The promise of dawn at sea pulls us from a snug bed this morning and has us underway by 0500. The distance to Las Palmas is short, just 95 miles, and the early start is an endeavor to get the ARC paperwork sorted out before the herd begins to arrive.

Dawn light is average, but still enough to get the adrenilin pumping as we sip our coffee.

We decide to experiment with wake photos. These are shot at ISO 400, 1/15th of a second, F5.6, hand held. Next time we’ll use the tripod (on the way across the Atlantic).

Welcoming us to this new adventure is a huge pod of dolphins. We have as many as 20 keeping pace with us at once, ten to a side.

They put on a wonderful long jump display.

Some of our friends from Playa Francesa are out and about as well. They seem to be saying goodbye.

We admit to a bit of anxiety about the next landfall, now outlined against the horizon. After a month of scenery like the photo above, it will not be an easy transition.

But change is one of the pleasures of cruising. You can dip in and out of different environments, and even a scene as lovely as Playa Francesa loses its edge.

So while Las Palmas’s density of yachts, buildings, and homo sapiens is overwhelming, we know they bring with them new friends, restaurants, and supermarkets.

We’re at anchor now. We’ll top off the fuel tanks in the morning, do our best to avoid embarrassment as we Med moor, and get on with the party.