A fun Farewell dinner for "Blue Marlin"

The wind is still whistling in the masts, competing with the local sport here, El Silbo. Like yodelling in the Alps, the Gomera whistling helps in communicating over deep ravines in the mountains. There´s a whole phrase book of different whistles, not just, "Hey, good-looking!"

The sailboats masts say, "strong wind". The deeper the tone, the more knots (wind speed). We measure up to 38 knots, in the marina!
Despite the wind Christina is up our mast today again. The genaker halyard will hang outside the mast, it's decided. And husband, Jan, has a huge wash drying, flapping about on the various lines. Everything that doesn't blow away will dry in a jiffy.

After some more boat-sewing work Ørnulf and I walk up to the beautiful Hotel Parador, atop the vertical cliff rising from the harbour. The stylish chalk-white and dark cedar walls contain cool dark rooms, patios with palms and fountains, a beautiful restaurant, all crystal and linen, with a view out to the gardens. The gardens are lovely. Palms, cactii, Dragen Blood trees, flowering bushes arranged in patterns of colored lava rock. The view from the cliff edge. The town, its houses clinging precariously to the cliffs, terrased farms, the harbour, the white-capped sea. Spectacular! We can spot our boat in the marina.
And someone climbing into the cockpit!

Someone with a black rucksack on. Who looks remarkably like: Idun from "Blue Marlin". So, off we go, rushing down the almost vertical cobbled streets and stone steps, to the harbour and "Blue Marlin". It turns out we're all having a farewell dinner this evening, the "Blue" boats and "Babette".
At the palm-branch roofed pizza place, Plazar, there´s no room for a group of 11. So, up the road, at the much tinier restaurant, La Bodegòn, they push most of their tables together and welcome us. We´re a noisy lot. Despite the kids arranging whisper games around the table. We seem to be tolerated. The regulars, looking more like old sea salts than any of us, giving the kids a wink as they limp by on their way to the bar. Their specialty is beef steaks from Brazil, with any number of good sauces. And Spaghetti for the kids. Perfect. And a jug of the house red-wine.
A fun last evening with "Blue Marlin", who will leave us at La Gomera, sail back to Gran Canari, to the ARC trans-atlantic sailing regatta.