S2.23 - Swells, Whales & Sharks: Sailing Tenerife to La Gomera and Back to Tenerife
Nov 4 – Sleepless Nights & Cala Amarilla
Distance: 45.9NM / Duration: 7h 29m / Avg Speed: 6.1kn
We left early after a restless night of swell-induced tossing. The 45nm trek brought us to Tenerife and the stunning Cala Amarilla anchorage.
Rocky Cove - Cala Amarilla
Exhaustion won, and everyone napped before a random tour boat approached to tell us we couldn’t anchor there. Ryan’s only intel was an old article about a captain discouraging non-Spaniards from anchoring. Regardless, the bay was alive with snorkelers and divers, and the rock faces made the perfect natural sun loungers.
If you look closely, you can see the people sunbathing on ledges.
Evening meant cribbage—this time switching up partners: Faye & Byron vs. Roa & Ryan. My team won again (I’m starting to think I’m the common denominator)! The night, however, was once more a rolly one.
Nov 5 – Las Galletas & Farewell to Roa
We repositioned just around the corner to Baia de La Balena in search of less swell. After lunch, we pulled anchor and headed to Marina del Sur Las Galletas for fuel and dockage. Let’s just say their docks aren’t designed for big cats like Lucky Enough.
Ryan’s docking skills shone as we pulled up for fuel, and afterward, Byron helped finesse us into our very snug slip.
First marina I’ve seen with a beach attached!
That evening, tapas filled our bellies and we said goodbye to Roa for a week as he took a well-deserved break. I, meanwhile, caught a cold. Ugh.
Nov 6 – News, Groceries & Good Deeds Ahead
Coffee, a country breakfast, and U.S. election results streamed live thanks to Starlink—cruiser luxury! My cold had me dragging 🤧, but we still managed grocery shopping and a Leroy Merlin run for an extension cord for our new dometic freezer.
Meanwhile, Ryan connected with Alan from Full Circle III. Their starboard engine was down, so we decided to alter course tomorrow to lend a hand. Because that’s what sailors do.
Nov 7 – Helping Hands at Sea
We left the marina and pounded into wind, waves, and current for two hours to cover just 7nm. Even the windsurfers were struggling.
Thankfully, someone in a tender was out there trying to assist.
Once anchored next to Full Circle III at La Puntilla, Ryan and Byron took Ugh over. Diagnosis: a stuck battery relay/switch. Fix: complete. Sailors helping sailors.
I stayed back nursing my cold, but it was fun to be “anchored neighbors,” admiring each other’s boats from across the water.
Nov 8 – Goodbye Full Circle, Hello Viking Longship
Morning goodbyes as Full Circle III headed back to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria) for their ARC prep, while we turned in the opposite direction 12nm toward Playa de las Vistas.
The seas were kind (helping us make 5 additional nm in the same 2 hour period compared to yesterday’s stats).
En-route we spotted what looked like a Viking longship on the horizon—epic!
Once anchored at Playa de las Vistas, our evening had a small hickup: a neighbor’s anchor ball drifted too close to our rudders. Since they’d gone ashore, we detached and re-secured it safely on their boat before heading out for dinner. We couldn’t risk having it wrap itself around our rudder and having to untangle it in the dark.
Later, we explained, and they were wonderfully gracious.
Playa de las Vistas
The dinghy ride home was less gracious—one rogue wave nearly swamped Ugh as we tried to get her back into the water. We made it, drenched and salty, but not without with a killer photo of Lucky Enough against an orange sunset.
Nov 9 – La Gomera & Pilot Whales
We left Tenerife by 8:00am and sailed to La Gomera.
We were greeted by a pod of four graceful pilot whales, their breathing audible as they surfaced.
And also spotted a Spanish Galleon.
Later, we anchored in Valle Gran Rey, where swims, dinghy rides, pork loin dinner, and patio wine filled the evening. The air was cool enough for a blanket—a simple, comfortable luxury.
Nov 10 – Hockey, ARC & Black Fins
Ryan was up at 4am to catch the Oilers vs. Canucks game (7–3 win!). Afterward, we backtracked 3.5nm to anchor at Punta del Ereses, thinking ahead to La Palma, our launch point for the Atlantic crossing.
It is important to mention here that we (Lucky Enough) will be departing from Santa Cruz, on the Island of La Palma. The ARC Fleet are departing from Las Palmas, Gran Canaria.
Here is a short review of the Atlantic Rally Crossing (ARC) details:
ARC(Plus)+ Fleet:
This is the first group who departed Las Palmas, Gran Canaria today. They are scheduled to stop in Cape Verde for 4-6 days prior to crossing over to Grenada. ~100 yachts.
The ARC fleet: Is the second group that is scheduled to depart Las Palmas, Gran Canaria on November 24th, sailing direct to Saint Lucia. ~150 yachts. (I will post photos once they depart.)
At anchor in Punta Del Ereses, it felt like we had stumbled onto a little slice of heaven. We set up the canopy, cracked open a couple of beers, and settled into patio mode, ready for a lazy afternoon with dips in the water. Just imagine… the sound of waves crashing against the red rocks (part of the island’s Miocene basaltic shield) and yacht rock music playing in the background. But paradise came with a twist—dark, shark-like fins began circling nearby (needless to say, no swimming for me 😱). In the distance, whales breached gracefully, adding both thrill and beauty to the scene. I couldn’t capture a great photo, but I did manage to catch one fin about 3 boat lengths away —you can spot it in this picture with the arrow pointing it out.
Later, when the wind picked up, we shifted to Playa de Tapahuga. We settled in for the night, played some casino, only to suddenly be serenaded by a boom box and apparent incoming beach party.
One more short move brought us to the peaceful Playa de Chinguarime, where the only sound was our anchor bridle rubbing the chain.
Nov 11 – Back to Tenerife
Time to head back to Tenerife to scoop up Roa before making our way to La Palma—but not before catching a breathtaking sunrise against the ridge.
The ride? Let’s just say holy rolly! Hatches tied down, Ryan tacked a couple of times to help smooth things out.
On arrival, we passed a packed tour catamaran—passengers crammed in like sardines.
No Thank You!
We returned to Playa de las Vistas and, after three attempts, finally set anchor. Exhaustion meant long naps before taking Ugh ashore. This time, we beached at Playa El Camisón—much more protected and a safer spot for Ugh, though we had to weave through swimmers.
By evening, the swell had shifted and hit us beam-on. With Lucky Enough’s master bed running bow-to-stern (instead of port-to-starboard), it made for a miserable setup. We debated moving, but with darkness settled in, we opted to drag bedding into the salon, flip directions, and ride it out.
Nov 12 – Massages, Meat & False Alarms
Morning brought calm seas and a solid sleep-in. After breakfast, we treated ourselves to massages (heavenly!) followed by shopping and lunch at the Hard Rock Café. Small victories: we finally found ground beef (an important staple on our vessel), which had been despairingly elusive.
Of course, drama followed—our anchor alarm blared mid-afternoon. Cue the mad dash back in Ugh and to Lucky Enough bracing for the worst. Thankfully, it was a false alarm, but the winds had shifted and the swell made up our minds: time to move. We headed north toward the airport, back to the familiar anchorage at La Puntilla (where Full Circle III had been last week). Anchored at sunset, it felt good to be out of the beam-roll zone.
Nov 13 – Early Wake-ups & Bumpy Detours
Nighttime entertainment: a French monohull dragging anchor… straight toward us, around 4 a.m., crept within 10 meters before re-anchoring practically on top of ours. Sleep was broken, but hey— with the time change, it was a great time to watch the Oilers pull off an OT win against the Islanders, so that helped.
Later, we moved to Calleo Mandracula outside Marina del Sur–Las Galletas, and within half an hour Roa was back onboard. The original plan was to cross to La Palma tomorrow, but the marina called letting us know they have space for us this evening, so plans changed and off we went—expecting a long 12-hour day.
Two hours in, though, conditions worsened. Winds, waves, and current were against us, so we hugged Tenerife’s southern coast. Tried sneaking into El Puertito but found it to be too tight between the rocks. Next attempt was Caleta de Adeje–Playa Diego Hernandez, where we lasted 20 minutes before more high swells chased us out.
By now we were pounding into 27 knots of wind, averaging speeds of 1.7 knots, with waves thundering against the hull. Not exactly comfortable.
We finally, we gave up on our original plan to cross over to La Palma today and found reprieve at Playa de Aguadulce on Tenerife’s southwest coast.
We wrapped up the evening with a quick game of crib, only to have a local row over and warn us about boats dragging onto the rocks here. Comforting, right? 😅 To be sure, Roa and Ryan settled it the usual crew way—with a round of Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who would go check the anchor. Of course, they tied and both ended up diving in together. All clear and set, which meant we could finally get a decent night’s sleep. Thanks, guys!
💡 Side Note
We also received this special photo from Privilège Marine.
They’re currently building our new 650, Lucky Stars, and captured the moment they inserted the Canadian Loonie we had sent them into the fiberglass floor at the entrance. A small but meaningful piece of “home” will now be permanently part of our next adventure vessel. 🇨🇦✨