Las Palmas, Gran Canaria

Winter break in the sunshine

We ended up staying almost three months in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria — our longest stop so far.

At our berth in Marina Las Palmas, the harbour never really went quiet. Huge cruise ships came in and out. A constant stream of sailboats passed through, chasing the trade winds west, provisioning and preparing for their next leg.

Although it’s a bustling city — very different from the quiet anchorages we’re used to — it proved to be a practical and affordable base for a while. Everything we needed was within reach, from engineers to chandlers to supermarkets, which made longer-term jobs and recovery far easier. Our new electric scooters made getting around effortless — errands, parts runs, even just exploring the city became quick and simple, turning everyday tasks into something almost fun.

We reconnected with familiar faces and met plenty of new ones. Pontoon neighbours came from Denmark, England, France, Germany, Turkey, Poland, Kyrgyzstan, and the USA. Conversations started over tools or shore power cables and somehow ended in shared dinners.

Christmas, Canary Style, Having Annelouise (Nanny Biscuit) fly out shifted the season again. Christmas in warm air and sunshine still feels odd — but it works.

We wandered through Vegueta, where narrow streets and old façades feel a world away from the industrial port. Inside Catedral de Santa Ana, everything slows down.

The sand nativity sculptures at Playa de Las Canteras were detailed and impressive — rebuilt from scratch each year. We also visited the Elder Museum of Science and Technology, which was full of interactive exhibits that fascinated both adults and kids alike.

We visited a banana plantation, enjoying the freshest bananas, along with banana jams, soaps, and local rum.

A drive south to Puerto de Mogán showed a softer side of the island: whitewashed buildings, purple bougainvillea covered colourful balconies, picturesque boats in the harbour.

We spent a day at the water park in Taurito, to balance out Market shopping and watching the world go by from coffee shops.

Winter here sits between 18 and 30 degrees. Warm enough to swim. Warm enough to forget what February normally feels like.

It wasn’t endless sunshine. Locals said it was the wettest winter in years, and we had our share of heavy showers and unsettled days. Still, it’s hard to call it harsh.

Illness slowed us more than weather did. Flu ran through the boat. A stomach bug followed. Then Mike needed hernia surgery. Not ideal — but being in one place made it manageable.

Boat Jobs

Three months gave us time to deal with what had been hanging over us:

• Replacing the bow thruster

• Engine service

• Fixing a freshwater tank leak

• Reworking the cat’s litter tray under a step

Not glamorous jobs — but important ones.

We stayed long enough to experience Carnaval de Las Palmas — weeks of music, parades, and full-volume celebration. Colourful costumes. Impressive drumming. And plenty of waiting around for parades to finally appear.

It’s loud. It’s colourful. It owns the streets completely.

We played.

We partied.

We rested.

We fixed things.

We recovered.

Now we’re ready to move again — steady, prepared, and looking ahead to the rest of the Canaries.