I was so happy when we finally reached the Canary Islands. I knew we wouldn’t find endless anchorages, but I was fine with one or two places to linger — some sunbathing, a swim or two, and plenty of time to catch up on work.
I don’t mind working a lot. I just prefer to do it where other people go on vacation.
Turns out, that wasn’t so easy.
La Graciosa has almost no infrastructure. That’s why most sailors treat it as a quick stop before heading farther south or west. My plan was different. I wanted to stay. In fact, we came back a second time, ready to settle in for a while.
But the weather had other plans. Forecasts warned of more than five meters of swell from the north. Somehow, those waves were predicted to wrap around the island and still bring nearly four meters of swell into our anchorage — at one in the morning.
We couldn’t picture exactly how that would play out, but we also didn’t want to find out… especially not in the middle of the night, with five-meter seas between us and the next safe harbor.
Arrecife to Lobos
So we left, tucking ourselves behind the old harbor wall in Arrecife before continuing farther south toward Isla de Lobos, which was supposed to be beautiful.
It was beautiful — in between the waves rolling in from both sides. And the “no dogs on land” rule meant even getting ashore was a challenge.
Unfiltered
Still, we made the best of it. That’s the magic of sailing — and also the stress of it. Like everything else in life, it comes with two sides. You just have to decide what price you’re willing to pay.
For us, the price is worth it. We want to experience nature’s beauty first-hand and unfiltered. We want to live in sync with what’s around us, because it makes us feel alive. That means we’re not trying to control nature — we’re reacting to whatever it offers.
Sometimes I wish I had more control. But in the long run, I feel blessed to live this way.
Stay curious, stay salty. Floh