The breeze is up at Playa Francesa courtesy of the Azores high pressure system. Offshore seas look to be running the predicted 12 to 20 feet (four to six meters) from the northeast. With the seas and wind aligned we’re thinking the risk is low of these waves wrapping into the anchorage. We are hanging out for the moment (but have moved to the outer fringe of the anchored yachts so we can depart quickly should the desire arise).

The photo above is looking to the southwest, into the open ocean.

There is a small spit sticking into the channel between Isla Graciosa and Lanzarote, which offers a degree of protection from the north.

Meanwhile, things are copacetic in the anchorage, if occasionally rolly.

Between the clouds, sunshine and  wind, the sea surface presents an interesting and ever varying appearance. We may be boat bound, but there is lots to see and do.

Speaking of which, this English cutter just sailed in. Although in these photos she is in the lee of Isla Graciosa, there is still a bit of sea running, as you can see here.

Same photo, now cropped tight. Check out the waves offshore.

Coming into the anchorage, anchor deployed, ready to drop. Odds are they are arriving from Morocco or maybe Spain. They will have had a lovely downwind ride in these conditions.

Crew is forward, remote control for the windlass in hand. We prefer a windlass control in the cockpit, where it can be operated by the skipper. Note the anchor swivel. You know what we think of those.

The gulls are working hard at fishing, using us as a downwind turning mark.

They have a technique for flying to weather we have not seen before. Getting low, where the breeze is lighter, they use their feet to assist in forward propulsion, while their wings provide support in ground effect.

There is a conundrum when choosing where to sit at anchor in this situation. If you tuck in close you will probably have better protection from the waves that wrap into the anchorage. But then you are at risk of bigger wave sets creating a break outside of your position. In a crowded anchorage like Francesa, there is the additional problem of swinging room, not to mention other yachts dragging, and ease of escape, particularly in the dark.

Hence our outside position. We are subject to more wave action, but between our size, flopper stoppers, and inherently soft motion, even though we are moving around a bit it is not unpleasant.

We have also been experimenting with the NAIAD active stabilizers. A  few hours ago we lit off one of our engines, turned on the hydraulic system, and set the stabilizers so they would work with zero speed input. The results have been pleasantly surprising. Motion, both amplitude and acceleration, is reduced and there is an increase in comfort. We are checking now with NAIAD about the settings we are using to see if we can improve things even more. We have also asked our John Deere diesel distributor about the affects of running the engine at idle for long periods. We shall report in due course.

Time to get back to work.