Freebird Tenerife

It’s the International Year of the Dolphin and thoughts are at last turning to how to protect them and other cetacean species such as whales. Last week a major conference took place at the Magma centre in Las Americas, with delegates from West African nations joining with experts from the Canary Islands.

Agreement was reached to promote Macronesia, that’s the Canary Islands, The Azores and Madeira, as a sanctuary for whales and dolphins, with all the governments involved committed to protecting these endangered species.

The Tenerife ministry of the Interior has threatened to hit whale and dolphin watching excursion companies with fines of up to 300,000 euros if they break the code of conduct for watching these graceful creatures.

Freebird welcomes these new moves, as they have always been committed to responsible tourism and have a deep respect for all sea creatures. If you want to see the full guidelines that Freebird operate by, look at the Eco Policy section on the Freebird Sailing website.

 On many of Freebird’s catamaran trips, you will meet volunteers from the Atlantic Whale Foundation. These students carry out research and plot the progress of the many dolphins and whales, a third of all known species, that pass through or are native to the Canary Islands.

There are few more uplifting sights in nature than dolphins and whales cavorting in the waves, it’s a sight freebird intend to be bale to bring you for many years to come.

Tim Wilks gets to grips with his new home for up to two months. There’s not much room in the sleeping cabin of Martha Dos, but Tim and Peter Raab will grab some shut eye there between shifts rowing from Puerto Colon, Tenerife to Antigua, West Indies.

It really is a case of in at the deep end for Tim, who was a late substitute, only agreeing to join the project 4 weeks ago. The boat will set off on December 8 so Tim arrived in Tenerife yesterday, from Darlington, with lots of catching up to do.

“I’m pretty fit in myself” said the former semi pro rugby player “but I have to get used to the rowing discipline and have courses and tests to take concerning basic safety and navigation at sea.”

Tim is a well travelled adventurer and has followed the previous Atlantic rowing challenges from afar as the desire to take part grew. “A lot of it is about mental strength and I have always had that quality.”

All the hard training and the race itself are for a good cause, raising money for the Orobal charity, based in Los Cristianos, which helps to improve the quality of life for mentally and physically handicapped children. Freebird are pleased to be backing the challenge and will be arranging a series of fund raising events.

Land ahoy! Those words will be the most welcome sound that Peter Raab (left)  and Tim Wilks could possibly here, as they reach the end of their 3,000 mile Atlantic rowing challenge from Tenerife to Antigua, West Indies.

The pair are following a proud tradition of ocean rowing from Tenerife and will be inspired by the thought of the Orobal charity they are raising money for. Based in Los Cristianos, Orobal helps to improve the quality of life for mentally and physically handicapped children.

Freebird are pleased to be sponsoring the crew and their boat, Martha Dos as the departure date of December 8 looms closer. The marine plywood boat, stuck together with glue will set out from Puerto Colon harbour, home of the Freebird catamarans. Leading up to the big day, Freebird will be organising a series of events to raise funds for the intrepid rowers and would love to hear from anyone who would like to get involved, contact angela@freebirdsailing.com.

Martha Dos knows the route, the boat did the crossing in 2001 in just 61 days, the record is an amazing 35 days. Peter and Tim have no set time scale, they just want to get across in one piece and avoid any big storms or problems with their basic equipment.

As you sit down to your christmas dinner, they will be bobbing about in the middle of the Atlantic, and if they are lucky, they may catch a fish for a special treat to supplement their nutritional but bland diet. Good luck guys.

Always keen to get involved in the community, Freebird are proud to be sponsoring Peter Raab and Tim Wilks for their epic 3,000 mile rowing challenge from Puerto Colon, Tenerife to Antigua, West Indies.

The brave duo will leave on December 8 and could be gone for up to three months, fighting the Atlantic without a motor or a sail. Their efforts are to raise funds for Orobal, a Los Cristianos based charity that helps bring support and comfort to mentally and physically handicapped children.

 Their boat, Martha Dos is moored in Puerto Colon harbour, dwarfed by bigger more powerful boats, after all it’s just 7.1 metres long and 1.9 metres wide. Peter and Tim have to live on this for the duration of the voyage and take turns at trying to sleep in a cramped cabin at one end of the boat.

Freebird will be arranging a series of fund raising events, if you want to get involved contact angela@freebirdsailing.com and keep checking this site for more news as the clock ticks down to departure day.

One of those wow moments on the Freebird jeep safari, comes when you get the first glimpse of the ancient fishing village of Garachico, up on the north west coast. One of several volcanoes that has hit the village over the years, spat a huge lump of rock into the sea just off the shore.

The iconic rock, tight streets and Canarian balconies are constant reminders of it’s historic past, but what are those white sculpted doorways standing on the quayside? The very modern answer is, they are marble works of art made by Japans internationally known sculptor, Kan Yasuda. Installed in 2002, they are called Tensei Tenmoku and refer to the large number of emmigrants that left Tenerife for South America over the past 200 years. It certainly adds another dimension to this quaint old former capital city, but then Tenerife is an island of contrasts, as you will find when you enjoy the jeep tour. 

Far be it from me to boast, i’m no Picasso, but i’m no slouch with a paintbrush either. I wanted to experience the full beauty of Tenerife and the Freebird Jeep Safari seemed just the ticket.

My senses certainly enjoyed a feast, the colours and shades of the volcanic mountains were stunning, red tints in seams through the rocks, blackened lava twisted into bizarre shapes where it had bubbled along years ago and the contrast of green vegetation growing out of the rich volcanic soil.

The north west coast provided me with plenty of inspiration, standing high up in the cool mist and cloud looking down on Garachico below with it’s distinct detached rock just out to sea was like a glimpse into history. Then down at sea level, it was fascinating to see how Garachico has adapted to the legacy of the volcanoes, using the lava pools as a bathing attraction and attracting a steady tourist trade without losing any of the old character.

Masca was a pleasing sight. I had heard of the damage done by the forest fires earlier in the year but while it has left it’s mark, the scars are already healing and the beauty shines through.

It’s going to be tough to match nature’s handywork but Freebird opened up a whole world of inspiration to me, so I best get painting.

They make the roads rugged and testing in Tenerife, but the Freebird jeeps are up for the challenge. Snaking up the tight winding hill roads, they feel safe and sure, the thought of swinging a coach round some of those corners is enough to make your breakfast feel uneasy.

The Toyota DGD Land Cruisers seat 7 passengers and absorb the worst that the islands’s roadways can throw at them. To be fair, the road systems of Tenerife are remarkable, the road to the village of Masca took 17 years to complete, just imagine getting all the heavy digging, levelling and tarmacing equipment up and down those hills.

The north west corner of the island is served by a spiralling road that drops down into the valleys, thankfully the government have ensured that special viewing points or Miradors, appear at regular intervals, to pull in and capture the sprawling plantations and rock formations below.

For comfort and protection, you can’t get much better than these stylish jeeps to crunch through the miles. Make way for the Freebird convoy, we are on the road to fun and discovery, and nothing’s gonna stop us.

Hugging the hills on narrow roads above a sheer drop, this really is getting close to nature. It’s worth it though as I look out on the panoramic views of banana plantations, old volcanic lava flows and the rugged coastline beyond. In the comfort of a Freebird jeep, the ground might rise and fall but the suspension has got it covered.

Like many holiday makers, I always thought that the beaches and nightlife were the start and end of Tenerife, but this trip opened my eyes to the history and true nature of the island. Our convoy of six jeeps, set off from the built up areas of Las Americas and Los Cristianos, but we were soon climbing through villages forgotten by time.

I’d heard of the hidden village of Masca but wasn’t prepared for the sight of it nestling in the folds of the towering mountains, almost looking like a model from afar. Onward to Garachico, and the legacy of past volcanic eruptions was all around, the large rock just out to sea was, i’m told, spat out there when the island roared with a fierce explosion many years ago. Down in the fishing village below, the rock loomed even larger and rugged outcrops made natural enticing pools.

Filling up my camera at each viewing stop, the contrasts kept coming, up to Chinyero, the site of the last eruption in 1909, blimey that’s a bit too recent, the low cloud cooled the air but we were all cosy in the jeeps. A typical Canarian dinner at a restaurant, fuelled us up for the next stage, and the locl wine gave us a taste for the vineyard shop in the village of Santiago del Teide. The local produce had to be sampled, well it would have been rude not to.

It left ample time for a stop above Los Gigantes to take in the towering cliffs that inspired the name, before closing the full day with a leisurely drive back to our pick up points.