Lyn's Log, 21st October 2005
Madeira to Tenerife

Santa Cruz, Tenerife.
N28º28', W16º12'
3,578 miles.

We waited in Madeira for the good weather due by Monday 17th October and duly set off in the morning, but five miles out we had only a very light wind on the nose. We hung around for an hour or so and then decided we might as well return to the harbour for some sleep and try again later. By 6 p.m. it was blowing quite nicely and we set off again and continued. There were times when we touched 5 knots, but mostly it was nearer 3. I expect we motored for around 3 hours in total and averaged three and a half knots for the trip. It was about 80 miles to the Salvage Islands and another 80 to Tenerife. We passed the Salvages between midnight and 3 a.m. Wednesday, only able to make out their shapes in the moonlight (see pic), and arrived at Tenerife at midnight on the 20th. At least the nights were lit by a full moon. We had dolphins with us at various times, the last lot, just before Tenerife, were lit up by phosphorescence as they swam close to the yacht. I read another whole book!

Just round the extreme north-eastern point of Tenerife is an open anchorage between two high rocky points where we managed to anchor as described in our old pilot book. It was just as well, as when we tried to get the mainsail down it wouldn’t budge. We thought the halyard had jammed but it hadn’t. The top metal lug, with two shackles on it to the head of the mainsail, had half pulled out of the track. I think the shackles had been rubbing on the edges of the track, perhaps wearing them thin, and the lug had burred over the edge of the track as it had pulled out. Although it was past midnight, I had to climb to the top of the mast, up the 'wrong' side, in order to free it!