Timanfaya tour: lava-like heat rising out of the stony ground
 Atlantic Odyssey safety inspections start: Roger Watson (Cornell Sailing) with Adriano & Liliana on FREEDOM II |
 Cesar Manrique’s Foundation |
 Kids workshop (Lasse from ANNE, Franka and Paula from HAPA NA SASA and Neele from ANNE) |
 Kids workshop: Sue from STRANGETRADER shows the children some great apps for drawing and painting |
Safety and enjoyment were the order of the day in Marina Lanzarote as the first safety inspections were carried out on Freedom and Serenity on Thursday 6 November.
The detailed safety inspections each yacht receives are an important aspect of the Atlantic Odyssey rally, and an opportunity for sailors to raise any concerns.
With the Atlantic Odyssey participants ranging from experienced transatlantic veterans to Atlantic novices, it is a chance to assess who is most ready and give sailors confidence they are ready for their ocean crossing.
The enjoyment came with the island tour on Thursday afternoon, laid on free of charge for Odyssey sailors thanks to the generous support of Calero Marinas, who are sponsoring the Atlantic Odyssey.
For many sailors, it was their first chance to explore the island of Lanzarote away from the busy marina, visiting the Cesar Manrique Foundation and the Timanfaya National Park.
Cesar Manrique, the artist whose mark is visible across the island, created a beautiful house out of the features of the distinctive Lanzarote volcanic landscape, which is now a museum.
Even more impressive was the bus tour of the weird and wonderful volcanic scenery of Timanfaya, and the children couldn’t fail to be awed by the lava-like heat rising out of the stony ground.
Inspiration continued onto Friday as a children’s workshop was organised with the aim to prepare a large art project based on the theme of Our Ocean.
The children from Anne, Bliss, Om, Gavroche, Hapa Na Sasa, and Mandarina, ranging in ages from 2 to 16 years, were enthusiastic participants and created art inspired in part by the Cesar Manrique works they had seen the day before.
It was also a chance to explore some of the Odyssey science projects. Sue Stitt, who is sailing on Strangetrader and will continue on with the Blue Planet Odyssey, showed the Secchi disk she has made.
Sue also demonstrated to the younger children some of the great drawing and painting apps they can use onboard. Rather less messy than paints…
All of the families taking part in the Atlantic Odyssey are keen to get involved in the Odyssey science program. So many have signed up to deploy one of the three drifter buoys on behalf of UNESCO-IOC, that a lottery will be held next week to determine who is lucky enough to take a buoy.
