3rd of January 2026. Back on the boat, still on the anchor in Las Palmas. Gran Canaria.

Relieved to get back after two weeks away to find my dinghy still tied to the pontoon where I left it. Unfortunately it had a slow leak that I was unaware of and after two weeks one of the tubes was half flat. There was no wind and I could just about maneuver in the marina but no way could I take it out to sea. Luckily I didn’t have to look too far for someone to lend me a footpump and am now back on the boat and all is as I left it except that the solar panels are a bit shook up, I think there were some strong winds while I was away.

And, in fact, my neighbour who kept an eye on my boat tells me that when the weather was bad Nomad was blown alongside another anchored boat that had to move. Well, I was here first but it is bad form to leave your boat unattended at anchor. I'll have to try and avoid having to do so in the future.