It wouldn’t be a Tenerife project if it ran to schedule so it’s hardly surprising that the new Garachico marina is evolving in it’s own sweet time. Back for another look just before Christmas it had moved on but still looked a lot short of the finished article.
The project started in November 2008 and the works board still proudly claims it will be finished by 10th September 2011. There is a lot riding on the 33,150,000 euro marina, it’s seen as the driving force that will boost the economy of the former capital and main trading port for Tenerife. A huge volcanic lava flow wiped that out but as a small consolation left the spit of volcanic rock just off the coast, it’s now on most tourists must see tick list.
Anyway back to the job in hand, it has since been announced that the marina is nearly finished but the fancy last touches mean it won’t be ready to use until the summer. Looking across, the basics seem in place including the pile driven black metal posts that will secure the pontoons for boats to park up to. Down in Los Cristianos the adding of pontoons and underlaid fuel pipes took several months and that was on a smaller scale.
There was a flurry of activity unfolding before my eyes but the JCB digger was a sight to behold. Had it been set on fire, dipped in the sea to cool off and then left to rust? What a state it looked and it made noises to match as it clanked, screeched, and clanked along. There are plans for a new hotel near the marina, the sheer beauty and history of Garachico will make it a popular stop off point for private boats and the proposed pleasure boat trips will also gain from the rugged and towering coastline.
On the day of my visit the sea was decidedly choppy, reaching the natural channels in the rocks that make a superb natural swimming spot the chain and keep out notice were up. The warning seemed to just arouse people’s sense of adventure and there was quite a crowd along the rocky crests watching the hardy swimmers riding the surges as the tide swept up the channels and sprayed mist over onlookers.
Crossing over and into the main plaza there was a much more sedate scene, sunshine and shade shared the quiet well laid out square, even the bandstand and snack kiosk was running at half pace. A statue of Simon Bolivar, founder of Simonlivia (just testing, Bolivia) looked at the scene thoughtfully, maybe wondering about the finished look of the marina.
A cooling breeze had struck up and with a long way to go back to the south , I caught the next bus to Icod de Los Vinos to retrace my journey. It’s an uplifting thought that on my next visit I should be able to have a little tour around the open and thriving marina – I hope they save a little corner for that ancient digger.