On Saturday morning (Oct 24th) we say goodbye to mam, Inge and Luc at 6.15 am when they are picked up by a taxi to go to the airport. We look back on a very nice and valuable week. When Ellen's parents are also on their way back to Portugal we both rent a car (a cliotte) and tear around the island with the Barbarossa. The go-kart track (Toine had promised Giel to go go-karting one day, and of course he likes it a lot ;)) is unfortunately occupied by a professional race. Bummer, big disappointment. As an alternative we drive to Pico de Aireiro and walk part of the challenging hike where you certainly shouldn't be afraid of heights (picture narrow bridge). On the way back to Funchal we drive past a supermarket and do the last shopping for the crossing to Madeira.

In the evening, we have the idea of exploring Funchal's nightlife. Giel finds it no problem to look after the girls (and the girls think that's fine too!). Jan, Ellen, Koen, Toine and I walk into town wearing 'night out' clothes. But they can't really find something that starts a bit on time, is affordable and fun. As an alternative we sit on a terrace with a glass of wine and that is also fine.

On Sunday morning we do the last jobs and leave at noon for the crossing of 276 miles to La Gomera. In the end it will take us 54 hours. The first 20 hours we have good wind. In the beginning even force 5, immediately after that force 3-4 between high and half wind. But then the wind disappears, or is very light and we motor for 34 hours on a very flat sea. Without difficulty we sail as fast as the Barbarossa. That's fun and we have regular contact via the VHF. Exchanging how it goes on board, whether a fish has already been caught, exchanging recipes and tuning in on how to do jobs on board.

On the way we don't encounter any boats during the whole trip. The boat lies quietly on the waves and waiting is no problem at all. Without any problem we both get about 7 hours of sleep per night because we both sleep in bed for 2 times 3 hours and during the watch we spend another hour in bed by setting the egg alarm every 15 minutes and dozing off in between.

During the day time flies by. The girls are just doing school and they are doing fine. I read a lot and finish a great book the 2nd day in a row ("Her Name Was Sarah"). The fishing lines are hanging out continuously in daylight. The 'tuna' line unfortunately does not really work yet and we will ask for advice on La Gomera. The 'mackerel' line, on the other hand, is working fine and on the first day at the end of the afternoon we suddenly catch two mackerel at the same time (just as dinner is ready and the wind is right so we can finally sail for another hour). Toine has had it with mackerel dishes and wants to throw them back. I would like to give it another try with a new recipe that seems to me to be very tasty. So after dinner I get to work and fry pieces of filleted mackerel rolled in flour and then throw a hot sauce of oil, vinegar, carrot, onion and garlic with sharp herbs over them. The pieces of mackerel marinate in this for 24 hours and so the next day, shortly after our arrival in La Gomera, we have a delicious snack (and yes, Toine likes it too!).

The 2nd day I baked bread in a new way in the machine with AH bread baking mix. The short program (2 hours) instead of the normal one (4 hours). And that gives fantastic bread; much tastier than ever. Nice to share that with the Barbarossa and immediately a good exercise to surrender something to each other at sea. We sail close to each other, Toine at the wheel and I am on a leash ready to catch a line from Jan. There I tie the plastic bag with the bread and throw it back to Jan. That sounds simpler than it is; we are talking about two boats of 16-18 tons, both lying in an ocean swell; a little too close to each other is like a heavy collision and damage, so the trick is to get close enough to surrender through a line, keep the same pace and course, and still preferably as far away from each other as possible. Went fine, nice to do. Maybe someday it will be necessary again and we are already a bit trained.

At the tip of Tenerife we are very well prepared for the strong winds we can get as an effect of acceleration between the islands. In the pilot you will be strongly warned about it. But there is no wind at all. It just remains a knot or 5 against. So that is actually disappointing, but also not so bad! Exactly at 18.00 hours we moor in the nice and full port of San Sebastian on La Gomera. There are many departures from many countries: Dutch (Tangaroa, Pjotter and Moljner), Canadians, Americans, French, Germans, Danes, etc. Also a good port to supply and do chores. Especially for supplies it is now important to stock up as much as possible; the next bit of good supermarket we find again in Suriname or the Caribbean, so we have to eat and stock up as much as possible to make it to the beginning of January. The next day we are all busy there. Toine and Jan saw the frames of the mosquito nets in front of our windows together and Ellen and I go to the supermarket and pick up 6 carts full of groceries which they fortunately deliver to our boat.

A day like this flies by. Those mosquito nets are another story; there are no mosquito nets to order on our boat. Hallberg Rassy has its own design for the windows per model, so nothing is standard. So we have to get going ourselves. Well, after 224 concepts, trials, disappointments, we finally ended up with wooden mosquito nets with a very special clamping system. When you see the final result, it's simple. But something has gone before ... Thanks to Jan's creative ability (he claims not to be a beta but that's a big misunderstanding), the huge stock of stuff on the Barbarossa (don't throw anything away, you never know; well that's right!), we finally arrive at the combination of right design, material and mounting.

On Thursday Oct 29th we rent two cars and drive around a part of the island. Combined with a nice walk of about 2 hours in very rough nature. The hike we had chosen should have lasted 5,5 hours, but we couldn't find our way so fast and were pointed out by a fellow hiker that it was going to be a very tough one. So we opted for a shorter alternative. Because of this we still have time to explore the west coast by car. Just like Madeira there is no road straight here. La Gomera is an island where tourists mainly come to hike. The vegetation is very varied with many palm trees, cacti, laurel trees etc. The landscape is rugged with high mountains and deep gorges that run from the middle of the island to the coast.

We do some shopping for barbecues and stop a bit later at a nice picnic area with BBQ tables/grills in the middle of the National Park. Very nice to prepare your own food in such an environment. We have a delicious and very cozy dinner. Afterwards back to the town to return the car before 20.00 hrs. On the way back it is completely dark and without road lights it is quite exciting with all those bends, descents and also fog.

On Friday (Oct 30th) we get up very early (6.15 am) and take the ferry to Tenerife to go karting. Toine has to keep his promise to Giel. What a difference with La Gomera; Tenerife is very (very) touristy with many hotels, apartments and typical cheap looking tourist eateries and shops. For us a day here is enough ... Karting is a great success. First the girls on a small circuit in very slow go-karts ('do you know how boring that is', says Eline when she gets off). Then the adults with Giel and Koen in karts that can go 70 km per hour. It's a big circuit.

Toine, Giel, Koen and later also Jan have quite a taste for it and are racing around the track. Ellen and I take it slower and are overtaken about 2 times by the men. Toine has been able to arrange that the girls on the small circuit can go in a faster kart and luckily they are having a great time. Especially Eline has a taste for it and takes off like a spear. Marinthe isn't very good at pedalling yet so she has some trouble to make a good pace. Finally Toine, Giel and Koen decide to go again. And I have to say that I actually enjoyed that second time more than the first time karting myself. It was an exciting race where sometimes Toine and sometimes the Barbarossa boys were ahead again. We were brought back with a free bus to Los Cristianos and had a nice time in a swimming pool and at the beach. At the end of the day we sailed back with the ferry and had a pizza (or two) to end a special and tiring day.

On Saturdays the girls just do school (not the last two days, so there is some catching up to do). Toine finishes the screens, I go to the hairdresser and in the afternoon I do a lot of shopping with Ellen. The girls have a great time with Koen and Giel and the Aquarius girls (because they are here too). So we are almost ready for the crossing to Gambia. On Sunday we have another real Dutch breakfast with homemade brown bread, a boiled egg and squeezed orange juice. Also today the girls are doing school and I spend the whole day sewing a mosquito net in front of the hatch from the cockpit to the cabin. It takes some effort, and here too we need Jan's analytical skills including stuff from the Barbarossa for the finishing touch, but we succeeded and now we can close the whole boat mosquito proof. Gambia, here we come. The wind is blowing pretty hard ..... so we decide to wait just one more day to dim the storm wind and accompanying sea; departure is on Tuesday!