Lanzarote Island – Island of 1000 Volcanoes
Visitors are fascinated again and again by the contrast of dreamlike bathing bays and black lava mountains. Lanzarote was the favourite place of the Spanish artist Cesar Manriques.
Sea & Coast
This volcanic island in the Atlantic Ocean off the African northwestern shore is the most eastern of the Canary Islands, a paradise for Yacht Charter sailors and tourists. This Spanish island is the fourth largest of the archipelago and gets its name from the Genoese navigator Lanchelotto Malocello, though the locals called it Titerro gatra which could mean “red mountains”.
With its elongated shape, the island lies just 11km from Fuerteventura and 1km from Graciosa, thus being accessible to Yacht Charter visitors. It has 215km of coastline, out of which 10km are sand beaches and the rest are rocky. Though numerous volcanoes exist on the island, it’s the least mountainous of the whole archipelago (maximum altitude of 670m). The overall look is somewhat reminiscent of lunar landscape with wide volcanic plains and massifs, lots of craters that prove to be a hit with Yacht Charter tourists.
Vegetation and fauna aren’t abundant of the island due to the scarcity of water which means that the Yacht Charter holidaymaker will have to settle for lichens, ferns, and wild olive trees. There is also a very interesting protected zone in the vineyards of La Geria where they employ special methonds of planting the vines in order to combat the drought.
Although close to the Equator, Lanzarote isn’t an unbearably hot island, being affected by the North-East Trade Wind and the cool Canary Current. Rain is very rare which results in a semi-desert climate, a fact also aided by the lack of high mountains that would trap precipitation. The “rainy season” (though that might be an improper name) lasts from December to February, but regular Yacht Charter visitors might notice a difference between the north part of the island and the south shores.
Culture & History
Ironically, though it has harsher climate than the rest of the Canary Islands, Lanzarote is believed to be the first in this archipelago to be inhabited, being the closest to the continent. The Phoenicians were the first to set foot around 1100 BC, followed by the Greeks for a short stint, then the Romans. There was a period when the island was actually deserted, after the fall of the Roman Empire, only to be taken by the Arabs around 1000 AD. It then was conquered by the Spanish.
The devastating eruptions of 1730-1736 changed the appearance of the island, covering a quarter of its surface with lava fields. Today, these eruptions can be observed at Timanfaya National Park.Other Yacht Charter tourist sights are Jameos del Agua, Cueva de los Verdes (Green’s Cave), Mirador del Rio, Jardin de Cactus (Cactus Garden) and the Whales and Dolphins Museum. You’ll find that the locals are welcoming and mindful of tourists.
Seamanship & Experience
The hard rock which makes up most of the coastline doesn’t allow for too many natural bays so Lanzarote doesn’t offer much when it comes to anchorage. However, there are a few Yacht Charter marinas where you can moor your boat safely.
Seasonal winds also play a big role for any Yacht Charter enthusiast looking to sail here. The northern coast is more likely to be affected by winds that the south which is protected by the volcanoes in the center of the island. The Canary current is a wind that hits Lanzarote from the north as it travels towards the Equator bringing cooler waters. This has an overall cooling effect on the whole Canary archipelago, generating mild temperatures which earned it the nickname “Islands of Eternal Spring”.