NEW YEAR in Arrecife

Arrecife was very different to the southern end of the island. Not only was the town a lot larger but much more ‘real’, with a lot more Spanish people walking around. This was the first inhabited town on the island, and appears on charts as far back as the 14^th century. The local fort on the breakwater contained a small museum about the island. Years ago, the people were very poor, and frequently raided by pirates, so the fort was built for protection, along with the very picturesque drawbridge!

Arrecife drawbridge

The word ‘Arrecife’ means ‘reef’, and the coastline here is protected by an extensive reef right opposite the town.  This must have made it hard for large ships to get close enough to find shelter in years gone by, but our anchorage, although shallow, was well protected in the predominantly NE winds. The breakwater itself probably dates back several centuries. Inside the harbour, lines of rocks uncover at low tide, and are visited by turnstones, and a shallow ‘lagoon’ outside the breakwater attracts a number of egrets.

At anchor off Arrecife

Turnstones alongside breakwater

Nowadays, a large industrial harbour has been built to the north of Arrecife, where ships offload their goods and cruise ships unload their passengers. One day, we saw five cruise ships in the harbour, and the waterfront promenade was teeming with sightseers.

Katie on local beach, old fort museum behind

cool sundial in the museum

There is a small ‘local’ beach halfway along the breakwater, which was perfect for our two to play on. The main beach was a twenty-minute walk away, and had shallow water perfect for swimming, and was again protected by a reef a little way offshore. We wandered down on Christmas Day just for half an hour, and ended up staying nearly three hours!

Christmas Day

No sooner had we moved into the marina for Christmas than we met another couple of boat families with children on board. A German family had cruised here from the Med, and their 11-year –old boy was delighted to find other children to play with. An English family with three children on board (aged, 10, 8 and 3) have spent the last few winters here, so provided us with helpful local information as well as company for the children. All the children seemed to like swinging around the mast, and Reuben found himself some fellow cowboys to shoot his new Xmas cap-gun with. Until the caps ran out that is!!

Three cowboys on board!

Our visitors from Topsham arrived in fits and starts before the New Year. We were delighted to meet the new arrival to the Bradford family - baby Jacob is both gorgeous and incredibly well-natured. Both the Bradfords and the Seldons stayed in hotels right on the main beach, and the Whittons (with the surprise addition of Ben Squirrell), stayed on board with us. We all partook of several beers and meals out, met up at the beach and the marina, swam in clear water around the boat at anchor, and generally had a fine old time.

Topsham visitors!

swimming around the boat, Katie in her new flippers

Katie & Reuben meet baby Jacob

For New Year itself, we had a quiet day in the marina, relaxing on deck while the children sat on the pontoons trying to catch the many fish swimming about (Archie finally succeeded in catching one, but kindly set it free again). We had a delicious BBQ lunch of steak and marinated prawns, and somehow found room for a Chinese meal in the evening before seeing in the New Year on board. Amazingly, all the children had managed to stay awake (except Olive), so were delighted to set off party poppers while we raised a glass of bubbly at midnight (ish – there seemed to be a bit of a time lapse before the bells went off!) There were fireworks, foghorns, and phosphorescent flares, all in all a fine start to a New Year.

Chinese restaurant

Happy New Year!

Jacob gets in the party spirit

Kids see in New Year

flares on a neighbouring boat

The following day was Stanley’s birthday, and we managed to get a birthday cake iced while he slept off his late night. His face was a picture when he came down the steps to find all the candles lit and everybody ready to sing him happy birthday!

Birthday boy Stanley

We sailed the short distance from the marina back to the anchorage. Maria not only managed not to be seasick, but even manned the winch under Dave's orders. Archie and Stanley enjoyed playing at being Captain, giving commands to crew member Katie on the VHF!

The two Captain Whittons

stressful sailing...

Maria on the winch

The Whitton and Squirrell contingent left soon after New Year, while the others relocated to a luxury resort in the south of the island. They sailed down with us on the ‘Ros Ailither’, and we had a lovely day with sunshine and a steady breeze to fill the sails nicely. As on our trip up the coast, we passed the airport and at one point were directly under the flight path, it felt like the planes weren’t much higher than the mast! Sadly Claire was rather poorly after an hour or two of rolling, but Jacob fared better, unfazed by it all as long as he got fed.

under the flight path

Katie at sea

Darren relaxing in the bows

Dallas gets a makeover from Katie

stunning coastline, near Playa Blanca

baby Jacob at sea

Since the wind is from the north, we have been able to anchor just outside the marina, just a ten-minute bike ride from both Playa Blanca in one direction, and our friends’ resort in the other. We have all enjoyed walking the coastal promenade and the joys of sunset from Bar One! The children have loved the swimming pools at our friends' hotel and Reuben is nearly swimming without armbands!

Boys at the pool

Lovely pool with a view

Claire & I had a lovely walk around the southern tip of the island, over rugged hilltops along and sandy beaches. We reached the shelter of the Papagayo Beach bar just before the sky turned completely grey and we got our first rainfall in over a month!

Claire & Jacob at southern tip of Lanzarote

Papagayo Bay

The Bradfords are flying home today, and the Seldons are joining us for a trip across to Fuerteventura, just seven miles to the south. We are unsure of our plans for the minute. At New Year, we received the sad news that Dave’s Dad had passed away, so are waiting to hear about further arrangements. RIP Grandad Mike.