Initially launched in 1987, the Canary Islands Rally, now renamed as the Canaries Odyssey, was – and continues to be – an attempt by Cornell Sailing Events to give sailors stopping in the Canary Islands on their way across the Atlantic the opportunity to visit not just one or two islands, as most do, but all seven islands of this attractive archipelago.
This year, the special Barbados 50 event, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Barbados independence, has been incorporated into the Canaries Odyssey. After a week of seminars and visits to various local attractions in Lanzarote, on Monday the participants were taken by bus and ferry to the neighbouring island of Fuerteventura. The decision was taken not to sail to Fuerteventura, as we had done with previous events, because docking facilities in the north of the island are of a poor standard and could not accommodate a fleet of 30 yachts.
A doubledecker bus was needed to accommodate all the Barbados 50 crews!
Betancuria Cathedral – the oldest in the Canaries dating from 1410.
Seventy three of the Barbados 50 participants took part in this excursion organised at the invitation of the Tourism Board (Patronato de Turismo) of Fuerteventura. The unanimous decision: an unforgettable day spent in one of the most attractive islands they had ever visited.