Captains Log: Gibraltar to Lanzarote, Day 5

October 20th, Sunday at 11.00 am - 50 miles to go!

A big day yesterday, knocking off over 190 miles, we are on the home stretch. Our plan is to anchor here for the night before heading to the south end of Lanzarote to pick Cheryl up. Both of these spots are sheltered from the prevailing SE winds and swells.

October 20, Sunday 11.30 am - MacGyvering

The swell has dropped so we decided to try to get the Gennaker to come down (you my recall from a previous post that the halyard was twisted at the top of the mast and we could not get it down by hauling on it from the trampoline. It looked like to release it someone would have to go up the mast release the halyard from the head, untwist it and reattach. I wanted an alternative as I did not fancy going up the mast in a swell unless it was something critical. So I broke out my inner "MacGyver" and tried to come up with an alternative!

Yesterday we had run a line from the low friction fitting on the port bow (used for the Parasail line), through the bowline loop on both sheets, through the low friction fitting on the starboard bow and back to the winch. This exerted downward pressure on the sail. Then we just let the movement of the boat do the work. After an hour of bouncing around we might get the sail to come down six inches. Then tighten up the line that is pulling it downward. Repeat this 10 times. We felt we had enough slack for the final pull. So Stephen went up front to haul it down and i tightened the improvised downhaul. After a bit of effort, down it came. Me very happy. So we untwisted the halyard, looked perfect, reattached the sail head and hoisted it up. Surprisingly the twist reappeared so we stopped raising and took it back down! It seems the halyard line has an inherent twist in it. We tried pulling as much of the halyard line out as we could (stopping before the line disappears into the mast. When tensioned the twist came back. So I have put a bunch of counter twists on the halyard line pair and tied it off like this. When we get to anchor, we will hoist the halyard with a line attached to see if this did the trick. I'd like to get this 100% resolved before we cross the Atlantic in a month. Any ideas welcomed!

20 October, Sunday 1.30pm - 36 miles to go!

Surfing USA:

The wind and swell eased so while on the bow I was able to get some shots from the bow (without getting wet). It would have been more interesting yesterday when the swells were 3+ metres and the wind 30 knots, but I do not think that salt water and iPhones mix well. I need a waterproof camera. If only I had a birthday coming up (hint, hint).

Play the tune as you watch the videos.

The best place to be on watch, you can see forward and the sides and the chart plotter. Just remember to look back every few minutes incase a tanker doing 30 knots is coming to run you over!

20th October, Saturday 6.00pm - we are here

After 650 miles covered in four and a half days, it feels good to drop the anchor! The anchorage at Playa Francesa was surprisingly busy there must be 20 boats in the anchorage.

The scenery is very volcanic, it feels like you are landing the boat on the moon!

Cheryl's carrot soup and sandwich for dinner followed by a G&T, followed by happy exhaustion an sleep!

History snippet:

On October 18th, 1492, during his first voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus made repairs to his ships on the island of La Gomera in the Canaries before setting sail westward. The Canary Islands played a crucial role as a stop for provisions and repairs before Columbus’s historic crossing of the Atlantic, which eventually led to the European discovery of the Americas. La Gomera is one of the smaller more isolated islands in the Canaries.

MacGyver, a popular TV series that aired from 1985 to 1992, starred Richard Dean Anderson as Angus MacGyver, a resourceful secret agent known for solving complex problems using everyday objects. Rather than relying on weapons, MacGyver famously used his scientific knowledge and quick thinking to create improvised solutions, like turning a paperclip or duct tape into life-saving tools. The show became iconic for its inventive scenarios, and “MacGyvering” entered popular vocabulary to describe clever, makeshift problem-solving. The series is beloved for its positive messages, creativity, and emphasis on non-violent conflict resolution.