We are on our way!

Belated Christmas and New Year greetings to you all

We had a very peaceful and relaxing Christmas with Janet’s sister. Her brother then arrived before New Year and the four of us celebrated together for the first time since 2000. How the years fly past!

We have toured the island extensively, seen new places and some we have visited previously. It is a lot greener after the November rains and very pretty, especially in the mountains. Touring is certainly more pleasant in the cooler weather although it has been very windy which has not been fun, especially along the southern coast. However, we are not complaining as these are the trade winds we want!

Good Company is ready to go and we leave tomorrow, Sunday. The engine leg has been repaired, the sails checked, the dinghy has been deflated and stowed on the deck for this trip, the provisions have been purchased and the jack lines have been secured. Our fourth crew member, George arrived safely on Thursday evening although somewhat jetlagged after a trip from Tennessee via Chicago and Dublin.

An update on the previous post: We are happy to say that Richard’s face has healed well and he now has a smooth complexion and his forehead doesn’t hurt when he frowns!

Apologies for the short report, but the busier one is the less time one has to write! We will keep you posted on our progress across the ocean and give you a more detailed account when we reach the other side.

Some photos from our island trips:

1.       Roque Nueblo taken from Roque Bentaiga

2.       View looking south from Bentaiga

3.       Caves in the Barranco de Guayadeque near Aguime

4.       House in Las Palmas where Christopher Columbus is claimed to have stayed in 1492 while having his ship repaired

5.       Elaine, Derek and Janet

6.       Looking down onto the town from Montana de Arucas on a hazy day. The ‘montana’ is a volcanic peak

7.       The attractive tiled mural in the restaurant where we had delicious local soup in Tejeda

8.       Looking down on the terraced fields from Tejeda

9.       View of the Barranco Fataga

10.   Richard zoomed in to get a photo of the dunes at Maspalomas from the same viewpoint above