On 21 May 2026 we headed back to Fuerteventura – this time with my daughter Lara and her boyfriend Fabi. And we had firmly resolved: this time we’re going sailing! And we did.
Dolphins on the way to Gran Tarajal
Our destination was Gran Tarajal. We saw dolphins on the way there – and Fabi, who had never sailed before, was of course thrilled. In Gran Tarajal we lay at anchor, and it was almost perfect: we went out on the stand-up paddle boards a lot, and Lara ran the household on board. Pretty cool!
A fin whale!
On the way back to Morro Jable we were incredibly lucky: about 200 to 300 metres abeam, a huge fin whale surfaced – the very first time for me! All three of us saw it. Seeing such an enormous whale live was an absolute dream. We kept looking out for a long time afterwards, but sadly we only saw it that one time.
Fishing with Javi
Back in the marina I went out fishing with Javi. Javi offers fishing trips – a great guy! We caught a few fish, and it was a really lovely outing.
On foot to Cofete
In between I also hiked to Cofete – a beautiful route of around ten kilometres from the marina, up over a pass. I set off in the morning, and at midday Lara and Fabi picked me up by car on the other side in Cofete. A fantastic hike!
Of course I told Martin and Hermann about it. They said: “Next time you come, we’ll hike with you.” I don’t think they expected me to remember next time … But more about that in the next entry.
A pub crawl with consequences
Two days later our mate Jörg came to visit with his friend Mattes from Wiefelstede – and it was pretty much a given that it would get boozy. Lara had serious misgivings: marina, pontoons … a lot can happen.
I picked the two of them up at the airport, and as soon as we were in the marina the party started: Martin has a beer tap on board, so first there were a few beers and Jägermeister. Then we drove to the last chiringuito bar on the beach and walked back from there – with two or three beers in every bar along the way. That’s how the whole day went. Very, very funny – and very, very exhausting. Late in the evening George joined us too.
Around midnight we headed back towards the marina. And on the way Mattes fell into the water – Jörg jumped straight in after him to rescue him and lost his glasses in the process. Lara had already tried to call me, but my battery was dead and Jörg didn’t hear his phone. She was worried sick – and came round the corner at exactly the moment we were fishing the two of them out of the water. You can imagine how thrilled she was …
Morning drinks at the smokehouse
On Saturday morning Jörg, Mattes, Martin and I went for a morning drink at Sven’s. Sven runs a fish smokehouse on Fuerteventura – and it’s simply delicious! The beer and wine come chilled from a zinc tub, and with it you get the perfect fish.
On 31 May we all flew back to Germany together – Jörg, Mattes, Fabi, Lara and me. But it won’t be long before we’re back!