5. Tenerife: 25 Mar – 3 Apr 2016

We made landfall in Tenerife from Fuerteventura at Santa Cruz, the island’s capital, from where we posted our last Blog (No 4).

Santa Cruz marina and anchorage 

viewed from hillside above

We’ve been to Santa Cruz several times before.  We first went there in Island Drifter in December 1999 on our way to the Caribbean.  At that time the port accepted, but made no provision for, visiting yachts. We simply tied up to a dock wall and made the best of it.

 Cruising in the Canaries on our way 

to the Caribbean in 1999

In 2001 we picked up a Contessa 32 (Dale Moon) for delivery to the UK. By then there were a few token pontoons in the dock at Santa Cruz. With a rare strong southerly wind all the way, we reached Lymington in 13 days without stopping!  It was a fast but damp trip (see below). By the time we reached the UK, having provisioned for only a week, we were down to our last tin of baked beans and had each lost a few pounds in weight!

Helen and crew Martin halfway up and 100 miles off the Portuguese coast, running north with a strong wind behind and poled out with 3 reefs

  Helen bailing out the cockpit after being flattened by a rogue wave while crossing the Bay of Biscay

Set in a large bay behind the Anaga volcanic mountains to its north, Santa Cruz’s harbour is split into four self-contained ports designed to accommodate the whole of the island’s commercial, container, fishing, ferry, cruise liner traffic and local boats.  Marina Santa Cruz, by now a privately operated visitors’ marina within the southern port of Darsena los Llanos, evolved almost as an afterthought to fill space. 

Chart of Santa Cruz showing its four ports

Island Drifter in Marina Santa Cruz with the Anaga mountains as its backdrop

Wash day following our arrival – with city in the background

Santa Cruz is a commercial city and port. It is quite different from anywhere else in the Canaries, other than Las Palmas, the capital of Gran Canaria. Even so, it differs subtly from Las Palmas in that the pace of life seems more leisurely; large areas of the city centre are either pedestrianised, traffic calmed or one-way streets, and pavement bars, cafes, restaurants and parks abound.

Typical side-street scene in the city

Traffic calming, Santa Cruz style

One of the many sculptures in the city’s parks and avenues

The city has a rich history and culture, both of which we explored on our last visit in 2014. 

Ultra-modern Auditorium at the entrance 

to the Darsena los Llanos

Nuestra Señora de Concepcion was built in 1502. It contains the cross carried by Spanish troops when they landed in 1494. The tower and the balconies are fine examples of Canarian architecture 

that were added in the 18th Century

The old Saharan-styled gateway to 

the “African” market in Santa Cruz 

A small sample of the outstanding 

produce on sale in the “African” market 

Two years ago we stayed in Santa Cruz for a month and used it as a base to recce the city and the island. We timed our visit then to coincide with the city’s carnival week. 

Carnival Queen 2014

This year our aim has been to cruise the coasts of each island and visit, in particular, those marinas, ports and anchorages by sea, that we only managed to visit by land two years ago.

Chart of locations in Tenerife referred to in this Blog 

Roughly triangular in shape, Tenerife, 86 miles long, is the largest island in the Canaries archipelago. It has a resident population of just under one million, half of whom live in either Santa Cruz or La Laguna – the one-time capital of the island which is now physically merged with Santa Cruz.   A motorway and excellent tram system join the two locations.  The motorway also extends along the north coast and down the east and south coasts of the island. 

One of the smart trams that link Santa Cruz and La Laguna

Mount Teide, in the centre of the island, dominates Tenerife.  It can be seen, when not enshrouded in cloud, from many parts of the island.  From its summit one can usually see the adjacent islands of La Gomera, La Palma and Gran Canaria.  The mountain’s peak rises from one edge of the enormous central plateau of a volcanic crater. At 3717 metres, Teide is the highest mountain in Spain.  The summit is often covered in snow.

Mount Teide, as we saw it on our passage 

along the north coast of Tenerife 

A spine of volcanic mountains runs east to west through the middle of the island, causing a dramatic difference in climate between the north and south: damper and green in the north; drier and more arid in the south.

The German naturalist, Alexander von Humboldt, 

who ‘discovered’ the Orotava Valley on the north coast of Tenerife and described it 

as the most beautiful place he had ever seen

The 40 miles of relatively narrow, low coastal volcanic plains leading to sea cliffs and small bays that make up the east coast of the island down to Punta Rasca, contains, in our view, only three marinas (Radazul, San Miguel and La Galletas) and two anchorages (Bahía Abona and Playa de las Tejitas) that are suitable and accessible to cruisers for overnight stops.   We wouldn’t leave our boat unattended for any length of time in the other anchorages on this coast.

The marinas operated by Clubs Nautico (sports and social clubs for members only) don’t generally want to know you, the commercial harbours including the power station (understandably) certainly don’t, while the small fishing ports protected by breakwaters are so full of buoys (and sometimes boats!), that you couldn’t get in, even if you were welcome.

Puerto de Candelaria, a typical example of a 

small fishing harbour where there is no room for visitors

Marina Radazul, which we sailed to next after leaving Santa Cruz, is family owned and managed. It is tucked neatly behind a headland and is well protected by the steep volcanic cliffs of the peninsula which are “lined” with tall apartment blocks. 

Marina Radazul, overlooked by steep volcanic cliffs 

lined with tall apartment blocks 

Both the marina and its boatyard are small, clean, efficient and secure.  The unpretentious on-site bars and restaurants add to its pleasant relaxed atmosphere. 

Helen enjoying a tapas supper at a marina bar

We hiked along the coastal path from Radazul to Candelaria, although we did catch the bus on the way back! On the way we stopped for lunch at a chuck wagon. Our first (Spanish) bifana was excellent: a large roll filled with thinly sliced spicy marinated pork, cheese and tomato.

Al fresco lunch – a Spanish 'bifana' with a local beer

We particularly wanted to visit Candelaria, a place of pilgrimage dedicated to Tenerife’s patron saint.  The black wooden figure of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, a Guanche idol, is housed in the old Catholic basilica and ‘guarded’ by the huge bronze statues of the nine Guanche kings who governed the island before the Spanish conquest.  

Basilica in Candelaria containing 

statue of Tenerife’s patron saint

Nuestra Señora (Our Lady) de Candelaria 

Large bronze statues of the Guanche Kings 

who ruled the island before the Spanish Conquest

Before leaving Radazul, we FaceTimed our son Will and daughter-in-law Lesley on our granddaughter Emelia’s first birthday.  Improved internet, MIFI, FaceTime, Skype, Google, Amazon, the capacity to send receive photos and videos, and internet banking have dramatically improved communications and life for cruisers. Helen, these days, can even do her copy editing and proofreading on line – something that was impossible ten years ago.

Helen FaceTiming Emmy from Santa Cruz while sitting on the marina’s patio and using the free WIFI connection

Emmy, our granddaughter, celebrates her first birthday

Bahía de Abona, the first apparently good overnight anchorage we came to after leaving Radazul, was so full of old unused mooring buoys that in the end we gave it a miss.  The other anchorage to the south of this bay, under the lighthouse, was empty of buoys and would have made an excellent refuge in the event of southerly winds.

Northern anchorage at Bahía de Abona – excellent protection and holding but useless for cruisers since it’s full of abandoned mooring buoys and there is therefore inadequate swinging room for an anchored yacht

Southern anchorage at Bahía de Abona – an 

excellent anchorage and refuge in southerly winds. 

Not surprisingly, the prevailing wind was from 

the northeast and so we didn’t stop overnight

We ended up that night anchoring for a couple of days in Playa de las Tejitas, south of the Punta Montaña Roja (Red Mountain) – well protected from northeasterly winds by the mountain on the peninsula and the indented shape of the bay.

At anchor in Playa de las Tejitas, under the Red Mountain, with a reefed mizzen sail set for stability

The anchorage is close to four enormous yellow mooring buoys used by tankers while pumping fuel ashore to the nearby international Reina Sofia airport.  We took particular care to anchor in shallow water away from the buoys and to ensure that our hook avoided the submarine pipelines that carry the fuel!

Chart plotter showing Island Drifter anchored in the lee of Montaña Roja. Note yellow mooring buoys used by tankers to refuel the nearby international Reina Sofia airport!

View from our boat of the beach at Playa de las Tejitas, 

with a plane taking off from the airport

Marina San Miguel, south of Montaña Roja, is another family-owned and -run marina. It was built in conjunction with the Amarilla Golf and Country Club. The marina and the associated development are some way from any town or shops and as a consequence are a bit isolated for cruisers.  It can also be windy as it is in the Wind Acceleration Zone (WAZ) at the south of Tenerife. Its good point, however, is that it welcomes cruisers.

Marina San Miguel’s unusual office building 

designed to look, from the sea, like a ship

Nearby Marina del Sur, by contrast, also lies in the WAZ, but is better protected in a well-indented cove with a conveniently protective reef. It is located on the edge of the small bustling unspoilt Spanish holiday town of Las Galletas. Again, although it caters for local demand, it willingly accepts cruisers when space is available.

Las Galletas’s well-protected Marina del Sur 

adjacent to local very Spanish town

The southwest coast of Tenerife from Punta Rasca to Punta Teno has even fewer facilities for cruisers.  Los Cristianos, a major ferry port with a small harbour used by local fishing and tourist boats on the southwest coast, where we used to stay 17 years ago (see below), no longer allows anchoring except in one small rocky corner. Puerto Colon, nearby, is a small private marina adjacent to the Playa de Americas, caters almost entirely for local speed boats and has been known to be positively hostile to cruisers (!).  The two bays further north are only suitable as day anchorages and Puerto de San Juan is a working fishing port dominated by small boats on buoys.

Los Cristianos, as seen 17 years ago 

when yachts were allowed to anchor in the bay

In fact, only Puerto de Los Gigantes, towards the northern end of the southwest coast, has suitable facilities and is willing to take visiting yachts – albeit that space is limited.

Los Gigantes’ marina, town and gigantic cliffs

Exit from Los Gigantes’ marina

The town of Los Gigantes itself is purpose built for tourism. The hotels and apartment blocks are landscaped into the hillside and most have balconies facing south.  The sand and pebble beach by the marina is small, resulting in several swimming complexes and private pools being dotted throughout the town. 

Los Gigantes’ town and marina viewed from seaward

Garachico, the “new” €30m government-run  port and marina at the west end of the attractive north coast of Tenerife, is the only safe port of refuge on that coast.  The small port of Puerto de la Cruz, once the trading capital, is no longer accessible to yachts. 

Garachico’s enormous €30m government-run concrete port and marina is a bit soulless – but functional

The historic old town of Garachico overlooks the original harbour, which, together with half of the old town, was destroyed by lava in 1706 – Tenerife’s last volcanic eruption.  The new marina can just be seen to the right of the photo below.

Garachico old town and harbour

We are now in San Sebastían in La Gomera. We apologise for the fact that we are bit late in publishing the Blog for Tenerife. We were originally going to do so together with the one for La Gomera.  Belatedly (i.e. yesterday) we decided that it was better to publish them as two separate Blogs, since the truth is they are two totally different islands.