Arrived in Las Palmas at lunchtime yesterday (Wednesday) after a very early start (3:30am departure from Eton for Gatwick).  Norwegian Air flight on time and uneventful.  I had expected to take the local bus to Las Palmas, but in the event shared a taxi from the airport to the marina with two other ARC crew, one Slovak and one Swedish.  Gran Canaria has been alternatively sunny and warm, then cloudy with some rain.  Having found Alcedo, and organised ARC ID for access to the pontoons, the rest of  Wednesday was spent finding my way around the marina; stowing kit on the yacht and finishing several small technical jobs on the boat.  Alcedo is moored along the largest monohulls, stern to the marina wall – which has been painted over the years by crews taking part in the ARC.  It has become an ARC tradition that each boat paints a section of the marina wall with the yacht name and year of taking part.  David went up the mast in the afternoon, to check things over, and Sally also went up the mast for her first time.  In the evening, the final members of the Alcedo crew – Venetia and Jane – arrived courtesy of Easyjet, just in time to enjoy the daily ARC sundowner and then our first crew supper at a good Spanish restaurant.  Absolutely exhausted after quite a long day, it was a relief to decline the fancy dress party; to find my bunk and have a good night’s sleep.

Thursday 21st November
The new day dawned bright, sunny and warm start in Las Palmas.  Not much wind, so an excellent opportunity for the crew to take Alcedo out into the bay for a familiarisation sail.  Las Palmas is very much a commercial port, with ferries regularly departing to the other islands but also lots of large container ships – several anchored just outside the marina.  Having avoided these, there was enough time to get the sails up and check that all was well.  This was also a good opportunity to try out the VHF radio and the operation of the AIS.  For many crews, this morning was devoted to safety at sea – there was a (noisy) helicopter rescue demonstration, and crews setting off distress flares on the jetty.  It has also been intriguing to see some of the other yachts, including a former Volvo Ocean race boat.  Back in the marina, late morning and early afternoon were devoted to sorting out bits of equipment – new covers for lifebuoys, checking the guardrails, while Venetia bravely scrubbed the decks.  Alcedo had a visit from the American crew of Heart of Gold just before lunchtime.  Hilarious discussion ranged far beyond sail wardrobe and route strategy, as the Americans outlined their concerns over the water conservation strategy on Heart of Gold.  One solution to the possible lack of water for showering is use of ‘body wipes’, apparently.  We were delighted to learn that American wipes come with instructions explaining the ideal sequence of body parts to be cleaned in order.  Thankfully water should be plentiful on Alcedo.  After a late lunch the ladies were occupied with provisioning, which gave me an opportunity to check my emails (many, many thanks to those who continue to donate) and to write this blog.  We have been cheating on the wall painting, however.  Venetia’s sister – who is an artist – is on holiday on Gran Canaria, and as I write she is painting Alcedo’s symbol (a kingfisher) on the harbour wall.