Calima sailing

Calima was an unwelcome Christmas visitor late yesterday when the air became loaded with dust from the Sahara in the strong easterly wind. This time of the year it is a cool Calima as the desert air is cold now and there's even been snow in some lower parts of the Atlas mountain range in North Africa. The forecast is for more of the same for another few days before the air will finally clear over La Gomera. See regularly updated weather column on top right.

Above image was taken just a short while ago and in the dusty haze you can barely make out the Dutch sailing vessel 'Morgenster', a converted former herring lugger, heading for Vueltas harbour in Valle Gran Rey, where another larger sailing ship, the three-masted 'Alexander von Humboldt II' (the beer ship), is already berthed.