We made a last-minute detour to visit the island of La Palma; in part, because it is a bit closer to the Caribbean and we were keen to minimise sea time, but also because we were studying volcanoes for geography, and with the recent eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano, it seemed the perfect opportunity for some real-life schooling.
We booked into the marina in Santa Cruz de la Palma for 2 nights and hoped to then depart off across the Atlantic via the Cape Verde islands. At least that was the plan, but as always with sailing, it never quite worked out like that…
Our planned two days on the island rolled into over 2 weeks as we waited patiently for the NE trade winds to develop. With its intensely green banana plantations and rugged landscape set against the bluest skies, the prettiest towns with magnificent architecture, cobbled streets and tapas bars all set against the backdrop of an erupting volcano; La Palma became our favourite destination to date.
Witnessing the Cumbre Vieja volcano erupting was an incredible, humbling and unforgettable experience. At night aboard Mowzer, we could hear the rumbling from the chamber and in the daytime, we could see the giant plume of smoke rising above the island. Depending on the wind direction, we would sometimes be forced to wear masks and glasses as the air became so thick with ash, whilst Mowzer’s deck became thick with black ash.
Aside from the volcano, we were blown away by the lush, rainforest interior and Caribbean-like banana plantations lining the coast. We had some incredible hikes, to the top of (inactive!) volcanos, through dense rainforest, under immense waterfalls, and to stunning natural pools carved into the rocks. We had a memorable trip to visit salt flats, learning all about the production of salt. Another favourite outing took in the museum of volcanos where the adults learned all about the creation of the Canary Islands and about its recent seismic activity whilst the boys spent their time being convulsed in the earthquake simulator!
By late November and with the delayed arrival of the NE’ly winds, our tanks filled with water and diesel, and our bilges bursting with fresh produce, it was time to untie the lines. Next stop the Caribbean!
Sailing Mowzer 
Amazing life learning! What’s the name of your school and has it got a motto boys?
Looking forward to the next update – much progress must have been made.
LikeLike
Hi, good to hear from you. The boys don’t have a school name but they do have class names which are Ocean & Mowzer. Our motto is thank goodness OFSTED doesn’t have any seafaring inspectors. Much progress has been made but less so with the blog which we are hoping to rectify in the next week or so.
LikeLike