Island hopping in the Canary islands (NO TRANSAT)
NO ATLANTIC CROSSING/NO HAY CRUCE DEL ATLÁNTICO/PAS DE TRAVERSÉE DE L'ATLANTIQUE/KEINE ATLANTIKÜBERQUERUNG
Sorry for the capital letters, but its kind of necessary to save the time of both me and folks looking for a crossing :)
So, after a summer in the Mediterranean, I made it down to the Canary islands in October. I am currently in Arrecife, Lanzarote, where I will be spending christmas and new years.
In January I will be heading west towards La Palma, where I plan to haul out for a year in order to go back home to fill my coffers.
I dont have a tight schedule, and apart from wanting to visit Gran Canaria and Tenerife on the way, I dont have any specific plans.
The way I've done it so far is that we share marina fees and fuel expenses, and by our own food and drinks. My boat is pretty small, so marinas around here usually arent that expensive (<20€).
I pay for maintenance etc, but you will be expected to help out. If you break something by accident, I generally dont charge for it, as long as you werent being negligent.
Speaking of size; make sure you understand how small a maxi 68 is by looking at photos etc. It is more than seaworthy enough, but it lacks some of the comforts found on bigger boats. 68 means 6,8m, eg 22ft. And for that reason, I do not take more than one person at a time.
I prefer if you have experience, but if not, then its mostly gonna be daysails anyway. Do keep in mind that teaching people from scratch is a lot of work, and I dont run free weekend courses.
Apart from that, I am an introvert, and require some alone time. Ive got both a folding bike and a dinghy, so with my previous crewmembers, we've sort of just done our own things when in marinas. One day id go hiking, and the other day the crewmember would explore the city by bike, while I chill in the boat.
The gear aboard is as follows:
* PLB (emergency transponder)
* VHF (handheld)
* 250cm inflatable dinghy
* Raymarine axiom chartplotter
* Raymarine st2000+ autopilot
* Sheet to tiller self steering
* 2x spinlock self-inflating deckvests with tethers
* Jacklines on deck and attachment ring in cockpit
* Radar reflector
* Rockets, flares etc
* Liferaft (expired, looking for a new one)
* Lifepo4 battery bank, usb sockets, lots of solar
* Bimini
* Lifeline
* 2x anchors
* Porta potti
* 50L water cans
* Fire extinguisher
Sails & propulsion:
* 2 x genoas (1&2)
* 1x main with 2 reefs
* 1x blade jib
* 1x storm jib
* Electric main engine (outboard, haswing protruar 3.0 12V 200Ah battery)
* Mariner 2 stroke 5hp gas outboard, short shaft. Mainly for dinghy, but works on flat water.
And a gas stove, plates, blankets and lots of tools.
I always do a video call on whatsapp/insta first, and then a night in a marina + coastal hopping the first day.
You have to provide someone you trust with my contact information and travel plans, and I will do the same with your info. If for any reason you should wish to disembark, at any point, that is totally fine, and we'll head for the closest viable port/marina immediately.
One more thing to note is that I am documenting my journey with both film and pictures, and you have to be okay with that. If you have a hard drive with you, I'm more than happy to give you a copy before you leave.
Apart from that; you can smoke tobacco as long as its done outside. I dont drink, but dont mind if you do, as long as we're in port/safely anchored. If you do other stuff, then thats your business, as long as its not aboard my vessel.
And finally; my languages are English and Norwegian. I also understand all nordic languages except for Finnish, and I'm currently studying Spanish for a few hours a day, so I can get by if need be.
Thats all for this ad, dont hesitate to ask, should you have any questions!
Fair winds!
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