Islote de Lobos

Roman remains in Lobos islet

It’s many those who ask us what are those fenced in excavations we find in Lobos islet, so we will leave this article for those who want to know a little about the history of our neighbour islet.

At the beginning of 2012 it was found out, in the islet of Lobos, a site with archaeological remains dating back to the I century B.C and the I century A.D.

In November 2013 the diggings in the islet started, by means of a project called “Poblamiento y Colonización en las Islas del Atlántico”, aimed to study and research of these remains, and framed within the existing institutional agreement between the OACM in Tenerife (Autonomous Organization of Centres and Museums) and the Regional Office of culture and historical patronage of the Council of Fuerteventura.

As studies and diggings have been developing, hypotheses have been made, and nowadays it is quite validated the one which states that the site belongs to Roman settlements, maybe just seasonal, looking for sea snails in the islet— Stramonita haemastoma or thais, known in the Canary Island as “carnadilla”—, from which they got the purple dye they used for the noblemen’s outfits at those times. What has allowed us to validate this hypotheses is the discovery of more than 70.000 specimens of these molluscs. This kind of site is the only discovery in the Canary Islands, and other similar sites have appeared in the island of Mogador and other points in the Atlantic African coastline, which proves that this route was already used by these great empires (Punic, Greek and Roman) to stock up not just on “carnadilla” for dyes but also on fish, as the area was really rich in tunidae.

In the old times, purple on fabrics was the only sign of social distinction, from the Phoenicians to the Romans, as getting this dye was very expensive. From each snail just a few drops of the coveted dye could be extracted, used to dye the capes and garments of the highest offices; so this dye was an indicator of luxury and social distinction. Even the State itself was in control of its monopoly and organized trade and military expeditions to find the necessary products for the elaboration of this dye, which they then brought for its trade in the Mediterranean.

Lobos Islet’s site has 108m2 (18 x 6), and excavations are making it deeper and deeper, as the remains which appear are on slopes and even part of the found walls are still under the earth, some 2m deeper. The hypotheses point out that the structures that are being dug up belonged to the rooms where they stored these molluscs. Some remains of pottery are also appearing, surely containers where they stored the molluscs, as well as remains of household and kitchen utensils, pieces of iron and bronze, fish hooks and nails, remains of amphoras, pans, lids… even bone remains from the animals of the time (sheep and goats).

Excavations are expected to take place until the end of 2016 and they are being carried out by a team of eight professionals coming from the council of Fuerteventura, from the OAMC in Tenerife and the ULL, who keep shedding light on the history of the ancient settlers and colonists of these lands.

Fuertecharter’s Team

FAUNA AND FLORA, Fuerteventura

The “Vieja” in Fuerteventura: Cretan Sparisoma

Photo: © Rafa Santamaría

One of the most representative species of the marine fauna in Fuerteventura and its gastronomy is renowned Vieja (Cretan Sparisoma). 

In our daily excursions to the neighbouring islet of Lobos the presence of this species cheers up the sea bottom with vivid and bright colours, red and yellow in the female.

The Cretan Sparisoma belongs to the superclass of gnathostomata vertebrates, fish that have a bony internal skeleton (bony fishes), made ​​up of many calcareous structures and few cartilaginous ones. Apart from its internal skeleton it also has flaky bones in its dermis, which is known as exoskeleton.

Its mouth is small and terminal, and it can make very precise movements, as it has articulated dermal bones, where their teeth grow, which are very strong but lack replacement when they fall or break. Its teeth are partially or completely fused, forming a pair of plates in each jaw,  in the shape of a parrot beak, which is why it’s so often called parrot fish.

It inhabits rocky bottoms, feeding on small crustaceans and invertebrates. It usually feeds by nibbling the bottom, introducing in its mouth even rock particles. Once in its stomach, this is responsible for separating the bits of rock from small crustaceans and invertebrates that are hidden in them, and then it ejects pieces of rock in the form of sand, so, it’s a fish that contributes to the formation the sandy bottom.

Its body is oval, with rounded front part and tapered head, and it’s a species that presents great colour differences between female and male specimens. While the male is brownish, the female has bright colours: red, indigo and yellow. Males can be up to 50 cm long.

Another characteristic feature of this species is that individuals can change sex, because of strategies developed throughout history to perpetuate the species.

This species has the two reproductive organs, male and female, but initially only one part matures and it is defined as male or female. However, when the specimen reaches a certain age and, for example, if the partner dies, the sex organs of the specimen remaining alive atrophy and the hormones stimulate the other reproductive organs to mature so that the survival of the species is ensured.

FuerteCharter | Vieja Fuerteventura

FuerteCharter | Vieja Fuerteventura

The art of fishing has its peculiarities and there is a large number of amateurs and professionals who are devoted to fishing only this species, and have a vast knowledge and wisdom about it. They name their rigging in a different way to the rest of fishermen, and they have a special fishing rod, with a very long and flexible tip, usually made with intelligence and with few means. Even the name they give to the low tides can change over that given by the rest of fishermen.

According to these men of the sea, “La vieja” is an intelligent fish that tests you and even laughs at you if you do not know how to fish it.” Good technique is necessary and not just cheat them by casting bait into the water. It’s very whimsical about the bait, and it only likes small rock crabs. In Fuerteventura it’s common to see fishermen at low tide, crouching to capture the delicacy that will help them get their trophies.

This type of fishing can be done either from shore or boat. In ancient times, fishing from barge required two sailors, one holding the oars and another one holding a fishing rod at the back, to jerk at the right time, as the other hand was busy holding the “mirafondos”: glass used to see how the fish approaches underwater. The sailors had their own sign language with their legs, as their hands were busy with fishing rods and rows, to communicate without words so as not to scare the wise fish. Thus, with their legs, the sailor wearing the “mirafondos” told the one rowing if he had to give paddling strokes and in which direction. Today fishing takes place in motor boats and the presence of two sailors per boat isn’t required. It’s either float fishing with rod and reel or with air fishing rod.

“La vieja” is also whimsical about its habitat, so it can be found both in the intertidal zone and on the coast, and tends to move from one place to another frequently.
According to the fishermen, the best time to catch them is at dawn, as “la vieja” always rests in the same place (roosts), and in the morning it wakes up hungry, and it is harder to refuse a delicious crab.

Team FuerteCharter

Islote de Lobos

A visit to Lobos islet

Just 2km away from Corralejo, the islet of Lobos —which we visit daily in our boat trips—, presents a series of attractions well worth to bear in mind in our holidays.

To make it easy, in Fuertecharter we show you this short guide with the main spots to visit in the islet.

If you have a look at the presented diagram, number 1 is “el Puertito”, no doubt, for many, the most spectacular site in the islet, due to its full of life turquoise water — letting us see a sandy bottom typical of heavenly beaches— and to the big amount of big and small rocks that are shown by the low tide, making the landscape change considerably.

In “El Puertito” we find the only human settlements in the islet, crowded in summer but almost uninhabited in winter, and we also find the only restaurant in this islet, where you can eat fresh fish and “paella” every day.

The next tourist attraction is the “Centro de Interpretación”, a wooden building where the visitors can find big informative panels about the history of Lobos islet, its landscapes, flora and fauna… and where we can also see a scale model of the islet, which will allow you to get an overall idea of the islet’s orography.

Then we find “ La playa de La Concha” — called like this after its shape— also known as “La Calera”, as rhodolites were obtained in the past from this beach, calcareous structures of weeds that were used in the lime kiln, near the beach, to get lime to build Martiño lighthouse. This beach seduces all those who tread on its sand with the quietness of its crystal clear waters. This is a little bay closed by a stone and pebble barrier, which acts as a shield against the waves and turns it into a pool which is ideal to have relaxing baths.

Near this beach the visitor will find an unfinished salt mine, an initiative by Andrés B. Zala, neighbour from Corralejo, who tried to obtain salt to preserve fish until they could take it to Corralejo.

“Las Puntas del Marrajo y Saladero” are protrusions that act as breakers for what many consider to be the best waves in Fuerteventura. The wave emerging in “Saladero” is known as “Derecha de Lobos”,an internationally renowned wave which year after year attracts hundreds of tourist to our island. The wave in “Majarro” is also a long and noble right, much easier to reach for less experienced surfers.

The next outstanding point in the map is “La montaña de la Caldera” whose outline is very representative in the islet of Lobos. This mountain is a volcanic cone that belongs to Bayuyo alignment, of which we spoke in a previous article in our blog. It is 127m high (with impressive views of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura from its summit) and it’s half submerged, housing within it a black sand beach: La Caleta. Towards the wind direction, on the inner side of the caldera, there is a colony of yellow-legged seagulls, and on its most unreachable slopes shearwaters and petrels nest.

The next spot is “La playa del Sobrao”, and following the path we get to “El Faro de Martiño”, emblematic sea building to which we have also devoted an article you can also read by clicking on the following link. Under this building the traveller can find a small salt marsh called “La lagunita del faro” , created by the interaction of rain and sea water, and it’s characterized by a striking salt crust caused by quick evaporation, on which you can watch numerous birds like herons, curlews and turnstones.

And finally, the end of the track is marked by “Las Lagunitas”, with a very special ecosystem. It’s a hollow separated from the sea by a small sandbar whose bottom is relatively waterproofed by clay deposits. When the tide rises the sea water seeps through and creates lots of little ponds. Three species of plants define this ecosystem botanically: Limonium papilatum, Limonium tuberculatum (which have in Lobos their best populations) and Limonium ovalifolium canariense, a unique endemic species in Lobos islet. This species is able to survive under the water, even in case of large tides.

Near “Las Lagunitas” we also find the biggest lime kiln in the islet, whose fuel was extracted from nearby fossil marine deposits which are rich in limestone.

In our boat trips from Corralejo we surround the whole Lobos islet, offering sights of all the track we have told you about, but from the sea. We invite you to discover this wonderful islet, both from the water and walking through it.

FuerteCharter Team.

FAUNA AND FLORA

Turtle project in Fuerteventura

Some weeks ago we were talking about the beautiful specimens of Loggerhead Turtle that very often liven up our trips in Fuerteventura and we also commented on the existence in our island of an ambitious project aiming to bring back this specimen into the Canary Islands, which disappeared from our coasts 300 years ago, The Turtle Project. The Island Council of Fuerteventura, the Environment Department, the Biosphere Reserve and a group of volunteers have been working on this project, which has two basic lines of action, from 2006.

Reintroducing the Loggerhead Turtle

Some data confirm that sea turtles bred some years ago in Majorera coasts, but we suppose that the strong pressure exerted by the man on the coast made this species stop coming to lay their eggs here.
The Turtle Project intends to reintroduce the Loggerhead Turtle in the Canary Islands, more specifically in Fuerteventura, aiming to settle again a population of this species that, over time, will breed on the beaches of the Archipelago. With this purpose, they are requesting Cape Verde to give them a population of these turtles. The beach of Cofete has been considered, for several reasons, as the perfect site for the development of this project. 
In Cape Verde, in the island of Boa Vista, they have been studying the population of Loggerhead Turtles for several years, and one of the results of this study is that these turtles don’t always breed in the right place, and because of that, in some occasions the 80% of the eggs can be lost. It is precisely these eggs that Cape Verde is giving this project, trying not to jeopardise the population they have in that Archipelago.
Two turtle nurseries were set up in Fuerteventura, one in Playa de Cofete and another one in Morro Jable. The eggs were placed in Cofete and the first hatching was a complete success, which turns Cofete into an ideal habitat for the development of nests.

Once the eggs have hatched the new born turtles are moved to the nursery in Morro Jable, known as Cape Verdean  “Sodade” (homesickness). In this place the little turtles are looked after and fed — about approximately one year— with the aim of their reaching the necessary development to release them, increasing their possibilities of getting ahead once they are free, as newborn turtles are really vulnerable. After the first year it’s time to release them.
The Loggerhead Turtle is characterised for always breeding on the same beach they were born, so it’s expected that fifteen years later, when they reach their maturity, they will come back and breed on Cofete beach, witness of their creation.  This is the aim of the project, as if these turtles breed on our coasts they will repopulate the archipelago over the years. But in order to achieve a complete success of this ambitious project our cooperation is necessary, not just the one from institutions.  As we said in our previous article, this is a slow reproductive rate species, as not only do the females reach their sexual maturity between the age of 15 and 33 but they only lay eggs every two or three years. Moreover, once the eggs hatch very few of them become adults. 
For this reason, adding to the scarcity of beaches to nest the fact that many specimens die tangled in fishing nets, asphyxiated in the trawls, trapped in plastics waste… it’s considered that The Loggerhead Turtle is an endangered species.
Although we haven’t been able to move out eggs from The Cape Verde to Fuerteventura for some years, the Island council states that the hatching of eggs on Cofete beach is about to start again, thus aiming to increase the possibilities of success of this project.

Recovering turtles

Within the Turtle Project there is a second line of action: that of recovering and healing injured turtles, where institutions as well as a group of volunteers who have invested their time in this project are working on the reintroduction of these turtles. It’s necessary that all of us contribute to this recovery, alert on seeing an injured turtle so it can be rescued, healed and release again into the sea…
Just today we have had the chance to witness how a young specimen of Loggerhead Turtle, after having been recovered and healed, has been released in Grandes Playas, Corralejo, by environmental agents —landscape that we enjoy in our trips in Fuerteventura—. We leave you with the pictures we have taken of this beautiful turtle and we encourage you to be alert and contribute to this ambitious project…

We also encourage you to enjoy the sea and, hopefully, in the company of these turtles; we can assure than on countless occasions in our trips in Fuerteventura you can see them float on the surface in order to take the sun they need to increase their body temperature as they, as reptiles, must thermoregulate.

 FuerteCharter Team


FuerteCharter | Proyecto Tortuga Fuerteventura

Proyecto-tortuga-Fuerteventura
http://especiesamenazadascanarias.blogspot.com.es

FuerteCharter | Proyecto Tortuga Fuerteventura

Fuerteventura

Dune Natural park in Corralejo

Our boat trips from Corralejo towards the islet of Lobos is characterised by the breathtaking views of its landscape behind us: The Dune Natural Parc in Corralejo.

This is a huge expanse of golden sand taking up 2668,7 yellowish hectares in stark contrast with the deep blue of our sky and the turquoise shades of the water in the Eastern coast of Fuerteventura.

The Dune Natural Park, where the islet of Lobos belongs too, was designated as such on the 15th October 1982, and it was definitely reclassified as Natural Park on the 19th December 1994 by the Law on Natural Sites in the Canary Islands.

The formation of the Dunes making up this park is completely organic, that is, they have originated due to the build-up, in the North of the island, of remains of shells of thousands of molluscs and other marine organisms with an external skeleton which has been disaggregated and pulverised. These remains are deposited there by the sea and once they get dry they are heaped by wind currents. The wind creates different shapes in dunes, as for example ripples, which are small waves, and the strength of the wind makes dunes not be fixed but move slowly, either independently or in strings that move crosswise the wind direction.

Dunes are a very fragile system, as any within-range obstacles in the dunes field will cause a change in its dynamics. Usually, in front of the dune fields some pre-dunes are formed beside the coastline, and being closer to the sea and wetter they don’t move, so some vegetation grows there which prevents them from moving even more. This pre-dune acts as a barrier, greatly stopping the erosive strength of the sea wind, mainly in stormy periods.

Under the several meters of deposited thin white sand you can sometimes make out the “malpaís” foundations (rocks with very sharp cutting edges), characteristic of this volcanic area.

The dunes border to the North with the village of Corralejo, and to the South with the “malpaís” in Montaña Roja, the Eastern border being this huge Ocean of heavenly turquoise waters where a dive can become the most idyllic entertainment.

The scientific value of these dunes is very important and they are inhabited by several protected and threatened endemic species, which is why they have been designated special protection area for birds (ZEPA) and, from the 13th July 1990, area of biological sensitivity, according to the Environmental impact prevention law. Among the birds we can find in the area we have the Houbara bustard (really scarce) Cursorius cursor, pteroclidae, ash-grey eaglet, the kestrel, anthus and calandrella rufescens or saxicola dacotiae.

And in what seems a true desert we find out the existence of some brave plants, able to stand the harsh weather in this area, the absence of sweet water, and the great salinity of the area. This is the case of the Androcymbium gramineum psammophilum, threatened and protected endemic species. We also find allium christophii, aeonium, narcissus jonquilla and hawthorns.

The Dune Natural park in Corralejo is one of the main tourist attractions in the island of Fuerteventura, and its dunes are the biggest in the Canary Archipelago, though the ones in Maspalomas (Gran Canaria) are also of great importance. In ancient times other sand dunes were also important like the ones in El Jable (Lanzarote), Jandia (Fuerteventura) or Guanarteme (Gran Canaria).

Sand dunes, apart from being a tourist attraction by themselves, gathering every day a great deal of tourists, are a clear indicator of beaches of quality and no doubt in the East of the Majorera coast the most heavenly beaches in our island of Fuerteventura are found, wrapped in this blanket of dunes of imponderable beauty.

El equipo de FuerteCharter

Fuerteventura

Majorero cheese museum in Fuerteventura

From July 24th 2014, Fuerteventura has a Monographic Museum of majorero cheese. This cheese got its designation of origin on February 16th 1996, and since then it has become one attraction in Fuerteventura due to its first rate quality.

The inauguration of the museum took place in the Visitors’ centre, in the mill of Antigua, where the premises of this museum are.

The aim of the Majorero cheese Museum is to show the value of the livestock culture in Fuerteventura, associated with the goat and cheese, and its promotion as a tourist attraction.

The Majorero cheese Museum has a true didactic purpose where several rooms are distributed along the 515m2 they take up. They are classified into different topics and functional areas where they tell the two-thousand-year history this island has devoted to raise goats.

In the different units, information panels can be found, of course in different languages, as well as reproductions of natural areas that guide us in a tour of the cheese world culture:

– In one of the information areas they speak just about Fuerteventura, characteristics of the island, its weather, fauna and flora, its orography and geology.

– Another one deals with the majorera goat, as a representative icon of Fuerteventura, since one of the hallmarks of our island, often surprising the tourist, is to see free-running goats throughout the landscape in the island. In this section of the museum there is some information about the majorera goat and its relationship to its surrounding area, the different kinds of goats and the majorera race, its morphology, milking, shepherding…

– A third section of this museum tells us about the history and culture of the Majorero cheese, a fatty cheese with a strong smell, which has been elaborated throughout history in an artisan way, and nowadays also in an industrial way, having received important awards due to its quality both at home and abroad, getting the designation of origin on February 16th 1996. This is a hard-pressed cheese, and it’s made of majorera goat milk, although up to a 15% of Sheep milk from the Canary Islands can be added if the cheese is to be cured. The main secret for the success of the majorero cheese is owed to the excellent quality of its thick, aromatic, full fat majorera goat milk, the goats being able to produce up to 2 and a half litres per day, free of impurities, medicaments, preservatives and colostrum. In this museum area further information about the characteristics of this cheese, its elaboration and perfect pairings can be found, as well as majorero cheese recipes, its nutritional aspects, data about its designation of origin, the different cheeses in the Canary Islands…

– And lastly, there is a tasting room and Fuerteventura cheese shop so the visitor can, apart from knowing the history of this product, taste it and make a personal evaluation.

In the surroundings of the museum we also find the mill of Antigua, declared an asset of cultural interest in the monument category in 1994, and the restaurant, which will shortly be out to tender.
In our private boat trips or two-day charters Fuertecharter never forgets the Majorero cheese, as an added value, to offer our clients the tasting of one of the best products in our land.

FuerteCharter’s Team

Islote de Lobos

Lobos’ lighthouse

The lighthouse has always been an essential element for men’s life, has allowed them to develop and make progress towards new discoveries, even nowadays it keeps being a great reference point for sailors.

If many people know Alexandria Lighthouse, The Colossus or The Tower of Hercules, here in The Canary Islands there is one lighthouse which stands out particularly: Martiño’s Lighthouse, also known as Lobo’s lighthouse, which we can see everyday in our boat trips from Corralejo.

It stands out for many reasons: how long it took to build it, five years, due to several difficulties that arose, such as the transport of building materials carried first by camels, then by ships and in the third place by indigenous donkeys found in the very islet of Lobos; or maybe because of the nature of the islet, totally uninhabited, reason why they also had to build houses, underground cisterns, paths and yards so that the engineers, builders and the rest of workers could live for as long as the lighthouse works lasted.

Martiño’s Lighthouse started to be built in 1860, after the General Lighting Plan for the Canary Island was passed, and up to now this is the only Official building existing in Lobos. It very much looks like the lighthouses in Pechiguera and the island of Alegranza, in Lanzarote, because the three of them were planned by the same engineer, the renowned Juan León y Castillo, born in Gran Canaria.

The final outcome was a lighthouse with neoclassical style, white and yellow, 29m above sea-level. Besides the cylindrical-conical tower of the lighthouse, which is 6m. high, there is a one-storey building attached, which at the beginning was Juan León y Castillo’s occasional residence, when he visited the islet to supervise the project and later on it would be the lighthouse-keeper and his family’s residence. A cistern for the lighthouse itself was also built, located under the lighthouse, and it stored rainwater coming from the rooftop terrace to ensure water supply.

The lighthouse was first lit in 1865, a sixth class lighthouse registered in nautical charts with the international number D-2786. The main function it fulfils is that of

lighting with beacons the passage of vessels through the Bocaina Strait separating Fuerteventura from Lanzarote, and forming a triangle with Tostón Lighthouse in El Cotillo and Pechiguera lighthouse in Lanzarote.

With Lobos and its Martiño’s Lighthouse more specifically several personalities are related, among them writers like Josefina Plá, daughter of the lighthouse keeper Leopoldo Plá, who was born in 1903 and was brought up in the very lighthouse although later on she would develop her career in Paraguay. Or José Rial, who was a lighthouse keeper in Lobos since 1913 and thirteen years later he would write a novel about the island and his experiences there. Another renowned person was Antonio Hernández Páez, also known as Antoñito “the lighthouse keeper”, who actually was the last one to develop this task from the year 1936 until 1968, and also the last one to inhabit this islet. Antoñito also set up a typical restaurant there, at present run by his descendants and where you can taste fresh fish and delicious “paella” as an extra activity to be added to our trips from Corralejo.

So, it’s highly recommendable to visit Lobos and its lighthouse because of its history and the natural charm of the islet. Moreover, the visitor who climbs up Martiño’s lighthouse will enjoy breathtaking views.

FuerteCharter’s Team

Fuerteventura

Fiestas de Nuestra Señora del Carmen en Corralejo

Un año más la entrada del mes de julio da paso a las ansiadas Fiestas en honor a Nuestra Señora del Carmen, patrona de Corralejo y protectora de los marineros.

Vecinos, asociaciones y empresas de la localidad llevan semanas preparándose para festejar a su patrona, con amor y devoción, dando lo mejor de cada uno para que el pueblo luzca engalanado en estos días especiales.

Desde la Edad Media, el nombre de María estaba asociado a “estrella del mar” (stella maris en latín), y muchos monjes carmelitas aclamaban a María como “La Flor del Carmelo” (el Monte Carmelo, en el actual Israel, ha sido un lugar de devoción desde la antigüedad) y la “Estrella del Mar”, de ahí los inicios de la relación del nombre del Carmen y el mar. Y fue hacia el siglo XVIII, cuando el almirante mallorquín Antonio Barceló Pont de la Terra, comenzó a celebrar esta festividad con su marinería, sustituyendo al por entonces patrón de los marineros que era San Telmo.

Desde aquel momento, en el día 16 de julio se conmemora el día de Nuestra Señora del Carmen —fecha en la que, según la tradición, en 1251, la Virgen se apareció a San Simón Stock, entregándole sus hábitos y un escapulario, signo principal de la orden de los Carmelitas, para que constituyera dicha orden, prometiendo liberar del Purgatorio a todas las almas que en vida hubieran portado dicho escapulario—, y en muchas localidades españolas se celebran grandes procesiones marítimas donde los marineros sacan a su querida Virgen en paseo por las aguas que debe bendecir.

Sin lugar a dudas, en nuestro pueblo de Corralejo, el día 16 de julio es el más importante de estas fiestas que se prolongan hasta el día 20, con multitud de actos y celebraciones. El día 16 comenzará con una diana floreada por las calles del pueblo, a las 6:30 de la mañana, que continuará a las 12 con la función religiosa marítimo-terrestre en honor a Nuestra Señora del Carmen: procesión que sacará la imagen de la Virgen en un paseo por el mar, seguida de multitud de embarcaciones del puerto, entre las que se encontrarán nuestras embarcaciones de FuerteCarter.

Entre otros actos destacados, este año, tendrá lugar la primera edición del Festival de la Canción, iniciativa que espera contar con gran éxito en el primer año de su celebración. También se intentarán recuperar juegos tradicionales, se dará voz al IX Encuentro de Improvisadores por el Casco Antiguo de Corralejo (19 de julio), se retomará el gran asadero popular, gracias a la iniciativa de la Cofradía de Pescadores (20 de julio a partir de las 19h.), y se realizarán torneos de baloncesto, voleibol, pádel, tiro al plato, cartas, dominó, bolas, fútbol sala; tendremos proyecciones de cine, concursos fotográficos, fiestas infantiles y para la tercera edad, actuación de corales, misas, procesiones, espectáculos pirotécnicos y por supuesto la gala de elección de Mister Corralejo y de la Reina de las Fiestas.

Dentro del programa de las fiesta, este año también se ha incluido la ceremonia de clausura de la Ruta de la Tapa, que tendrá lugar el sábado 12, a partir de las 11h. de la mañana, en el hotel Barceló Corralejo Bay.

Aquí os dejamos el programa de las fiestas, para que podáis seguirlas paso a paso, sin perderos ninguno de los eventos que están preparados para disfrute del pueblo.

FuerteCharter | Corralejo

El Equipo de FuerteCharter

Fuerteventura

The alignment of El Bayuyo

Fuerteventura is the oldest volcanic island in the Canary Archipelago, where volcanoes stopped being active 10.000 years ago (La Arena mountain). The fact of being the oldest island also explains why it is the most eroded one, the buildings and volcanic cones being erected on its almost flat surface which was a fire park in the past.

A great representation of the volcanic landscape is located in the north of the island, around Corralejo. This is known as the alignment of El Bayuyo, which are several volcanoes aligned between La Caldera in the islet of Lobos and Lajares (La Caldera de Lobos, La Montaña de Bayuyo, Las Calderas, La Caldera encantada, Caldera de Rebanada, Montaña Colorada and Calderón Hondo), with NE-SW orientation and being active at the same period (recent eruptions), which made Fuerteventura grow northwards around 112 kms2, and the neighbour islet of Lobos also appeared then, as well as “el malpaís”, so characteristic in the North of this majorera island.

The volcanoes in this alignment feature a round layout and their craters are shaped like calderas. In some of them, like La Caldera de Lobos, half of the crater broke off and slid, so nowadays it has a semicircular cone.

The tour of these volcanoes is highly recommended, either on foot or by bike or car, and they are much more attractive when walking from Lajares to Corralejo, as the wonders of the landscape join the immensity of the background sea.

The first volcanic structure, which gives its name to the alignment, is La Montaña de Bayuyo (279m), located on the village of Corralejo. It’s the first mountain you can see from Lanzarote and from the islet of Lobos, where we go everyday on our boat trips from Corraejo. In La Montaña de Bayuyo, like in Calderón Hondo, there is a pathway leading to the summit to watch the crater, and it’s an area where pre-Hispanic remains of round buildings made of dry stone are kept. They are supposed to have been used as dwellings and also as a shelter for the ancient inhabitants’ cattle.

A little further to the north-east La Caldera de Lobos (127m) erupted and half of its volcanic cone slid and submerged under the water. Following towards the NE-SW you find Las Calderas (248m), a volcano on whose foot we find several “hornitos”, which are a kind of mini-volcanoes or holes existing on the lava casting through which gases, and sometimes lava, were released. Then we find la Caldera Encantada (235m) and la Caldera de Rebanada (253m).

And finally, already getting to the little village of Lajares, we find Calderón Hondo (278m) and Montaña Colorada (248m). Calderón Hondo is one of the deepest and most perfect volcanic cones in the island (70m deep). The pathway that goes to the summit is prepared for the tourists who want to visit it, cobbled and signposted, it even has a viewpoint built to watch the caldera at leisure and landscape binoculars that offer breathtaking views of the north of the island.

Out of this alignment, a little further to the north-west, we find Montaña de Lomo Blanco and Montaña de la Mancha, whose volcanoes also released lava casting, thus gaining ground to the sea, although later on it would be overlapped by the lava casting from El Bayuyo. The word “Bayuyo” is a “guanche” term, comes from the “amazigh” and is related to spiritual matters: charmed clouds, floating objects or spirits coming from the sea.

From Fuertecharter, we encourage you to discover those wonderful volcanoes on foot or, if you want to venture on our boat trips, to find out their breathtaking views from the sea.

FuerteCharter’s Team

Fuerteventura

Reintroduction of the Monk Seal in Fuerteventura

Last June 12th it took place in Corralejo the sixth meeting of working on the Action Plan for the recovery of the Monk seal in the Mediterranean and the Eastern Atlantic, where environmental technicians specialised on the monk seal (Monachus monachus) showed case studies that prove that the Eastern Canary Islands (Fuerteventura and Lanzarote) provide the ideal environment for the reintroduction of this species, which disappeared from our coasts in The Middle Ages.

As we told you in our previous article, the islet of Lobos we visit every day in our boat trips from Corralejo, was in ancient times the habitat of this species, because of the peace and quiet and the quality of its water.

The Monk Seal is one of the most primitive species that exist, dating back to 14 thousand years.

This primitivism can be the cause of their great sensitivity towards the human intrusiveness, much more developed than in other phocidae species. And as they always lived in remote and isolated places, free from the threat by terrestrial aquatic predators, they developed a trusting nature, tame and docile, not feeling the need to run away, which is why they have always been at a disadvantage when the threats of the modern world have triggered.

The number of monk seals throughout history has declined due to different reasons:

– The pollution of their habitat: oil spills, black tides…
– The overbuilding in the coast and the access to almost every corner of the coasts, which has turned the man into an intruder of their peaceful corners.
– The sea traffic and its spills, noise, accidents…
– The aggressions they have suffered straight by the men, in many occasions by fishermen who have seen in this species a threat for their catch and they have chosen to get rid of them.
– The development of the fishing gears, which have turned into true traps for the specimens of this species.

The alert on the possible extinction of this species at a global level has set into motion different projects of recovery, such as the one developed by The General Direction of Nature Conservation in the Ministry of Environment and the Regional Environment Vice-Ministry from the Canary Islands, which is trying to reintroduce this species to the Spanish fauna through the Eastern Canary Islands: Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, locations which enjoy unbeatable characteristics for this purpose.

At present, the biggest representation of monk seals in the Mediterranean is found in the colonies in Madeira and Cabo Blanco (boundary between Mauritania and the Western Sahara). The aim of this reintroducing project is that of moving out the specimens of the colony in Cabo Blanco to our coasts, so as to ensure a natural genetic corridor communicating the depleted population from Madeira with that from Cape Verde, thus trying to stop them from being isolated in space, as one of the biggest dangers they are exposed to is that of being concentrated all of them on the same area and any natural disasters (black tide, virus infections, accidents) could exterminate a great deal of them.

This project is still on feasibility study and has recently been approved by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). The Scientific institutions in charge of carrying out these studies are the University of Palmas de Gran Canaria and the University of Barcelona.

The quality of the water, the wealth in marine biodiversity in the Canary Islands and the amount of protected areas in the island turn our waters into an ideal place to achieve the aims of this project.

At present there are other similar projects of recovery of this colony in Hawaii, Madeira, Mauritania, and Morocco, which are getting very good results as confirmed by Pablo Fernández de Larrinoaga, from the CBD-Habitat Foundation.

FuerteCharter’s Team

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