A wind faithful to its appointment
The trade winds are very steady winds. They blow from the north-east over the Canary Islands for much of the year, almost always in the same direction.
That steadiness makes them special. They are not stray gusts or passing storms. They are a faithful wind, one that keeps the islands company month after month and forms part of their character.
Their best-known effect is a mild climate. The trade winds bring fresh air from the ocean and soften the heat. They also push the clouds against the northern mountains, and that is why those slopes are greener and damper.
Why they do not trouble us in the south-west
Although the trade winds blow over the whole of the Canaries, not every coast feels them the same way. The Los Gigantes coast lies in the south-west of Tenerife.
That orientation changes everything. The wind arrives from the north-east and meets the island’s mountains first. By the time it might reach our coast, it has lost almost all its strength.
The result is a calm sea for much of the time. While the north of the island can be choppy and windy, here the waters usually stay peaceful. That calm is exactly what we look for to sail in comfort and to watch the wildlife without stress.
The wind that shaped the islands
The trade winds have been part of Canarian life for centuries. In the age of sail, they pushed the ships that crossed the ocean towards America, and the islands were a natural stopover on that route.
Today they are still there, blowing just as they did then. When you are on board and notice that the air is fresh but the sea is calm, you are feeling their gift: a gentle climate and a sheltered coast. For us that balance is part of what makes sailing here so unique.
