First day at sea 11 Apr, 06 - 21:45 28.0520N,17.0632W

Winds : 3 knots, Northerly
A few people from the village and San Sebastian marina turned up for my castoff at 2.30. The feeling of leaving land is mixed with relief, anticipation, anxiety and physical exhaustion from over a month of preparations in La Gomera.
As I pulled away, the shallow green water of the marina turned into the Atlantic, becoming a deeper, darker and richer shade of blue. The sea became choppy accompanied by a fantastic view of the volcanic cliffs of La Gomera to the Starboard Quarter and El Teide on the Port Quarter.
I was a bit concerned about getting clear of the shipping lanes (from La Gomera to Tenerife and El Hierro) as quickly as possible. I tested the Katadyne watermaker just outside entrance to the harbour, where the water was relatively cleaner sans the boat engine oil floating around. I left it on to de-salinate about 1/2 a liter of water, for good measure.
A steady 2 hours of rowing later, I was safely outside the shipping lanes. Another 2 hours of rowing of rowing before stopping for an evening break.
10.00 pm
4 hours of rowing and 5 hours of sea sickness. Not bad progress on the first day. The strong Northerly winds seem set to continue over night, so I've decided to let the boat drift with the winds till my next GPS check at 3.00am.
So all is well on the first day. It feels great to finally be out at sea. Thanks for the messages, signing off for now.
B
TODAYS PHOTO - Sunset on the first day at sea