A hop skip and a boat ride away

We have just returned to our boat after a few weeks in the UK visiting family.  Although everyone is being polite I know my girls and Mum are deeply anxious about the next few weeks.

DON'T THINK YOU WILL GET OFF THAT EASILY, I WILL BE BACK!

We are just checking systems and carrying out the routine repairs before we go on the next leg of our adventure. Tristan has serviced the bilge pump, again, and I am applying yet more coats of varnish, again.....the usual! Tristan fitted the AIS after a lot of cursing and two aerials later, but we can now find out which boats are on a collision course with us!

We have started provisioning the boat (yet again) for the crossing and had planned to sail down to La Gomera to pick up Kela, Tristan's sister.  The usual happened, winds went contrary and it looked like we were going to have southerlies for  the next week.

Kela stayed on the ferry and has joined us on La Palma for the week.

Today, just as we'd started to walk up the cliff face in Puerto Tazacorte to Mirador del Time, the winds started gusting from the south liberating their Sahara dust. It was challenging enough going up (well for me, not tigger Radleigh-Smith), and was also difficult to breathe but then walked down again!

The one thing I should mention about my wonderful sister-in-law, is that she eats anything growing wild. The trees in the park have been shook, and the black berries eaten. The prickly pears....well what can I say.


'Now when you pick a pawpaw
Or a prickly pear
And you prick a raw paw
Next time beware
Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw
When you pick a pear
Try to use the claw
But you don't need to use the claw
When you pick a pear of the big pawpaw'

I am not sure what we will be eating later on this week but if the blog ends here, you know we shouldn't have been!

'Have I given you a clue ?'

Going around in circles

Its been a while since I posted mainly because we have been hiding in the best anchorage we have found so far, exhausted.

We sailed upwind from Tazacorte,La Palma,  several weeks ago and Meriva was 'sweating' but has since calmed down.  It was a lively sail and true to form, Meriva performed like a witch on a broomstick.....both of us felt seasick and I had to resort to Scopoderm.....best thing I have tried yet but no halluciations!

It took several weeks for Meriva to take up properly after her improvements but its nice not to hear the constant sound of a bilge pump and we felt relieved  that all the hard work paid off.

We anchored off  Playa Francesa,  Isla Graciosa which  was  beautiful and everything everyone has told us. Tranquil, no tarmac roads, very few vehicles, deserted, flat with volcanic cones and pure bliss.

A stroll into town took about an hour over baking hot sand dunes and sandy trails. The town is a step back in town but scratch under the surface and it has everything you need.

The anchorage was a fantastic atmosphere with most of the cruisers  coming together for 'sundowners' on the beach most evenings! Its a good job the drinkable wine is only just over a euro a bottle, and we all have the ability to make up  palatable food out of nothing! We met some wonderful people and look forward to meeting up again on our travels.

Our stay at Graciosa was just what we needed but the challenges of calcified  pipes to the holding tank was not. Needless to say the freshwater didn't last as long as we had hoped due to all the cleaning up.

We sailed off  to Arrecife with a list of jobs to do and to meet Marie, Tristan's Mum, who joined us for a while. This gave us an excuse to do the tourist thing and we embraced the opportunity to cover the life and works of Cesar Manrique, an amazing man who's contribution to sustainable living on Lanzarote is remarkable.

Marie was keen to go sailing........so we waited until the  weather was right, which is frustrating to anyone except those who have experienced what happens when the weather is not right.

We had a wonderful sail, complete with dolphins and the latest crew member, 'supernewmarie'.

How come we never normally have such pleasant sails? I know the answer ......we need wind, but I protest we were still doing 7 knots even with very little wind. How much wind does a man need!

We returned to Arrecife with a few more repairs to carry out. The alternator bracket had sheered so we had a welding job to source.  Speaking to many cruisers, its part to sailing but it would be a pleasant trip not to have to carry out a repair at the end of it.

My friends Jo and Andy flew out to La Palma so we sailed back to Puerto Tazacorte. That was another blustering sail.....which I thoroughly enjoyed (after the first 12 hours). I am having trouble overcoming seasickness at the moment which is hard on Tristan as well. I seem to  recover after 12 hours of hell  but a two day sail means you only just get use to sailing again.

Andy saw us approach La Palma at 5 am .....apparently we looked like a 'Chistmas tree'  as all lights were on to drop the sails.

It was lovely to see Jo and Andy again and we have had a good time touring around La Palma. We had a fantastic extended lunch at their beautiful casa overlooking the sea,  and a swim in the coldest swimming pool since we left the UK!

 Yesterday was spent in La Cumbrecita which was breath taking, literally and it is really hard to take on board the size of the Caldera.

Yardies

Well, we are still working! Each week we optimistically think we will be back in the water 'next week', and for each week we are out of the water Tristan reckons we have another days work re-caulking the boat.....What with corrective surgery to her droopy bottom and tight seams, she'll sail like a teenager again!

Seams recaulked this time!

We covered the boat in banana netting which helped reduce the temperature. All sides were covered with it and sheets and towels in the gaps. It also gave us some respite from the heat of the day.  It's not been easy in the boat yard.....mainly due to lack of toilets facilities without a mile hike, which takes a bit of planning!

The yard staff and Marineros however have been brilliant and have given Tristan help and guidance for obtaining materials, above and beyond. They also have brightened our day when the drudge of  drilling holes in the keel has laid us low in spirits.

Tristan found a brilliant metal working shop who have  cut the threads on our new aluminium bronze bar......it was far too hard to cut by hand which had been the original plan. All the bolts in the keel were replaced as we found many had fractured beneath the gripe.

The yard was full of anti-fouling dust and somedays we felt decidedly ill with copper poisoning, though we made plenty of dust ourselves with all the iroko Tristan was cutting. I spent most of my time cleaning up the mess. One guy refused to clean up under his boat, so we did it for him each night in an attempt to reduce the blue dust. I'm sure our lungs have suffered and we have both been ill with hacking coughs.

Tristan has fabricated new floors from several monstrous bits of iroko, much to everyone's interest. To think I was told not to bring  many clothes as the boat would be too heavy!















 I'm taking out a wager as to where her new waterline will be!


We have two new floors which should stop the movement along with new keel bolts and extra keel bolts.

The new floors look like they have always been there. Tristan now has the task of redesigning the shower, toilet, hanging locker  and floor to fit around them.


I can't wait to decommission the bucket!

Unfortunately I can now lay in bed an look at the stars through the sides of the boat...... goes back to my  first post. ' they went to sea in a sieve they did'. I hope this time she has dried out enough that once re-caulked she will stay dry and behave like a 'proper boat' and not an incontinent old lady, otherwise its on with the copper nappies. We have had plenty of stray comments...'fancy taking a wooden boat out in the Canaries'......we had no choice but we did take every precaution to ensure she was protected from the heat.

Interestingly the recaulking was in a different place to seams we had previously done. Again the old caulking had disintegrated and was in need of replacement. I'm not sure whether the holes in the boat were an open invite for out 'visitors' but we had German cockroaches take up residence....somewhere! Its funny they are known locally as English cockroaches .....'cos once you have them they are difficult to get rid of!

The Marina has a very good pest management plan so they sent someone round to 'flush them out'....I vacated the boat whilst this was done, and we spent the night in an apartment in Peurto Tazacorte.  I am getting braver at catching them. The pesticide firm came on board a couple of days ago and laid cockroache gel.....its working the only ones I have seen for a few days  have been on their backs waving their feet around.

Yet again, Meriva had her topsides painted and more anitfouling. We have found that International Micron Extra is working really well, and although it has cost a lot to order it in the Canaries, it is well worth the expense.

We relaunched  on the 30th July.....two very nervous sailors!  The Marineros were brilliant and we sat in the slings for a few hours. The bilge pump went off every 6 minutes, 8 minutes, 10 minutes for several hours.  Tristan was frantically searching for leaks but we only had two!

BEFORE LEAKS SUSPECTED

AFTER LEAKS FOUND

Both seams had been recaulked and eventually we  motored onto the pontoon confident that we could manage the leaks until they took up.


And they did!











It took two days before the bilge pump stopped going off and fingers crossed everything is going well.
We still have to do sea trials but until the order has been restored and toilet secured we are enjoying being afloat and spending time with other cruisers.

I must say the kindness of fellow cruisers has been greatly appreciated, especially 'Curry night' with Miriam and Roger on Maestro. We had a fantastic time when they joined us as Yardies before they left for Holland.

Droopy Bottom

After a few weeks identifying the problem and consulting with the experts.....we have now decided that at the grand age of 47, Meriva needs corrective surgery to her bottom.


I flew back to the UK to see my beautiful daughters, granddaughters and Mum, and to collect the necessary parts to restore our boat to its former glory.

Every night Tristan would Skype to say he had just ordered something that was 'really essential'!  In the mean time, poor Lucy's house was filling up and I was having nightmares as to how I was going to get back with over 40kg of bronze bolts, white lead and white microfibres.....not to mention the electrical components, English tea, and  a years supply of contact lens.

I had to email the airlines and double check they were happy with the goods for our 'boat in transit'.  I must say Easyjet  were brilliant, but I had to fly back via Tenerife as  the airline that flies  into La Palma wouldn't let me take excess baggage.

It was a  opportunity for me to catch up with a good friend, Ed  at the Atlantic Whale Foundation in Tenerife, who fortunately arrived the day before me. I spent three days there and sat on the Enterprise board.....a scheme to support budding young entrepreneurs.

I caught the ferry from Tenerife back to La Palma and Tristan hired a car to get me and the excessive baggage back to Tazacorte.
I would thoroughly recommend the ferry crossings to anyone... its a fun way of getting around the islands.....and as far as I am aware their boats don't leak!

We had resisted hiring a car, insisting on using buses, but you can't get to the 'best bits' of the island.  We gave ourselves a 'day off'  before the hard work and toured the island.

The highest part of La Palma is Roque de los  Munchachos,  2423m......overlooking the Caldera de Taburiente.....absolutely stunning views across the Cumbre Vieja, Los Llanos and Tazacorte and  over to the islands of Tenerife, La Gomera and El Hierro.

The flora was spectacular and fragrant, with  several  varieties of Echium.

At the top of the mountain you have some of the best  observatories in the world including Galileo.

Remote controlled travel hoist

We took Meriva out of the water a week ago......our priority being to create shade to stop any planks opening up in the heat. I have used up all our towels, spare sheets and duvet covers.

Banana netting seems to work well, but we are aware that wooden boats and sunshine don't mix.

Tristan has managed to remove part of the wooden keel below the garboard and scarf joint.

Some of the bolts had sheered but we have replacements. The aim is to reinforce the keel to reduce movement and put in extra throat bolts for the strap floors, replace all bronze bolts and put in the white lead between the scarf joint and keel using our specially manufactured hollow screw with grease nipple!

This is a lot of work but its part and parcel of having a beautiful wooden boat......and a wooden boat builder for a husband!

The keel was successfully removed without any damage to the wood which saves some time.








Tristan has spent a few days pumping the white lead into  holes drilled carefully into the  keel....and it has worked brilliantly.

His only problem was the white lead contained red lead crystals and they blocked the grease nipple so it has been time consuming and a lot of bad language emanated out of the heads!













Our plans for the next few days.......making patterns for the new floors to strengthen the boat for and aft of the mast, cut and shape the wood (easily obtainable in La Palma), rebolt on the keel and repair the garboard. May take a bit longer than a few days....depends on how much sleep Tristan gets!

Before  Meriva is launched we will need to recaulk more seams but this is going to be ongoing and hopefully once we get sailing again this should begin to stabilise.

Some people go sailing, mainly those with fibreglass boats.....we spend more time in boat yards!   We are the yardies!

Somewhere on our travels we came across 'dinner' feeding on fennel!

A hollow screw with a grease nipple

Each day we are further along solving the ongoing 'maintenance' issues. Tristan has been scrutinizing blueprints and removing floors, measuring up for replacement bolts. By the time we finish this boat will be stronger than new.  I will fly back to the UK to see my family and pick up our 'survival' kit......but in the meantime we have been enjoying La Palma.

We took a bus to Tijarafe and walked down the old path through the Barranco Jorabo to El Jesus.

To town of Tijarafe , like many of the towns had wonderful buildings,mainly around the church.





We came across this place with a cage and a cross and both wished we hadn't watched
 ' Being Human'.










The descent down into the barranco was steep but you are either walking up hill or down on this island.

   













The flowers were beautiful and although there is commonality between islands, each island has its own outstanding 'beauties'.

There were no photographs taken between these two sites as  we had to walk under the rock face ......with warning signs of falling rocks, so I didn't hang around and they all came out blurred.









At the end of the walk we found an Artisan Brewery. I felt I needed to carry out a taste comparison of the beers locally brewed! Blonde bitter won.

Going into Los Llanos sourcing materials and in particular finding bolts for the 'essential wooden boat builder's tool', a hollow screw with a grease nipple, was  a challenge! But well provided for with Ferriteria's and machine shops. We bought the screws ans had them drilled out.

Now all we need is white lead putty.....not available in the Canary Islands! Then we can stop the water ingress.

The Jacaranda trees are all in flower with their   beautiful deep blue colours.



Everywhere around this island are bananas squeezed into any spot of land without a building!

Los Llanos is  a pretty town and we usually take the opportunity to walk down hill, back to the boat.






I think I am the source of some despair......I know where I want to go and usually we get there but I cant always give precise detail on how to get there! Mainly because my Spanish isn't up it!

We took  several buses to El Paso, well just beyond and got off at the Vistor's centre of the Caldera de Taburiente.

There are several really interesting boards with details of walks around the Caldera de Taburiente and the flora, fauna and geological formation of the Caldera. We now have to seriously plan our walks into the National Park......not just turn up.












We walked from the centre back down to El Paso, avoiding the roads where possible. The path took us past a field of bulls, so Tristan was instructed to avoid eye contact!

 The path took us down to an area known as  Fondo de la Laguna (the bottom of the lake). From here you could see the ridge that divided the north from the south of the island, the Cumbre Nueva, and to the south the Cumbre Vieja which is the site of the most recent volcanic activity.





   

The Eucalyptus smelt wonderful reminded me of sailing into Bayona.
In  one of the villages we came across the trough of Las Canales which was used for watering cattle.  We had run out of water  and were desperate to fill out water bottles but the sign was 'not potable' so we decided not to risk it this time......it looked a bit green.
 






The villages are beautiful, picture postcard  houses and Fincas with all manner of fruits and vegetables being grown.

We found an abandoned water channel for a picnic, with stunning views.

 A tranquil setting disturbed only by the scrapping of two lizards who very viscous with each other and came too close for comfort.



The winner stood his ground proud but alert.