Archipencos, Fuerteventura

The archipencos is a traditional part of the celebrations during carnival time in the capital of Fuerteventura, Puerto del Rosario. The locals turn out in force to see the valiant, and not so valiant, attempts to travel from the port area to the small beach just south of the port, called Playa Chica.

The vessels are each individually designed around their own particular theme, and are powered by the efforts of the crew, with a little help, or hinderance from the wind.

These are photographs from the first event we attended, you can see otheryears by following the link on the left.

The photographs that follow tell their own story. If you find yourself on the Island when this event is on, it makes for a fun day out. It´s usually held on the first Sunday of the Carnival period at 1pm. It´s watched by around 2,000 people who line the Maritime Avenue which is closed to traffic for the afternoon.

The 2011 event was very difficult for the competitors because they had to face a strong southerly wind, which prevented a lot of them actually making it to the finish!

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