Gran Canaria: A Continent in Miniature

The Canary Islands form a 240-mile wide archipelago in the northern Atlantic just off the coast of Africa. The chain includes seven mostly sub-tropical islands of which Gran Canaria is the third largest. On a charter, this island is a stopover between Lanzarote and Tenerife and is renowned for both its physical beauty and its culture that dates back to the visits of the Greeks and Romans.

Gran Canaria is called the “Miniature Continent” due to its diverse landscape, wildlife and climate. The northern end is lush and revitalized with rain and trade winds while the southern end is a mecca for European tourists seeking to escape the winter and visit the sunny arid climate which is pleasant year-round. The capital city of Las Palmas will take a bareboat yacht charter at least a day to explore and offers excellent Spanish tapas restaurants and a lively nightlife from discos to the opera. The locals, called Canarios, are very welcoming and are proud to share their rich heritage with the 10 million tourists that visit the islands each year.
The aboriginal cave-dwelling Berber people were called Guanches and migrated to the islands sometime between 1000 BC and 100 BC. Subsequently Greeks and Romans visited, but it wasn’t until the Castilian conquest in the 15th century that the culture took on the Spanish flavor that now dominates. The exceptional Museo de Canario is a good place to start your exploration and learn about the various peoples and the fascinating eruptive geology of the place.

The Santa Ana cathedral in the old town of Vegueta forms one end of a quintessentially colonial island plaza. Bronze dog statues guard the cathedral, a present from France presumably in appreciation of the rescue of French sailors in the 18th century. The cathedral was begun in the 1400s and its various sections took 350 years to complete. From atop its spires you can get a 360-degree view of the city, mountains and sea. Nearby is the Christopher Columbus house which is well worth a visit. Columbus stopped off in the Canaries on his four expeditions to the New World which are detailed in an excellent exhibit that’s part of the house tour.
After a day of history-packed sightseeing, lounge at one of the many cafes lining the commercial promenade called Calle Triana to people-watch, have a glass of vino tinto (excellent local red wine) or just take in the colors of the surrounding architecture. Or stroll along the waterfront in Las Palmas, where you’ll come across cafes like the Sailor’s Bar, where mariners congregate for meals, beers and sea stories.

A short taxi ride up into the hills will take you to the Bandama Caldera, the crater of an extinct volcano where you can walk the rim 1,867 feet above sea level, or hike the steep trail to the lush valley at the bottom. A longer taxi ride (nearly an hour) will take you to the southern resorts of Maspalomas. Sand dunes and chock-a-block hotels line the water with seemingly-endless miles of beach chairs occupied by just about every nationality of Northern Europe. The exclusive resorts surrounding the Maspalomas lighthouse offer a bit more elbow room and shopping in retail stores featuring the world’s top luxury goods.
The Canary Islands today serve as a jumping off point for vessels crossing the Atlantic to the Caribbean, such as the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers that starts in Las Palmas and concludes in Saint Lucia. In many ways it’s not much different now from when Spanish galleons used the islands as a way-station to replenish stores for their long trip to the silver mines of Central America. For sailing history buffs, the Real Clubo Nautico de Gran Canaria at one end of the esplanade displays trophies and photos of many iconic faces of European racing history.
The Canary Islands are a mix of many cultures and the product of various influences both natural and manmade. For the bareboat sailor, Gran Canaria offers a compact sample of the rest of the volcanic archipelago with a taste of history, a cosmopolitan atmosphere, picturesque beaches, and cool mountains. Whether the island is included at the beginning, end, or middle of a charter, the key is to include it—and make time to explore all it has to offer.