I am in LPGC right now. In and out mostly in since 2008 and onwards.
Some answers:
1. We hate marinas. What's the general rule for anchoring? Somewhere I read it can be problematic and permission is required?
In theory: In the Kingdom of
Spain one can only
anchor where there is a marked anchorage on the most recent official
Spanish chart.
In practice: Catch as you can. If caught, smile, bubble 'lo siento, lo siento' in a bad
nordic accent. Then move on. This is not
Portugal, you do not get jailed for not hoisting that bloody black ball.
Warning: in
single spots, a
permit is required RECEIVED BEFOREHAND, most notably at la Graciosa. Environmental concerns.
Warning: do NOT
anchor where there are military things ashore (e.g. Gando, GC). National
security concerns.
Generally, there are better and more
anchorages in the Eastern islands, fewer and worse anchorages in the Western islands.
2. Where is a good and cost effective place to leave the boat for 6 weeks. Happy to haul out or be afloat.
There are countless marinas throughout. City marinas are cheapest. Private ones are not.
3. We like walking, remote Anchorages, diving and surfing. Where would you recommend?
Diving good anywhere, but the dropoff at la Restinga is famed best. I saw a picture of 100+
manta rays there yesterday. No spearfishing, unless you have a local
license.
Water is cold, much colder than you may expect (only 21 C now). 3mm suit for fun and +5mm suit for longer immersions.
Surfing anywhere on the W or N coats of any island. Watch the surf as you sail by and consult people with surfboards. There are plenty of them around. World Cup surfing competitions (winter). Only Nazre betas this, in
Europe.
You can walk anywhere you like. Avoid military grounds though. Outstanding treks up the Teide mountain with
snow at the top. This is the HIGHEST mountain in all
SPAIN and
PORTUGAL. You need more than 24 hours to get up and down. You can have volcanoes and sand (Lanza and Fuerte), rock (GC, and islands west).
Remote anchorages anywhere along the coast (S / SE / SW) where there are no hotels. I like Papagayo very much. I like Montaña Roja too. Most anchorages are very rolly. The rest are very very rolly.
4. We're behind schdule so willnknly have about 3 weeks? Is that enough or should I try and allow more time in November to enjoy the Canary Islands more?
You must be kidding. 3 weeks is just enough to stop, rest, re-provision and move on. 3 weeks means someone is a babylon zoombie, not a sailor. Even so, I would
trade 3 weeks in Canary Islands for the 10 years I spent working for international banking business.
5. What is winter sailing like there should we decide to hang about a little longer?
Canary Islands are not a sailing
destination. The
weather is generally much rougher than say the
Med or
Caribbean. Late autumn (November onwards) and winter can be especially rough. Big swell can roll in at any time of the year but is prevalent in the winter. Winds pipe up in many acceleration zones. You can get 45+ knots easily and frighten your crew to death. But it is hardly ever dangerous and we have quick SAR services here. This much said, in the winter you are much better off in Cabo Verde /
Africa /
Caribbean / etc. Or tied to the
dock.
6. Any other advice for anything all greatly received! Good hikes, restaurants not tonne missed, great diving spots etc :encouragement:
Avoid LPGC city marina between September and December. The
ARC crowd sets in and occupies 110% of the city marina. The place turns full of pale people with sad faces. Avoid LPGC anchorage in the same period - plenty of anchored boats getting into regular physical contact at regular intervals.
Come to LPGC in winter, during the carnival. LP is on par with Rio: they have the best samba competition, we have the best drag queen competition. And we do not get drunk to push and rob people, like they do. We may get tipsy a bit ;-) and then we will dance in the streets till the morning light.
Local wines are outstanding. You must try at least local Malvasia (sweet/semi or dry) grown on volcanic soil. It is also a great view to visit one of Malvasia wineries, say on Lanzarote. Most picturesque. El Grifo and Geria are two big names for this variety.
Cheers,
barnakiel
LPGC