Day 392 – CANARY ISLANDS: Melted butter


“Go south till the butter melts, then turn right.” – Skipper Steve Dewhurst on how to get across the Atlantic.

So the plan was to set sail today. However the wind was not 100% great, and there were still a few things to organise before setting off. One of those things was to get the VHF radio aerial up the mast. The mast is 15 metres high.

The joys of being a crew member - hoisted up the mast to check rigging (San Miguel, Tenerife, Canary Islands)

Into a climbing harness I go, and I am winched up the thick aluminium mast. I push back the nerves, and try to enjoy the sights. After a few moments I am feeling comfortable and can pluck up the courage to take a few pictures.

The joys of being a crew member - hoisted up the mast to check rigging (San Miguel, Tenerife, Canary Islands) The joys of being a crew member - hoisted up the mast to check rigging (San Miguel, Tenerife, Canary Islands)

I tie the aerial up to the mast, and down I come again. The rest of the afternoon was spent…yes, cleaning the exterior of the boat with a toothbrush and Ajax powder.

In the evening we went to a local internet cafe to check the extended marine forecast for the Atlantic. Steve pointed out various weather patters, notably hurricane Dean, about to make landfall on Jamaca. I wondered out loud how we were to know whether we were going to be engulfed in one of the ‘H’ words, and Steve reassured me that he will be downloading weather forecasts daily via VHF radio during the trip. Via the radio, he can download full resolution weather maps onto his laptop.

Sipper Steve pointing out Hurricane Dean as he checks the marine forecast (San Miguel, Tenerife, Canary Islands)


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4 thoughts on “Day 392 – CANARY ISLANDS: Melted butter

  • Jean

    Hi Rob,

    When you're done, you're welcome to visit us – my kitchen could definitely benefit from a toothbrush and some ajax powder 🙂 By the way, you might like to advise Steve that if he ever gets into the southern hemisphere he'll have to change his navigation methods a bit of the butter will get pretty solid…

    Jean

  • Rob Thomson Post author

    @ Jean – Skipper Steve says thank you (laughing heartily), and if the butter starts to freeze, he'll turn around and head north!