S2.24 - La Palma: Final Canary Island Stop Before the Atlantic Crossing
Nov 14 – Smooth Sailing into La Palma
Up at 4 a.m., we set out for La Palma at last. The seas treated us to a much smoother ride than the day before—2m swell, but with 10-second periods, it felt almost gentle. By 2 p.m. we were tied up in Marina La Palma, our final island stop in the Canaries before heading out across the Atlantic.
This marina was unlike any we’d seen, guarded by a prominent high steel gate to tame the swell.
Entry required hailing Port Authority on VHF channel 09, waiting for the red-to-green light signal, and slipping inside once cleared.
Once settled, we couldn’t help but watch our new neighbors lug what seemed like an endless parade of grocery bags aboard—surely enough food to feed a small village!
Nov 15 – Operation: Meal Prep Overdrive
The galley became my personal battlefield.
Freezers filled quickly as I cranked out…
bolognese, egg bites, burgers, sausages, chicken breasts, chicken thighs, and mac & cheese.
Cooking mid-ocean? No, thank you. Better to be over-prepared now than fumbling with pots and pans in unpredictable seas.
Nov 16 – Our 8,000-Foot Adventure Date
Ryan and I rented a car to explore La Palma’s dramatic landscapes.
We wound our way up to Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (ORM) at an altitude of 8,000 feet. Unfortunately, sleet, clouds, and a chilling 4°C kept the world hidden from us—no sweeping views of the inversion layer or telescopes this time.
On a clear day, apparently this is one of the most remarkable astronomical sites in the Northern Hemisphere.
Wish we would have been able to experience it. I guess we’ll have to come back someday!
Descending the other side, the scenery shifted to lush ravines, volcanic terrain, and vineyards.
Bananas dominated the western slopes, particularly around Los Llanos de Aridane.
At Teneguía we paused for a delicious lunch before continuing our winding route, …
…each corner delivering a fresh “Oh wow” moment.
Nov 17–21 – Final Prep Frenzy
The last stretch of time in La Palma was a whirlwind: provisioning, laundry, spare parts, rig checks, weather routing, and more freezer-filling meals. By the end, fridges and freezers were bursting with additional items such as lasagna, chicken fried rice, breakfast burritos, jambalaya, ground beef for burritos, and meatballs. I capped it all with a massive roast, enough to feed us for days.
But the work wasn’t just physical—mental preparation was equally important. We were about to leave the comfort of island-hopping and marinas for a vast ocean crossing where there would be no quick stops, no “we’ll just pop into town”. It meant getting into the headspace of being self-sufficient, anticipating challenges, and staying calm through the unknowns of multi-week passage making. The atmosphere on board shifted as lists grew shorter and the reality of departure grew closer.
We also made sure to maximize connectivity while we could. Starlink is a game-changer, but it doesn’t come cheap once you’re more than 20 nautical miles offshore. Knowing that, we took full advantage of having it while docked, and the last days of “cheap” Starlink to download charts, update weather routing software, grab podcasts, e-books, and playlists—anything to keep us informed and entertained across the Atlantic. Streaming shows was kept to a minimum; once offshore, every bit of data would be rationed like gold.
With weather patterns shifting, Ryan and Byron spent a great deal of time analyzing the details, and we decided we’d leave a few days earlier than the ARC fleet. The goal was to thread the needle—depart early enough to stay ahead of a strong blow that was forecast to roll through, but not so soon that we’d be drifting with no wind at all.
PredictWind (one of the weather apps we use) provides several forecast models, each offering a slightly different picture—sometimes just a small variation, sometimes dramatically different.
Over time, Ryan learned to compare those forecasts with what we’ve actually experienced in a given area, which helped him judge which models are most reliable for that location.
Armed with that perspective, the timing felt right to make our move tomorrow. And knowing the ARC group had a set start date of Nov 24th and would be trailing behind gave us peace of mind—if anything went sideways, help was only a few days astern.