Just as the surveys carried out leading up to the general elections had predicted socialist leader Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was voted back into power with a definite solid majority on March 9th for another four-year stint.

An impressive 169 seats were won by the socialist candidates who stood for election on both the mainland and the islands compared to the 153 seats won by the PP Partido Popular giving the PSOE the right to govern without the need to make any pacts with other political forces.

Aware of having gained the support of the majority Zapatero showed a calm, satisfied image for the TV cameras on 10th March explaining that his party’s priorities over the next four years will be to improve the national economy, employment and social policies adding that although it would not be compulsory to make pacts the PSOE would be open to dialogue with the other political forces.

A long way from the mainland on canarian soil the socialists were also declared winners of the elections since the majority of the voters living in the province of Tenerife and the province of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria voted in favour of the socialist candidates with the PP losing as many as 14,000 votes compared to the 2004 elections.

However this was certainly not the case in Fuerteventura where the PSOE despite having gained popularity compared to the last elections was left in a definite second place while the PP right wing candidates were preferred by the majority of the majoreros and were voted into power in Puerto del Rosario, Tuineje, La Oliva and Antigua.

It must however be mentioned that the abstention rate on the island was one of the highest in Spain standing at 30%!

The tourism department of the Fuerteventura Cabildo has once again pulled out all the stops to leave the island in prime position as one of the world’s top tourist resorts by taking part in the ITB International Tourism Fair in Berlin.

Although only 72m2 of the 998m2 pavillion constructed for the Canary Islands were allocated to Fuerteventura the tourist sector of the island ensured that the new image of the island was well received by the number one provider of tourists, Germany by attracting the attention of the 180,000 potential tourists who visited the fair between 5th and 9th March.

Island councillor for Tourism Agueda Montelonga explained that although a wider variety of nationalities of tourist have begun to visit the island the largest percentage of tourists still comes from Germany adding that the island was proud to have maintained the high standards demanded by the German tourist to date and will work hard to continue improving facilities in order not to lose popularity with the Germans.

While the local police and the Guardia Civil of the Canary Islands are on twenty four hour duty to escort groups of illegal immigrants to the nearest police station until they can be adequately accommodated in the detention centres of the Archipelago it would appear that their UK counterparts are not so eager to help out.
Blundering police officers in South East Cambridgeshire put a group of illegal immigrants on a train, gave each of them free tickets, and told them to make their way to a detention centre 80 miles away under their own steam.
Unsurprisingly, none of the nine reported to the centre and all nine disappeared on their journey from Cambridge to Croydon.
But police have defended their actions, claiming they were only acting on the advice of immigration officials and the decision was out of their hands.
James Paice MP for South East Cambridgeshire where the men of Afghani origin were found under a lorry last week, has hit out at officials were co-ordinated the men's travel.
"This is a ludicrous policy and bound to lead to increased numbers of illegal immigrants. As the police have made clear the buck clearly stops with the Home Office," he said.
The nine men, who were found at Fordham, near Newmarket, were given the train tickets at Cambridge and the name of the immigration facility in Croydon and told to report there without supervision.
Mr Paice, who has now raised the matter with Immigration Minister Liam Byrne, said: "If this is the action that the Immigration Service actually encourages it is hardly surprising that we have vast numbers of illegal immigrants in this country.
"Surely when they are apprehended, as in this case, they ought not then be released into the community without any trace of where they may go.
"It is naive in the extreme to expect nine illegal immigrants found in Fordham to voluntarily report to a facility in Croydon."

Spain’s authorities have now decided to relax the ban on betting shops in Madrid and the Basque country. Other regions of Spain are expected to follow their lead.
Companies are already bidding for the new licences. Among them is Victoria SA, a Spanish company with links to the British gaming giant William Hill. It expects to open 50 shops in Madrid and the North-west this year if it is granted a licence.
However, the new regulations will remain stricter than those in Britain. Punters will only be able to bet on sport, from a minimum wager of €0.20 (15p) to a maximum of €500,000 (£371,000).
The new rules allow for betting on a list of 30 sports, including the most popular, such as football, basketball and horse-racing, and those less well known outside the country, like pelota – a kind of squash played in Basque areas.
For years, bookmakers were banned on the orders of the dictator General Francisco Franco, who died in 1975.

If 3 , 6 , 7, 11, 20 , 34 complimentary ball 49 and the “reintegro” 6 are the numbers you usually play on the Loteria Primitiva and you bought a ticket in the Bazar Jopi in Puerto del Rosario you could be worth your weight in gold and not know it.

The fact is that the ticket which was processed at the Jopi Bazar has won
3,806,250 euros and no one has come to claim the prize money and although the owners of the lottery premises think the ticket was filled in by a regular anyone could have the winning ticket in their pocket and not be aware of it.

It is not the first time the Jopi Bazar has been graced with a win since a lucky punter walked away with 1,200,000 euros in May 2006.

Over the last few months, the holiday resort of Corralejo has been plagued by a series of violent robberies in the local shops, restaurants, and private houses causing much alarm among the local residents.

However the feeling of insecurity is not a strange feeling in the area since in 2007 alone 500 crimes were registered of which 399 were robberies and 286 aggressions and violence however although on only three of the occasions some form of weapon has been involved, the local residents cannot sleep at night wondering if they will be next.

The latest of the robberies took place in the Las Caracolas Urbanization when a young woman suffered knife injuries in the arm chest and neck while her husband was away from the island and she was alone with a 22-month-old baby in her home.

The couple, of Indian origins, are the owners of a liquor store in Corralejo and it would seem that the robbers were waiting for the husband to leave Fuerteventura to take action.

They gained access to the house using a master key and attacked the woman with a knife obliging her to empty wardrobes and lift mattresses in search of money while her baby daughter was screaming. Frustrated according to the Guardia Civil when they did not find what they were looking for they threw the woman down the stairs but she managed to see part of the registration plate of the white van with red devils painted on the sides used by the criminals in their get away before falling unconscious.

The Indian community of Corralejo is understandably up in arms over the matter and is asking not only the local residents but also those living in other parts of both Fuerteventura and Lanzarote to join together in a demonstration to protest about the lack of security.

The demonstration is scheduled to take place in March.

On a more positive note Spain is not a country known particularly for its high crime rates compared to other countries in Europe and remains a top favourite for travellers.

The region’s orthodontists were left literally “gob smacked” when they found out that the Canarian Government had agreed to finance the dental treatment of the island’s seven, eight and nine year olds via the Official Provincial Bulletin.

The “free dental treatment for kids” plan, which goes under the name of Plan de Salud Bucodental had, in fact been under discussion for some time but had not been signed because the private dentists and orthodontists who would supposedly carry out the work were not in agreement with the way the plan had been contemplated, alleging that the government would only finance 50 € of dental treatment per child making a nonsense of the FREE dental treatment propaganda since most treatments are more expensive thus condemning the parents to finance the rest of the treatment.

Furthermore the Regional government had gone ahead with the plan without the official support of the orthodontists explaining that the pilot scheme will only run until the end of December and will be phased out if it is not successful!

Fuerteventura and Lanzarote have a lot of things in common and one of those things is unfortunately the expensive bill the residents of each island must pay every time they visit the local supermarket.

Those living on the island cannot fail to have noticed the increase in prices of recent times and in fact the matter is so worrying that the Cabildos of both islands came together at the beginning of this month to discuss how best to deal with the situation and find a solution to the unreasonable prices shoppers must pay simply because they live on one of the two most easterly islands of the archipelago.

The truth is that if prices are going up at a rapid rate in Tenerife and Gran Canaria where most of the imported goods arrive they are going up even more quickly in Fuerteventura and Lanzarote because of the expense involved in shipping products even further.

One of the ideas proposed by the respective island governments to at least regulate prices was to encourage supermarket chains which up until now have not shown interest in setting up on the islands to open up new branches in order to break into the “closed” shop which is operated at present by the three chains operating in Fuerteventura and Lanzarote.

Fuerteventura Public Works department has announced that work on the dual carriage way between La Caldereta and Corralejo will be under way before the end of March.

According to Regional minister for Transport and Public Works Juan Ramon Hernandez, who visited the IV Canarian Transport Forum at the end of February, the stretch will eventually form part of the new link between the North and South of the island for which a budget of more than 57 million euros set aside.

Hernandez explained that the work should be completed in forty months. The 18,855m long section will replace the FV1 and as such will reduce traffic problems caused by the Natural Park of Las Dunas de Corralejo and is also a continuation of the Puerto del Rosario – La Caldereta stretch.

Puerto del Rosario town council has installed a series of eight informative panels at specific points of the capital with the aim of indicating the places of interest to those visiting the town.
Snippets of interesting information in Spanish, English and German have been written on each of the panels in order to attract the attention of the visitor and resident alike recreating the exciting events of the history of the island’s capital which have contributed to the Puerto del Rosario we know today.

The information panels which have been financed by the town hall have cost around 15,000 euros and have been researched and made by specialists from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria University.
Plans to make further panels giving information about the rural areas of the islands are also in the pipeline

While many are concerned about the demolition of buildings illegally constructed along the coastline of the Archipelago it will apparently, in the years to come, not be the much criticized coastal division but rather the climatic changes being suffered on a global level which will put an end to these buildings.

According to Cristina Narbona, the Spanish minister for the environment, the rise in the sea level caused by global warming over the coming years will cause the disappearance of everything constructed within fifty metres of the shoreline.

A large proportion of the islands’ beaches, which are the main attraction for tourists to the Archipelago, will therefore simply vanish under the sea leaving a thin strip of sand along the coastline unless the buildings which currently occupy the fifty metre line are demolished and more space made for the shrinking beaches. The Department of the Environment in Gran Canaria has in fact already taken measures to guarantee that the dunes of Maspalomas will not disappear by buying land and properties to allow more dune areas to develop naturally over the coming years.

Alleging that the demolitions are in the best interest of the tourist sector of the Archipelago, the Spanish Ministry of the Environment justifies the demolition of the 684 illegally constructed buildings which have been knocked down over the last four years.75,000 metres of land has been recovered for public use adding that the department will continue in its task to guarantee the survival of the Islands in the future.

The unfortunate owners of the buildings to be demolished don’t see it that way though!

With the regulations concerning the consumption of alcoholic beverages before getting behind the wheel becoming stricter by the day it is not always easy to decide if you are over the limit or not.

However, with exactly this dilemma in mind the Sagulpa Company has installed special breath test machines in the major car parks of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

For the modest price of one Euro drivers can carry out their own breath test by blowing into the thin tube that is offered by the machine when a coin is inserted. Making sure that they are fit to drive before starting the car, reducing their risks of being caught over the limit, having to pay fines or serve prison sentences, and of course reducing the risks of an accident.

It is hoped that the system, which has the same accuracy as the official police test and which has already been successful on the mainland, will be introduced in other parts of the Archipelago.

As a general rule the reading on the machine should be 0.25 mg per litre of expelled air (after blowing into the machine) and anything above this means that the person who has taken the test will receive a hefty fine if he or she is caught driving.

The ability of the Majorero dogs native to Fuerteventura has never been a question of doubt since the animal is a quick learner and has always been the right hand “man” of those who look after livestock on the island and now the dogs could become even more useful as guide dogs for the blind.

Although the dogs look nothing like the traditional Labradors or retrievers used by blind people over the centuries the National Association of “Majorero” dog owners believe that the animal is more than capable of doing an excellent job and as such have proposed the breed as a real alternative to the traditional guide dogs.
Although the idea was first put forward some five years ago it was not until this month that the ONCE National Organization for the Blind has taken the suggestion seriously due perhaps to the fact that the “Majorero” dog has grown in popularity over the last few years and some have even been successfully trained to assist in search and rescue missions of the Civil Protection Authority.

Patricia, who reached the final six together with Miss Asturias, Cadiz, Madrid, Melilla and Zaragoza, did not stand out as a potential winner in the initial collection of votes from the first few jury members but after receiving 6 points from the televote and six points from most of the remaining jury members eventually won the competition outright with 50 points leaving Miss Madrid and Miss Zaragoza in second and third place respectively.

In her role as the country’s most beautiful woman Patricia will go on to represent Spain in the Miss World Contest.

Nine canarian beauties have won the title of Miss Spain in the history of the Contest which was first held in 1929.

Regional Airline Islas Airways has announced the introduction of a fixed tariff of only 16.56 euros per journey for residents of the Archipelago on interisland routes.

A company spokesperson explained that the measure aims to make travelling between the islands a real possibility for everyone living in the Archipelago on a permanent basis eliminating the need to wait until the company has promotional offers to be able to finance the trip.

The company is also working on a new price system for groups of residents and has plans to increase the number of planes over 2008 as well as increasing the frequency of flights between La Palma, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and the two main islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria.

Reliability, punctuality, the best prices and timetables and passenger convenience are the main aims of the company, which has, since beginning to operate five years ago managed to achieve its objective of uniting the Canary islands.

More information and the possibility of buying tickets online is available on the company web site www.islasnet.com

Naked training - 28 women go Au Naturel to fight cancer

Women from around the UK, including model Nell McAndrew, stripped bare to launch Cancer Research UK's Race for Life 2008 in chilly London. United by their individual cancer experiences, the women braved the cold to take part in a naked training session to highlight that every woman in the UK is invited to take part in the Race for Life series, whatever their age, shape, size and fitness level.
All the women who took part, including Nell, have their own connection to cancer, with the group including cancer nurses, survivors of the disease and those with close relatives who have been affected by cancer.
The training event, which took place in London's Regents Park in temperatures a little above freezing, saw the participants' blushes only covered by body-painted event running numbers and pink commemorative back signs. Nell, 34, took the group through its paces ahead of the Race for Life 2008 series that runs from the beginning of May until the end of July this year.
Now in its 15th year, Cancer Research UK's Race for Life is the largest women-only fundraising event in Britain. Women are invited to walk, jog or run 5k at over 260 events across the UK this summer. The charity is hoping that 750,000 women will come together and help raise over £50 million for research into all forms of cancer.
Nell McAndrew said: "Having a naked training session is a bit of fun but it highlights a serious message – that Cancer Research UK is fighting to beat cancer and the only way to do that is by working together. I personally have been supporting Cancer Research UK for many years now. In that time my Dad, Ted, was diagnosed with non Hodgkin's lymphoma and has since been told he's in remission, so I always take part in Race for Life in celebration of him. Cancer Research UK's Race for Life 2008 is for everybody, because it's not about how fit you are, it's about taking part and raising money to beat cancer."
For more information on events you can visit www.raceforlife.org

Illegal down loaders could face internet ban

People who illegally download music and films may have their internet access stopped under moves being considered by the government.
The plans could see internet service providers (ISPs) being forced to take action against those who access pirate material. Anyone suspected of illegal downloads could then be subject to a ‘three strikes and you're out’ policy.
Under plans leaked to a newspaper, they would first receive an warning e-mail from their ISP, followed by a suspension, and then finally have their contract terminated. The government is expected to reveal details in a green paper.
It's reported that broadband firms who fail to take action could be prosecuted, and details of suspected customers made available to the courts.
Major ISPs such as BT, Virgin and Tiscali, are already believed to be in talks with the entertainment industry over introducing a voluntary scheme for policing pirate activity. It's estimated that about 6 million people download files illegally every year in the UK, costing music and film companies billions in lost revenue.

Homeless chef lived at Gatwick Airport for 3 years

A homeless chef was locked up after making Gatwick Airport his home for 3 years. It would appear that he was previously jailed for a string of thefts from passengers whilst living in the airport in 2005.
The chef ate, showered and slept at the busy airport, brushing off security staff who stopped him more then 30 times. He told his lawyers he was happier staying at the airport because he was 'clean, dry and warm'. In fact he rarely left the busy south terminal, popping out only occasionally to collect his Jobseeker's Allowance.
Lewes Crown Court was told he did not suffer mental health problems, was neither a drug nor alcohol addict, and did not cause 'a stink'. The court was told that he had repeatedly defied an anti-social behaviour order (Asbo). Even when he was jailed for breaching his Asbo, he returned to the airport as soon as he was released, passing his days watching holidaymakers and airline staff going about their business.
After admitting to breaching his order for the third time. The court heard that he was sentenced to 95 days in prison for the last breach when he appeared at the same court on January 10. Because he had spent time behind bars on remand waiting for his court appearance, he was released immediately. He then made his way back to the airport where he was arrested in the south terminal later the same day.
Judge Richard Hayward remanded him in custody for sentence believing his urge to return to Gatwick would be too strong should he be released. He said: 'It is a bit cheeky to go straight back to Gatwick. There are other places you can have a shower. This is just going on and on. It is all very strange.'

Feeling Grumpy

If you are feeling grumpy this morning there could be a scientific explanation - you got out of the wrong side of the bed! Experts say that positive energy originates from the left hand side, so when it comes to diving out from under the duvet, right is wrong and we should get up on the left.
The principles of Feng Shui - the ancient Chinese art of arranging space to achieve harmony - and psychology were applied to find the correct side to leave the bed. According to Feng Shui, the left side of the bed is associated with what we hold dear - family, health, money and knowledge - and by getting out of bed on the left side you direct positive energy into the corresponding areas of your life. Psycholgists say a good attitude is paramount to having a good day and the left side of the brain is key as this is the side responsible for logical and analytical function and the side which is used to think rationally about the day ahead.
So there you have it, both ancient and modern thinking suggests left is best when getting out of bed!

Easter egg discovered 74 years later

A beautiful Easter egg bought kept by George Taylor as a reminder of his only son John Henry who died in 1934 when he was only 22 months old only a year after his mother, has finally seen the light of day seventy-four years later!

Mr Taylor’s niece Moir came across the egg when he was tidying out Ruby Taylor’s (George’s second wife) house following her recent death.
The egg had been perfectly conserved in a straw filled box together with a poem “My darling little bud, you didn’t have time to blossom”

Astonished by the excellent condition of the egg Moir decided to hand it over to the local museum.

'Diet' wine

As people are becoming more health conscious and watching their waistline it wouldn’t be long before a diet wine was produced for those of us who enjoy a glass or two.
The Bodega Casa de la Ermita has developed a "light wine" with just 6.5 per cent alcohol this is about half the standard strength of other wines and the number of calories is also much lower than normal.
At the moment the wine produced is red, but the company plans to release a similar white wine as well.
The wine, Altos de la Ermita, will go on sale in Spain in April with plans to export to the UK and Ireland.

Designer Easter Eggs

Looking for a unique Easter gift for your special someone? Or do you like wearing something glamorous?
This spring you will have the unique opportunity to buy dark, milk or white Armani Dolci Easter Egg to pamper your vanity or present it as a gift for Easter.
Each Armani Easter egg has an 'A' logo' and is packaged in a sugar blue metallic paper with a sky blue ribbon.
The Easter Egg will be available in stores until the 5th May.

Cosmetic surgery spending soars in UK

The UK spends more on cosmetic surgery than anywhere else in Europe, according to new figures.
In 2006 we spent nearly £500 million on nips, tucks and Botox.
The figure, from analyst Datamonitor, was more than treble the amount spent on cosmetic treatments in Italy, the next highest spending country.
France came third, spending £141.8 million on cosmetic surgery. Germany was fourth, followed by Spain.
It adds up to more than £1 billion spent in Europe, although that figure is dwarfed by the £5.792 billion spent on cosmetic surgery in the US in 2006.
The fastest growing area of cosmetic surgery is the cheaper, smaller, less invasive treatments, such as Botox injections.
The UK is expected to have the highest percentage increase in either Europe or the US, with spending up to a predicted £1,505 billion by 2011. .

Concern grows over missing nine year old

The body of a girl found floating in a river estuary in Spain on March 8th was identified as missing Mari Luz Cortes. The five-year-olds’ parents feared she had been snatched like Madeleine McCann when she vanished on January 13.
An emotional link had been formed between the two families over the last three months as Huelva is less than two hours’ drive from Praia da Luz where Maddie, four, disappeared on holiday in Portugal last May.
On hearing the news Maddie’s parents Kate and Gerry were “extremely saddened”.
The McCanns, both 39, of Rothley, Leics, said their “thoughts and prayers” were with parents Juan Jose, 34, and Irene, who had been sure Mari was being held alive. When in fact her decomposed body, still in her pink leotard, spotted by a security guard at a port near the city showed a face wound and a fractured skull.
The McCanns’ spokesman Clarence Mitchell said “They had developed a sense of unity with Mari Luz’s parents. Both families were going through similar agonies.”

While the parents of five-year-old Mari Luz Cortez mourn the death of their daughter the mother of nine year old Shannon Matthews, who simply vanished in West Yorkshire on her way home from school, are still confident that their daughter is alive and has made an emotional appeal for her return on British television.

Nine year old Shannon, who lives with her mother, step father and her six brothers and sisters in Dewsbury West Yorkshire, had returned from a swimming trip with her classmates of Westmoor Junior School but has not been seen since setting off on the five minute walk to her home at twenty past three. The fact is that Shannon did not arrive home and after a week of intense searching police have declared that although none of the possible explanations for the disappearance of Shannon have been discarded there is a strong possibility that the little girl has been abducted and everyone is concerned about her wellbeing.

The full scale search operation launched by West Yorkshire Police to find the youngster has investigated the supposed sightings of Shannon by local youngsters one of which states that she was spotted sitting on a wall crying about half a mile from her home.

Some famous birthdays this edition of elsol

Reginald Kenneth Dwight AKA Elton John born 25th March 1947
Stephen Victor Tallarico Aka Steven Tyler born 26th March 1948
Céline Marie Claudette Dion AKA Céline Dion born 30th march 1968
Michel Demitri Chalhoub AKA Omar Sharif born 10th April 1932

Remember…….

.
To alter your clocks as European Summer Time starts Sunday 30 March 2008 01:00 GMT. Canary Islands - Spain is in the Western European Time Zone same at the UK. Western European Standard Time (WET) is the same time as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) so the time here is the same as in the UK.

By Bob Purdy

One of the last comments I made in the Feb edition was that our next home game was against Atletico Madrid B and it should be a belter? Well that’s exactly what it was Fuerteventura came out 3-2 victors after cruising all the way in the first half, and then conceding 2 quick goals the nails were starting to be bitten, but the boys held on for a fine home victory and another fine turn out from the home fans.
The following week the team jetted off to Madrid against San Sebastian Reyes a team formed in 1971 and so far have never been in a league higher than present, the boys put on a fine display to emerge 3-0 victors.
The last home game I saw was Celta Vigo B a team formed back in 1921. They had 2 very big forwards causing us all sorts of problems and after 10 mins bang, from a set piece we went 1-0 down. That’s just what we needed and Fuerteventura started to play some very neat football on the ground. We had a somewhat dubious penalty decision go our way and up stepped the most reliable Memo, so there is everyone already thinking 1-1 but no he slotted wide of the left post still 1- 0.
Now we had the bit between our teeth and another fine move resulted in Diaz latching on to a long pass and sweetly stroked the ball in to the bottom of the net for his first goal for the club. With 10 minutes to go before the break Maciot got behind the defence and managed to chip the keeper for 2-1. Minutes later with our defence ball watching, from exactly the same spot and set piece as their first goal Celta scored 2-2 half time.
At half time I had the pleasure of meeting Mick Parsons who runs the supporters club called Amigos de UD Fuerteventura, we gave our opinions on the first half. I thought we would score 2 in the second half for a good home win, Mick however must have seen the writing on the wall in the dressing room when he said “it could be one of those games”, and that’s exactly how it stayed with a poor 2nd half, and with Celta playing for the draw that’s how it stayed 2-2. So we missed the chance to go top of the league by 2 points. Incidentally I have commented before that it is great to see more ex pats at the game, well I have to say I have now been going to all the home games for over a year now and this time was the most Brits I have ever seen there before, its great when I bump in to people who have not been to a game before and tell me that they are now hooked and will try to get to as many games as possible. I have said before that if you like football and believe me when UD Fuerteventura play it on the floor they are a joy to watch, and a great atmosphere with crowds now over the 2000 mark. It is just €10 entry fee and free for kids up to 16ish it’s a great Sunday morning out.
A massive game coming up and one not to miss is on the 30th March against UD Pajara the only other team on the Island who play in the same league, so by anybody’s standard a big big Derby. I had the pleasure of going to the away fixture this season back in Nov 07 it finished 1-1, they will bring lots of fans so the boys will need plenty of support for this one. I look forward to maybe seeing you there.


bob@properties-fuerteventura.com

Lanzarote Ironman Triathlon Week

All places are now full for the Lanzarote Ironman Triathlon week. The main event is on the 24th May with the 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and 42.2km run although there are events throughout the week. For more information visit the website www.ironmanlanzarote.com Currently there are 1350 competitors,1260 males and 90 females.
And just in case you want to start training now entries for the 2009 race will be start from the 26th May 2008.
Saturday, May 24
Race Day - Puerto del Carmen
05.00 Transition zone opens for athletes
06.15 - 06.55 Swim check/ ChampionChip control
07.00 Start
24.00 Closure
Estimated Time Schedule on Race Day:
07:00 Race start, swim
07:45 First triathlete finishes 3,8 km swim
12:45 First triathlete finishes 180 km bike course
15.35 First finisher, Puerto del Carmen, finish line
17:30 Bike course closed
24:00 Run course closed

El Corte Inglés Car Rally

17 Apr 2008 - 19 Apr 2008
The 'Rally El Corte Ingles', sponsored by the well-known department store, is Gran Canaria’s biggest car rally. It consists of two separate competitions and attracts many international competitors. Approximately 75 teams compete for the Spanish and European Championship and about 60 teams for the Canaries Islands Regional Championship. The 623km (390 miles) course is divided into eight stages of mixed terrain in various locations around the island which includes some gruelling mountain sections.

James Cracknell and David Walliams have done it!

The dynamic duo successfully swam the shark-infested Strait of Gibraltar - bringing to an end the James's mammoth journey from the UK to Africa under his own steam.
Setting off at 09:00 (GMT) the pair made the arduous 12 mile journey from Tarifa in southern Spain to Punta de Cires in Morocco in the impressive time of 4 hours and 36 minutes.
In an eventful crossing, the pair encountered a pod of whales, David was overcome with sickness and Theo Paphitis from Dragons Den arrived in his yacht to show his support.
The journey was the final stage of Cracknell’s Cross-Continent Challenge which has already seen the Olympian row 22 miles across the English Channel and cycle a staggering 1395 miles through France and Spain in only six and a half days!
The former Olympic champion slept less than five hours a night, cycled for 18 hours a day and battled huge blisters on his bottom as a result – in a bid to travel from the UK to Africa using only his own body strength.
The ultimate aim of this incredible challenge is to raise as much money as possible for Sport Relief.
When?
Friday 14th – Sunday 16th March
How?
Just do something sporty-raise money!
Why?
All the money raised is spent by Comic Relief to change lives