Lanzarote, Canary Islands
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Slowly we are recovering from gastroenteritis a souvenir from Morocco. Ian ending up in emergency, waking one morning saying "are you poisoning me?" We first of all took Imodium and then antibiotics we had onboard only to be told that this is now 'old hat'. With a special diet for a week (no grog) to starve the bug and a gastric drug he will survive.
It's a boy's day with a fast sail down the coast and then as we enter the port of Arrecife a ship is loading a fleet of yachts , TP52's and Swan 45's, all fully rigged having just finished a regatta at Puerto Calero. Then in the town bay a very serious model yacht race is on. They even have their own club on the waterfront but we end up at the local yacht club complete with swimming pool and gymnasium.
Anchored in Port Naos off Arrecife the capital of Lanzarote is very cozy, nearby are NZer's, English and Swedes all cruising in different directions. The port is full of half submerged, going no where, boats which I can only assume are from captured Moroccan refugees. A constant reminder along this coast, as this is the closest part to the African Coast.Restaurant Castle San Jose is the perfect place to waste a Sunday. Over looking the bay the beautifully restored castle of black volcanic stone, white walls and wood furnishings, come together in a natural stunning contrast of colour's and the food was excellent. 
Marina Puerto Calero, the Puerto Cervo of the Canary Islands is modern and purposely built for regattas and home to us for a few days. Also here in the port is the training base for the 2008 Volvo Round the World race for the Ericsson Volvo 70 team. Using the winner of the last race ABN Amro they can sail all year round in perfect trade winds of 20 knots every day. The team of 35 has a large contingent of Australians and New Zealanders and team rigger Brad Marsh from New Zealand very kindly solves a rig problem we had been experiencing.
In 1730 this island erupted and lasted 6 years leaving a land of black lava with many cone shape mountains. Today thanks to the late Cesar Manrique, the artist, the island has a lot of style and interesting features. Realising the influence of tourism coming he was a great visionary in keeping the island natural. No building is over two storey, all flat roofed and white. No blade of grass can be found, the gardens are black with cactus and plants that need very little water. It hasn't rained here for a 
year and the vineyards in the centre of the island are suffering. Yes vineyards, black terraces, sometimes scalloped and scoped out to catch the dew. We have never seen anything like this and stop for lunch at one of the vineyards, el Chupadero, volcanic stones beneath our feet and delicious Tapas. The Bodega ( winery) owner explained that although the vines are very low in profile they produce an enormous amount of grapes. The local white 'Malvasia' is very dry and very drinkable.Of interest, the islands population 86,000, plus the additional 100,000 tourists, at any one time are all supplied with desalinated water from the one plant in Arrecife. 
Open to the public, Cesar Manrique's artistic creation, and private home is very inspiring. Inland on a black lava flow with five large bubbles connected by tunnels, sits his two story white house. The uses of these bubbles are now sitting rooms or cactus gardens complete with turquoise pool. Looking out a large window all you see is ripples of black lava and in the distant a volcanic cone mountain. Almost unreal, as if time had stood still.
The Fire Mountains complete our inland tour, exhausting being a tourist, a bus takes us into the centre but no volcanic activity. Craters dot the area and at sunset they glow red so was a pretty impressive sight. Full credit to the bus driver who had me on the edge of my seat a few times.Taking up residences in the marina are the 35 entrants in the Blue Water Round the World Cruising Rally. This is their 1st stop out of 18 stopovers taking 20 months to circumnavigate the globe from Gibraltar to Gibraltar. 17 of the yachts are crewed by just husband and wife including an 
Australian couple from Noosa on "Our Island". What appeals to me is that, they don't race and only a guide to what day they should leave."The Money Drain" is our new name, every port we visit we seem to spend more time on preparing for the ARC. Ideas get tested at sea and get modified on shore.