Puerto de Las Nieves
Once awake we sorted ourselves out and decided to move on to Puerto Mogan or Puerto de Las Nieves depending on how far we got. I decided to fill up with diesel.
Stormbird has 2 tanks with 805 litres each. The engine and generator draw off the starboard tank and you transfer with a pump any fuel in the port tank to the starboard tank. 1,610 lts is quite a lot of fuel and so far we think she uses about 8 lts an hour at reasonable revs. Stormbird has a gori propeller which means it has two options – normal which is for heavy seas etc and you can go up to 2,500-3.000 revs if you have to. Otherwise gori option is a more efficient option in reasonable seas and it is faster with less revs. Maximum revs in gori is 1800 and we usually run about 1300 and this pushes her along at 7-7-5 kts. I had transferred fuel from the port to the starboard tank so that it was full and I filled up the port tank with 480 lts which is what we took. We had not filled up since Mezagon.
There was little wind so after refuelling we headed out and had to motor down the coast. Eventually after about 3 hours some wind came but it was not really enough but we used the genoa only and sailed slowly about 4 kts down the coast. It was relaxing and we were not in a hurry. We caught no fish but unfortunately the line caught a poorly marked lobster put and snapped. It is extremely annoying that fisherman put lobster pots everywhere and hardly mark them – some with a small plastic bottle or a tiny float. This is a menace to boats and you would have no chance of seeing them at night and they can get caught in your propeller or round you keel which makes if difficult.
We came to Puerto de Las Nieves (Puerto Agaete) about mid-afternoon which has a few pontoons for local boats and a small beach off which you can anchor. This previously used to be the island’s principal port bit it now a terminal for ferries linking with Tenerife. As we approached, we saw a ferry arriving and coming towards us at 30 kts. We let it go first.
Apart from the small ferry terminal this was a charming small fishing village with a short old pier and a stony black beach. The backdrop is spectacular with high cliffs and rock formations. It looked stunning and there were lots of people on the beach and swimming and jumping off the pier into the water. Ben obviously wanted to go ashore.
When we entered the harbour, we saw a line of buoys which had been put up to demarcate the beach and to allow the swimmers space. However, this had marked off a large area meaning there was little room to anchor especially as there was the large ferry in situ. It actually reverses in and you need to give it room to manoeuvre. There was no room at any of the pontoons and we had a debate.
We decided to try to anchor but to use two anchors -one at the front and the other at the back. This meant we could hopefully hold Stormbird in one position just near the buoys and so that she did not twist round on to the rocks nearby which were marked with a large green post. The second anchor (although we actually have a big delta as well) is a fortress anchor and it was in the lazarette. We had never used it. We got it out and it has 10 m of chain in a bag with it which we attached to the blue drum of 100m of line which sits on the rear step. We were also now using this for the first time.
The question was how to launch the second anchor as it is quite heavy. We decided to use a block and tackle on our crane. So we set out forward anchor and then reversed down the line we wanted paying out the front anchor chain as we went. When we got to where we wanted, we dropped the second anchor and motored forward taking in the front anchor chain again and paying out the rope at the stern (back) until we were about level and then tightened on both so we were sort of pinned fore and aft in the right position. It looked good.
Mark immediately dived in with his mask and snorkel and checked both anchors and all seemed fine as long as they held. In addition, if we did swing round, we should avoid the rocks which was a relief. When we anchor, we take what we call transits i.e. things lining up so that we can check for any movement. When checking the anchors Mark was rewarded by seeing a manta ray – quite a large one! In addition, when we were anchoring a swimmer told us there was a large lobster below.
Once settled we all had a good swim and snorkel and began to relax. The ferry came very few hours but was to finish at 8.00pm. We were all eager to go ashore and therefore decided to eat at a good fish restaurant. This time we used the small spare engine which started and we headed into town admiring the view of the rocky backdrop and Stormbird being the only boat anchored in the bay.
The village was charming with a number of bars and restaurants. Alex and Mark wanted fresh fish and Ben was scanning his phone for reviews. There was a good gelateria (ice cream) shop which I thought would be good after supper. Some of the restaurants did not open until 8.00pm so we had a beer overlooking the bay and Stormbird at anchor.
We chose a shack of a restaurant as we thought it may have the best fish – it was aptly called the brotherhood of fish translated. We chose well and were soon eating tuna croquettes, calamari and pedron peppers followed by local fresh fish. It was delicious and very filling. I suggested an ice cream but apparently it had been seen closing. We therefore had a crème catalana.
We returned to boat after dark and were relived the anchors seemed to be holding well. It had been a great day and we had a most enjoyable meal. It also felt good that we had anchored well using our fortress anchor and stern line for the first time. It was also not rolly so we went to bed quite contented.