It is about 58 nautical miles and we leave early in the morning. There is no wind at all, so it will be a day on the engine. We leave the island of Fuerteventura and head for the east coast of the next island, Gran Canaria. We did not remove our dinghy from the water but hung it behind the boat. It is a sunny day and we are (well smeared against the sun) in our birth skin in the cockpit. We sail at a steady pace and halfway through the day we suddenly see dozens of dolphins swimming around the boat. They are small dolphins with a white belly and dark gray at the top. Some even jump out of the water for a moment. It remains a fantastic sight! In the Canary Islands you can see bottlenose dolphins, striped dolphins and spotted dolphins. We anchor in the middle of the bay of Playa de Arinaga, a fishing village with a boulevard and wide beach.

We are the only boat and as soon as we are well, we are doing a good beer with Spanish ham. Life is not so bad! We stay at anchor only one night here, tomorrow we will continue. Unfortunately for us, it turns out that we are rolling here again.

General info about Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria is an island of volcanic origin. This island is rounder in shape and has a very varied landscape; high bare rocks, mountains with beautiful green valleys, reservoirs (Barranco de Guayadeque), high dunes and caves. When you sail along this island you see the huge hotel and apartment complexes built against the rocks. The south coast is really a succession of seaside resorts that provide mass tourism, something we try to avoid as much as possible. This part is a rocky area with beach resorts and beaches. What is impressive from the water is the high dunes of Maspalomas. More in the middle of the island are nature areas with valleys with high palm trees and cave houses that are characteristic of this island. While walking you see many small salamanders in front of your feet shooting into the bushes. The highest mountain Pico de las Nieves is 1949 meters and here it is often cold, foggy and sometimes even snow falls. The Rochue Nublo is also very impressive to see. There is a volcanic crater near the vineyards of Tafira and the banana plantations at Arugas. And of course, do not forget the picturesque fishing village of Mogan. It is certainly worth a day renting a car to explore the island.
 
2017-05-07 Playa de Arinaga - Playa Las Meloneras, Gran Canaria
Today only a short-day sailing, 16 nautical miles or 4 hours sailing. We sail on foremast! Along the way we see a few fish farms (in the Spanish Ria's we regularly came across mussel beds) where we sail nicely around. We sail along the dunes of Maspalomas. A spectacular dune complex in the south of Gran Canaria where the proximity of the continent of Africa can be felt. These dunes are undoubtedly the biggest crowd puller among the thousands of tourists who come to Gran Canaria every year. It is a protected nature area of 5 square kilometres. These dunes would have acquired their current form by a tsunami that took place in the year 1755 after an earthquake. Sand grains have accumulated over the years due to the ever-present north-westerly wind. The golden sand consists of pulverized lime and shells with volcanic sand. It is a paradise for surfers and sunbathers. Our destination is the bay for Playa Las Meloneras, which lies just after the 55-meter-high lighthouse, El Faro de Maspalomas. The construction of this lighthouse was started in 1861, which ultimately lasted 28 years because the materials could only be supplied by sea. The light of the lighthouse was lit for the first time on 1 February 1890. The tower was the landmark for the steamers on the routes between Europe, Africa and America. In the bay where we drop our anchor, the jet skis sail back and forth. On the beach and against the rocks, huge large complexes of apartments have been built. We are a lot quieter here and have a good night's sleep to continue the next day.