Palm Pleasure 2

Monday, April 27, 11:30 pm, arrival in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

“I’ve always loved nighttime arrivals. At first, you can barely see anything on the horizon. Then points of light gradually begin to appear, and after a few hours, you can even start to make out the shape of the mountains behind the city. It takes me back
to my childhood memories in the Caribbean—those late arrivals at anchor after a day’s sailing on the Punch boats. Looking back, I realize how lucky I was to experience all those magical moments as a child. Tonight, though, things feel a bit different. It’s
colder, I’m in full foul-weather gear, hood pulled tight. Even though we arrive after weaving between cargo ships and tankers at anchor, I’m still amazed when land comes into view.

The next day, everything slows down. It quickly becomes clear that timing isn’t really on our side. The May 1st weekend brings everything to a halt. No way to change the oil in the new engines, no progress on certain technical tasks, no departure for several days. I’ve always struggled with these forced waiting periods. It feels like coming to a sudden stop when everything should keep moving forward. And then, in the end, you adapt. You find a different rhythm: a yoga session on deck, a long hot shower, a chocolate mousse at a local restaurant, then another one up in the mountains… and eventually, a new pace takes shape!”