Log of the s/v Tamara: San Sebastian de La Gomera, Canary Islands

We have spent the last nine days on the island of La Gomera, one of the smallest of the Canary Islands. The island of Tenerife is 30 km to the east and its highest peak, El Teide (also the highest mountain in Spain!), dominates the horizon. Until recently, La Gomera had the distinction of the only major island in the Canaries without a working airport, which helped to maintain its original charm. Most visitors still arrive by ferry from Tenerife. But like everywhere else, tourist development has slowly begun, very slowly.

The island is volcanic in origin and abruptly juts right out of the ocean, with the only flat areas being where the river gorges meet the sea. To travel from one town to the next, the roads wind their way up the ridge of one gorge and then wind their way down the ridge of the next gorge, making for very interesting bus rides. The alternative is a local ferry that connects the three major towns, making for a quicker and cheaper ride than the bus, but not as thrilling.

The terrain is rugged, rocky and dry, much like Baja California, with a variety of cactus on the ridges and date palms growing in the arroyos. The lower areas of the river gorges provide the moisture and terrain for terraces of bananas, the major crop. The higher central tableland, which is covered by a dense mist almost year round, shelters a unique thick forest formed by lush evergreen plant species. The best preserved of this forest forms Garajonay National Park, now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Canaries are part of Spain and, like the mainland, everything closes between 1 and 4 pm, literally the hottest time of the day. The best thing to do at that time of day is to get out of the sun with a cold beer.

For a little history, San Sebastian de La Gomera was Christopher Columbus' final jumping off point from which he could catch the easterly trade winds on his voyages to the New World.