against our hull harmoniously.
Tenerife is the largest island in the archipelago and boasts the highest mountain in Spain, El Tiede, which rises to 3718 meters above sea level.
We are still trying to understand the speed we are making. With 15 knots of wind on our beam, we should be making at least 7 knots, but we inch along at 4 knots. Something is amiss here.
We enter the marina by lunchtime and need to turn to ensure we are ready for our stern-to mooring. As we do this, we glimpse something yellow and huge floating beneath us. It is a large construction waste bag that has somehow tangled itself onto Susie Jane and was the reason for our slow progress as it acted as a sea anchor for the last 12 hours of sailing.
We tie off and finally get to see Sander’s parents. We spend the next five days enjoying Santa Cruz and what it offers.
The city is clean and geared at accommodating the varying needs of the passengers aboard the large numbers of cruise ships that enter the port. As mentioned before, the Spanish are exceptional at ensuring entertainment for children, and Santa Cruz has a large playground. Ironically all the climbing boats in the playground have British flags…what is that all about? You need to try a coffee called a Barraquito (pronounced bara’kito), commonly available in Tenerife. It is a multi-layered coffee liqueur consisting of coffee, Licor 43 (also tasty in a sangria), frothed milk, condensed milk, lemon peel, and cinnamon. Most locals enjoy a barraquito in many local cafes during the late morning.
We rent a car for the day to explore Tenerife and the volcano on El Teide. We rented the cheapest car available (still saving money where we could) and were kindly upgraded to a large MPV by the staff of CICAR Santa Cruz. Driving is a new world to us, as we last drove a car in the Netherlands 9 months ago. The speed feels unnatural, and every passing vehicle looks as if they are rally drivers (they are not, we are just used to a maximum speed of 13 kilometers per hour).
Tenerife is roughly triangular and has varying landscapes. When driving from Santa Cruz down to the south, the landscape changes from mountainous to flatter white beaches and resort plains. As you head towards the volcano (El Teide), the landscape and flora keep changing from an abundance of trees to fields of hardened lava. Once you reach the top, you are immersed in an almost Mars-like environment. As you head down towards the north, there are forests filled with tropical plants and fog. On the northern side, the road winds in almost a single lane through the ravines allowing for sea views around every corner. Tenerife is spectacular and diverse; we are privileged to experience this.
As we have the upgraded car (with more boot space), we head to the shopping centre to stock up on some supplies. Three hours later, with a van filled with stock, we head back to the marina.
On our last night in Santa Cruz, we head out into the town for dinner. It is a lively bustle of night-life and tourists from all over the world.
With shopping and washing done, we are ready to return to anchoring. Saying goodbye to Sander’s parents is emotional as we are unsure when we will meet again. But this is the life of a sailor.
We head to the north of the island to an anchorage with beautiful views, no cell coverage, and a beach inaccessible by car.
Two hours later, the contrast between Santa Cruz and Playa del Antequera is fascinating. There are three little houses up on the mountain, towering cliffs, and the sound of the waves crashing on the beach. It is so peaceful.
We watch as hikers descend from the mountain and camp on the beach. The swell is big but not enough to detour us yet. We spend another day wondering whether we will stay and decide that a beach landing is too rough for us to get the dinghy there safely. So, we lift the anchor and head for Los Christianos anchorage on the south side of Tenerife. It is a 15-hour sail, and we reach the anchorage by nightfall.
The smell of fried food and the sound of nightclubs fill the air. The lights from the town are enough to light up the anchorage and make anchoring at night less stressful. There are about 21 other boats in the anchorage, and there is enough space for us to tuck in close to the beach.
We met up with some friends we met in Fuerteventura on the beach. Funny enough, they tell us that they have found a little cafe that sells pints of beer for one Euro; this is so cheap, considering that you would usually pay about 2.50 (which is still more affordable than in mainland Europe). The cafe manager explained to them why the price was so low. Amstel will no longer sell in the Canaries, and they bought the last consignment of beer brought to the island. Not wanting to miss out on the deal of a lifetime, we gulp down a couple of pints. As we head over to a recommended Thai restaurant, we laugh as all of the cafes and restaurants have clearly bought the last consignment of Amstel, and we have just fallen for a line to encourage more sales at a specific cafe.
The beach here is a dream, and relatively easy to launch and land your dinghy. There is a Mercadona and Spar not too far a walk from the beach for provisioning and a tiny chandlery and tackle shop up the road. It is a good stop if you prefer a busier anchorage and bustling night-life.
With a couple of days spent relaxing in Los Christianos, we are ready for our next island experience in La Gomera. We have kept an open mind to anchorages for this hop and decided to take it as it comes.
Tenerife is worth a stop and a must to explore by car. The people are friendly, and beer is cheap…
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