Page published: 26 March 2008
Guanchito
Joseph Mercado wrote in January 2008 saying:
Hi from the Canaries. Seven islands belonging to Spain and located in the Atlantic Ocean of the Moroccan coast! I've just found you. Have been searching for information since I bought a SeaHawk in October 2007.
In a later message he continued:
I really want to tell you dozens of things ocurried with my "Guanchito". She was built in 1973 but now days nobody knows how she came up to the island. in 1978 she obtained the Spanish flag and documentation. There are many English and German sailboats which came to canaries and never return to Northern Europe.
The boat was always used for fishing close to the harbour, specialy octopus and kraken. Up till now I'm owner numer eight. The second or third previous owner found dead in ocasion of a storm which send the boat to deep of sea. After re-floating at the marina she was reconstructed with a new mast and all the bottom of the hull was covered with expanded-polystyrene in order to give her buoyancy and make her un-sinkable.
My daughter is eleven and she is training and learning to sail with her own Optimist dinghy since she was eight. I tell you that because two sail-teachers of my daughter learned to sail with my Guanchito. My boat is very aprecciated because her shape and comfort but overall because it is very rare to see her among little boats we can see in our marina.
Step by step i'll keep on sending you pictures and stories about her. All you ok?
Sorry again for my gramatic and English compositions!
Joseph's text has been slightly edited. It is hoped that none of the intended meaning has been lost.
Unfortunately, Joseph does not tell where these pictures were taken. I'm sure we'd all like to know more! Certainly, all the boats seem much bigger than a SeaHawk in the two pictures above!
