Atlantic crossing - Day 6 - Landfall in little Palma

Day 6

Today is the last day before landfall. The wind is variable between 4 and 7 Beaufort, and the waves have built up to over 3 meter. We have waves in the back, and swell on the beam, combining into interesting effects. We see 1 ship during the night shift. The area is now so empty of ships, that the echomax radar reflector lights stay of all the time. It was easy to pick up the approaching ship, by seeing the lights on the echomax become more and more active. We still have the wind at 150 degrees over the starboard beam. We have sailed with a double reef in the mainsail, without genoa during the day. The genoa was falling in all the time. To prepare for the night, we take down the mainsail altogether, and continue on genoa only. This will allow the night-shift to easily furl in and out the sail, according to the conditions. As we approach the island of little Palma, the lighthouse on the northern tip is the first thing we see. As the waves are quite high, we only see the beam of the lighthouse, scanning over the horizon. It takes a long time before we can see the light of the lighthouse. Thereafter, the lights of the island come into view slowly. In the early morning, we furl in the genoa a bit more to slow down SaltyPaws. It is always easier to approach during the day.

Tanker running against the big waves

Landfall in Puerto de Santa Cruz de la Palma

Pictures by Charles