The village and harbor of Puerto Mogan
While sitting in the airport in Madrid en route to Paris from Gran Canaria this past Monday, I couldn’t help but marvel how quickly we got there by plane, compared to the months it took us to get from La Rochelle to the Canaries via Taka Trois. Are the two really comparable? Not really. Traveling on a sailboat is not about getting from A to Z quickly, it’s less of a means to an end and more about the journey itself and above all, it’s a lifestyle. One of the many things I’ve learned over the past few months is that despite its many, errr, 'challenges' shall we say, it’s a lifestyle we do enjoy and want to continue at least part of the time. For how much longer? Only God knows.
We left Taka Trois early Monday morning scrubbed from top to bottom, inside and out, tucked in for a four week rest in Puerto Mogan. We didn’t have much time to explore the island of Grand Canaria properly yet, but from what we can see, aside from the abundance of sun, it's not much more than a hot rock with a few nice beaches and an abundance of resorts. Las Palmas, the largest city in the Canaries, is a non-de-script metropolis, notable for its large harbor from where the famous ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers) left 10 days ago.
The little town of Puerto Mogan, however, is a real gem. Although it owes its livelihood mainly to tourism, it does so with a casual charm. The village is laid out with townhouse-style white buildings lining pedestrian streets overflowing with a riot of colorful bougainvilla, palm trees, and other local flora and fauna. It connects to the marina, fishing harbor and nearby beach by a series of whimsical archways and bridges which is why it as been dubbed "La Venecia de Canarias." Life is largely centered around the marina which is surrounded by restaurants and cafes where both locals and visitors relax and watch the cruisers like us scrub the decks of their yachts and inspect our laundry hanging out to dry in the sun.
We left Taka Trois early Monday morning scrubbed from top to bottom, inside and out, tucked in for a four week rest in Puerto Mogan. We didn’t have much time to explore the island of Grand Canaria properly yet, but from what we can see, aside from the abundance of sun, it's not much more than a hot rock with a few nice beaches and an abundance of resorts. Las Palmas, the largest city in the Canaries, is a non-de-script metropolis, notable for its large harbor from where the famous ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers) left 10 days ago.
The little town of Puerto Mogan, however, is a real gem. Although it owes its livelihood mainly to tourism, it does so with a casual charm. The village is laid out with townhouse-style white buildings lining pedestrian streets overflowing with a riot of colorful bougainvilla, palm trees, and other local flora and fauna. It connects to the marina, fishing harbor and nearby beach by a series of whimsical archways and bridges which is why it as been dubbed "La Venecia de Canarias." Life is largely centered around the marina which is surrounded by restaurants and cafes where both locals and visitors relax and watch the cruisers like us scrub the decks of their yachts and inspect our laundry hanging out to dry in the sun.
Puerto Mogan’s big advantage for us is that it is perfectly situated as a starting point to cross the Atlantic. We will return there on the 30th of December. our new crew member, Alan, arrives on the 1st of January and all things being well we will leave on the 4th. (Deep breath...) Before I have to face that challenge, I get to catch up with friends back home and spend Christmas with our family stateside.
So, I’ll be leaving this blog for the next few weeks, but will be back with ‘gale force’ early next year with details of our uncoming trip and more adventures. Meanwhile, we wish you and your loved ones a wonderful Christmas and many blessings in 2013.
So, I’ll be leaving this blog for the next few weeks, but will be back with ‘gale force’ early next year with details of our uncoming trip and more adventures. Meanwhile, we wish you and your loved ones a wonderful Christmas and many blessings in 2013.
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