Fuerteventura

Fuerteventura as seen from Lanzarote

The island of Fuerteventura had been on our horizon since we arrived at Marina Rubicon several weeks previously. Although just seven miles away, it had always appeared as a hazy set of mountains in the distance, but just for a day or two, the haze cleared and the island became clearly visible, right down to a white strip of beach in the distance. Dallas and Helen joined us for the sail across.

Helen & Katie on way to Isla Lobos

anchored off Isla de Lobos, Corralejo behind

We first went to the offlying island ‘Isla de Lobos’, that had been recommended to us. It didn’t seem immediately enticing as we sailed along the eastern shore – waves were breaking well offshore of the lighthouse, and the coastline looked rocky and unapproachable. But as we came round the southern tip of the island, a little sheltered bay appeared and we picked up one of the empty mooring buoys.  

This turned out to be one of our favourite places so far. The water was the clearest pale blue and we could see the sand below us. When we threw our lunch crumbs overboard, the boat was immediately surrounded by shoals of fish and the water resounded with splashes as they fought for the bread. Dallas was the first to jump in and swim with them, and Katie wasn’t far behind – with her snorkel and new Christmas flippers!

Fish around the boat, Isla de Lobos

Katie in her new flippers

Ashore, a lagoon surrounded by a long white sandy beach beckoned to us. The entrance was cut off by a reef of breaking water, which I was too nervous to cross in the dinghy. Dave dropped us on the pier and Helen & I walked around with the children while Dallas (in the kayak) and Dave (in the dinghy) rowed safely through the surf!

We had a lovely few hours paddling and splashing in the water. Katie snorkelled out across the lagoon, with me following in the kayak. There were so many big fish out near the reef that Katie was convinced they were trying to eat her and suddenly clambered into the kayak with me!

Playing in the lagoon, Isla de Lobos

The anchorage was busy in the day, as trip boats plied back and forth bringing visitors from nearby Corralejo, and charter boats dropped anchor to let their passengers jump in for a swim. But, at 4 o’clock, the last trip boat left and the place was ours!

The sun was setting by the time we were ready to leave, and the reef was completely high and dry. We rowed across the lagoon until we touched bottom, then had to carry the dinghy and kayak over the rocks before climbing in again on the other side. A real adventure!

carrying the dinghy over the reef

We spent two days anchored off Isla de Lobos, and were joined by our friends on ‘Magic Dragon’. The children enjoyed playing in the water together, and rowing around in the kayak and dinghies. Katie and I snorkelled right out to the reef, where we saw some incredible coloured fish.

Reuben even got brave enough to climb down the ladder into the water for the first time (with a little coaxing from Dave!), and swam around the boat in a lifering!

into the water, Isla de Lobos

Reuben gets brave

Reuben swimming round the boat

Helen in the lifering!

There were no shops on the island, so we made our own bread one day, and luckily Dallas managed to catch us a couple of fish for our tea!

home-made bread

Dallas caught our tea

We walked across the island to the lighthouse at the northern tip. It was a very hot walk across almost barren land. We passed a tiny settlement on the eastern side of the island, where a handful of people still live, and a small restaurant is the only nod to tourism. Otherwise nothing but rocks, more rocks, and the remains of several circular stone structures – for cooking or fish-drying perhaps?

Walk across Isla Lobos

Stone circles, Isla de Lobos

We had to cool down in the sea when we got there, and then the children got their art books out to do their bit of school for the day! Dallas gave Katie lots of good tips about perspective and contrast for her sketch of the lighthouse. We walked back along a different path through the middle of the island, and actually found some patches of green foliage.

Cooling down at the top of the island

Art session

Some greenery on Isla de Lobos

When it was time for Dallas and Helen to fly back, we crossed to ‘mainland’ Fuerteventura, and anchored off the town of Corralejo. This is a busy holiday resort, with a selection of white sandy beaches. We could sit at a beachside café enjoying a drink, and the free wifi, while the children played on the beach next to us, and all with the backdrop of our boat bobbing at anchor!

Helen at beachside cafe, Corralejo

Reuben & Sol on Corralejo beach

Here we heard that a date had been fixed for Mike McCabe’s funeral. We accordingly booked flights back and sailed down the island to Gran Tarajal, where we could leave the boat safely in a marina.

Thanks to everyone for their best wishes about Dave’s Dad. Despite the sad circumstances, it was lovely to see everybody again. We loved the heated shed (thanks again Clare) and the children enjoyed catching up with their friends, and even had a day each at school.

It was Reuben’s first experience on an aeroplane, and Katie’s first time that she could remember, and they loved looking down on the clouds out of the window but, as Reuben noted after three hours in his seat, ‘This is boring!’

We certainly appreciated the warm weather when we got back. It has been a constant 20 degrees centigrade since we arrived, with no rain at all for two months. A far cry from the UK this winter…

From this...

....to this!

We spent another week in Gran Tarajal, which is the least touristy place we have been to in the Canary Isles so far. The town was small and basic but had a real Spanish feel to it. It came to life in the evenings, when all the locals seemed to congregate along the seafront and in the bars, while the children played on the promenade – bikes, scooters, and footballs all came out.

whale skeleton at Gran Tarajal

The waterfront featured a whale skeleton and lots of stone carvings, and there were incredible murals throughout the town. An octopus, a camel, various fish and treasure chests, Father Neptune, a pirate skeleton - it seemed as if every bare white wall had been decorated with some clever artwork!

Murals in Gran Tarajal

The town also had the first black sandy beach we had come across. The sand was really soft and fine, but after playing a while, the kids looked filthy! The beach was enormous, and we had hours of fun playing in the waves and practising hitting tennis balls. The locals made good use of it too – rows of towels lined the beach at weekends and the local kids headed into the water with bodyboards.

Looking dirty from black sand

Our friends on ‘Magic Dragon’ sailed down to meet us, as we would be parting ways from here. We had a great few days with them.

Meadow showed Katie how to make ‘sandballs’ while the boys made go-karts and volcanoes in the sand. On the boat, the boys played at swordfighting while Katie taught Meadow how to crochet, and the girls baked cakes for us one evening. Who thinks that gender bias is a figment of the imagination?

They did, however, ALL love splashing in the sea and climbing up the mast!

Meadow with her 'sandballs'

Reuben & Sol with sand 'volcanoes'

Meadow & Katie's cakes. Looked good but rather solid!

Shell sale on beach, Gran Tarajal

We all hiked across the mountains to the next resort called las Playitas. It was about three miles up and down hot and dusty tracks, but the children were happy in each others’ company, and not a word of complaint was heard (except for who should be team leader, which we alternated)! As this was a ‘school’ outing, we stopped at the summit for the children to draw a picture.

Mountain hike to las Playitas

Drawing at the summit

The kids were looking forward to an ice cream when we got there, but we found the whole place was a resort for fitness fanatics, and instead of sunbeds, there were a whole array of exercise classes in action! A refreshing change from the usual ‘Brits-on-holiday’ resort. And we did find an ice lolly in the minimart to keep the kids happy!

We also had a daytrip on the bus to Morro Jable, on the southern coast of the island. This is a fishing harbour and large resort at one end of a ten-mile long stretch of white sandy beach. The promenade at one point was lined with a tall wall, and chipmunks were living in little holes in the masonry. The children were fascinated watching them scuttle up the wall, and even more delighted to find they were tame enough to take nuts from their hands.

'By 'ecchia', that's a big one! 

Chipmunks eating from the childrens' fingers

This is where Fuerteventura lives up to its name, which literally means ‘strong winds’. Morro Jable is in one of the ‘acceleration zones’ around the islands, where the wind gets funnelled around the mountains and blows up to three times more strongly. The kids were happy jumping in the waves and rolling down the sand dunes, but we found that our legs were getting sand-blasted on the beach. It was a fantastic place to fly the kite, however, and we finally managed to get our stunt kite airborne.

Running down sand dunes, Morro Jable

Children at Morro Jable beach

After a final day as boat neighbours, ‘Magic Dragon’ headed north back to Corralejo. We spent one last day in Gran Tarajal, in the company of an energetic lone lady sailor from Belgium. Her boat was currently hauled out, and she was debating the best course of action after finding a small hole in the (steel) hull. Despite her worries, she found time to chase our children round the beach and enjoy an impromptu lunch with us and a German sailor, as we all watched the local ‘fiesta de la candelaria’. This seemed to consist of an effigy of ‘our lady of the candles’ leading a religious procession around the town, followed by music from a sombrero-wearing singer. All good fun!

lunch with fellow cruisers

The following day, we continued on our travels. We first sailed the twenty miles to Morro Jable, then from there across to Gran Canaria. We are now hoping to catch a couple of the Carnivals that will be taking place here and in Tenerife over the next few weeks.

As we head west through the islands, the topography will change. From barren mountainous landscapes, we will come to greener, more lush countryside, particularly in the north of the islands, where the tall mountains catch the clouds. We may even, dare I say it, get some rain!!

Katie's map

By the way, Dave now has a new gadget on board – an AIS. Should anybody be interested, you can look up the Ros Ailither on vesselfinder.com. It will show our last known position if in harbour, and if sailing, should show our actual position, along with speed and course. Clever stuff!