Hisse et oh!

After a couple months away from the boat, I came back in Tenerife at the end of september. After a month working on the boat doing maintenance - I have also enjoyed the the 33degree air and 24degree sea in October - it is now time to put the sails up.

I fixed the sails, sanded all the external wood bits and applied oil de teca wood, done a normal diesel engine maintenance and got together all products to paint the hull. Thanks Pascal, Kiwi, Helmut, Raul, Saul, Armiche and Jose for your help.

We will be leaving Las Galletas in the night from Wednesday to Thursday.

The destination : where the wind take us, that would be carribean! so not really. Lets see that soon...

We are going with 2 "patron de embarcacion de recreacion" and Nico a French guy I met in Las Galletas who does not know anything about cruse sailing, but he is a good chef!

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain

The trip idea

Before I left Brighton, Olivier told me that if I was buying a sailing boat, he was going to flight here to sail together... We both made it!

With 2 French friends from Brighton and Tortsen.

Vincent, alias Vince

We are not sure where he comes from ! He loves Paris but spent his teenager (he is still) time in Nantes. I met him in Brighton through Noemie.

Olivier alias Oliv

Originally from Britanny the well known French sailors region, I met him in one of those Brighton Pub through Vince. He sails since he is young with his parents and also teached sailing to kids back in France. He now works in Brighton. I especially now him well for loving drinking Pastis. Not being able to drink this beverage in UK he keeps the alcools balance in his body drinking even more beers ! I would make a big loss if I was not mentioning the fac the lived in the baggies backpackers for one year. Bear it it mind….

Little story

Walking around Mogan's harbour we met Joe, a girl he used to live with in the Baggies packpackers. She was working on a boat. She introduced us to Simon, the boat's skipper who came the following day onboard to sail with Oliv and I. We spent the rest of our week with them.

We have not got many photos from this trip, the only camera onboard during this trip went capout very early

Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

on the way back from La Gomera we sailed down the western coast of Tenerife

Same album as La Gomera, (starting just after the tatoo photo)

La Gomera, Canary Islands, Spain

About the trip

It has been three weeks now since I moved on the Chavelazo in the Marina del Sur of Las Galletas, it is now time to put the sails up. One evening I invited two friends on the boat to talk about my wish of going to La Gomera in the next couple days. Two days later we were on the sailing boat for a learning time on the boat wich appeared to be a sportive boat full of caracter. (a ex-boat’s owner freind said earlier that it was a good thing that this boat was going to be handed by a young person…)

The first idea was to go for two days, sleeping in La Gomera and coming back straight away the next day. Quickly it came up as an idea almost impossible and also stupid… Indeed, what a shame to go there coming back the next day without having done any visit. We would have not discovered anything about this mythic Island where Christopher Colomb used to come frequently. Before we left we finally planed to go on a 3 day basis.

Once there, we understood that the trip will definitley last longer than 3 days… In total we travelled for seven days discovering Tenerife West coast on the way back to Las Galletas.


With 2 German friends from Camping Nauta

Tortsen

Met in the camping Nauta where I stayed during my first weeks in Tenerife, this 38 years old German guy has been travelling for many years. During a little cathering in the camping we talked about the fact I was buying a sailing boat. In the mean while he told me he had a lisence for spanish flag. (what a luck the one I am looking at as a spanish flag too). However, he has a very little experience. He helped me a lot while I moved from camping to the Marina and still now. A good shap !

Helmut

This twice older man than me this year comes from the East Berlin. He lived in Berlin during the wall time. The high level sport gave him the liberty keys. I also met the sun hunter in the camping Nauta. My neighbour on the campsite, he will quickly become my trip mate. We mainly made an unforgetable trecking on the Teide _ Tenerife, hightest point of Spain wich reaches 3718m above the sea level. He is very keen on on this trip idea, he is actually looking for a boat for sale. He intends to buy a boat and live in the Canary Islands.


Little story

During our stay in the Marina of San sebastian (the capital), Helmut flashed on a 8m catamaran for sale. It is now his boat and it is next to Chavelazo in Las Galletas!

Camping onboard

If you have not got the luck to sleep in the master bedroom which gives you a sky view from the bed, you can still do like Helmut. This “belle etoile” lover made it; he pumped up his inflatable for a night with the stars!

Solar pannel & invertor

Solar panels are very handy when you stay in a mooring on for long cruise. No need to be plugged in anywhere, a simple sun ray makes charge up your batteries. That provide you with 12v DC. Right, cameras, mobile phones, laptops work under 230v AC… Then you need a convertor! That makes life so much easier on board. You can therefore charge up your shaver!

VHF & GPS

The GPS is now an equipment you can hardly do without. We actually done our first trip to La Gomera without it, we almost missed the island; we were on the way to Caribbean then! To be used in conjunction with the charts of course.

Regarding the VHF radio, you have not got the choice really, by law you have to get one on board.

Automatic Pilot

If I had to say one word to describe the automatic pilot, that would be indispensable. Helmut can tell you, he likes to be in charge of the boat steer… You can do so many things when the Automatic pilot is on...

Crew safety

This not only for the shot! well... we will say depending on sea conditions!

Sun set spot

The harbour entrance faces West, as a consequence we have an open view on the sea and the daily sun set. The is an other most of this location.

With view on the Teide

An other good point about that location is on clear days (almost every day, if Noemie is not here!), you can watch the wonderful Teide and its snow caped pick! This is a stunning location!

Las Galletas

Well this is a little fishing village which did not have a harbour still 3 years ago. There is not much to do but at least when the island is overcast, good chance you will find a blue sky in Las Galletas.

Its close location from Tenerife South international aiport make the access very easy.

Mooring in Marina del Sur

To Explain quickly, the mooring is a free process which consists in leaving the boat in the Marina area without being accoted to a punton. But the boat is within a protect water area (no big courrents or waves). Basically in the bottom of the sea, there are big weights with hooks. You just need to hook them up with a chain. At the other end of the chain, a long string where you will lock the boat.

I first checked out to find 4 weights doing a bit of scubadiving and then I got my deep dives monitor to fix my chains at the bottom of the sea.

The only negative point is that we do not have benefice of facilities that the Marina provides us paying 450€ per month for a 10m boat (350€ paying 6 months in advance, in Las Galletas).

As a consequence, no water, electriciy, shower and toilets !!! you can do without when you know you can save up to 350€ per month and also when the temperature reaches 24degree celcius in March!

Chavelazo makes surprise

We meant to stay in a tente in the camping Nauta for the week end when Noemie flew to Tenerife. At least that what she thought :-)

Boat warming party

As a new place where you have just moved in, you need to celebrate it. I can tell you it was not the big party but yes we did a boat warming party to wish good wind to the boat! A bit of red wine, some chorizo and grilled sardine (outside coz it smells like… fish!) from Marie Flor ,with my German friends met during my stay at the camping Nauta in Las Galletas. And that was it really but enough to make every one happy on this 25^th Februery 2009… I'm gonna remember for sure.

The Dinghy

The dinghy is simply called Aux Chavelazo. This is an inflatable dinghy so very light.

Its use : Once the ancre down, you need to be able to reach the land, then you will use the dinghy and your muscle which will activate the aluminium oars (well thery are now made of plastic, due to robbers... Accessory, there is a 4 horse engine which goes on. I use it to go on the beach every day from the mooring place as well.

Boat overview

Made of fibreglass, this 10,36m regatta sailing boat is 28 years old in 2009. The Italian make is Soleada and the type is 34 as her lengh of 34feet. On the balance she is proud to show people that she only weights 4,500Tons. On the deck we have got the big sail fixed and a brand new aluminium 10m (I reckon) mat and the genoa. The cokpit, well simple 2 lockers making seating benches in the mean time and a handy shower pipe. Walking down the internal stairs, you get the navigation desk on your left and the kitchen on your right hand side. Then one more step you walk in the dining/living area, which can be use as bedrooms at night time. Two more steps (yes the dining room is big) cupboard on your left and shower/WC/sink within 1m2 on your right. At the back you find the wooden varnished master double bedroom with a window with skyview. Officially 6 people can sleep on it, pratically the figure goes down by 1 or 2 I suppose. No spare room left unused !

Now you must have maid up your opinion so let’s have a look it it matches with the reallity. Following this link you will discover the Chavelazo bit by bit.

Buying process

Situe sur la Costa del Silencio, cote sud de Tenrife, Las Galletas est un petit village de pecheur. Ce petit coin de tranquilite est un des lieux les plus au sud des iles Canary. C est apres seulement 3 jours passe sur le sol Canariens que j ai rencontre le Chavlelazo et Jose son proprietaire septagenaire polyglotte - voici qui facilitera les affaires par la suite - plus apte physiquement a manoeuvrer le bateau. Raison pour laquelle il a vendu le bateau.

Apres un peu plus d un mois de negociation, j acquiere le bateau, pour partir vivre dessus le 25 fevrier 2009. Une date que je retiendrais sans aucun doute.

Le bateau est maintenant en moorings dans la Marina del Sur.