Photos: Sergio Betancort
The first La Tiñosa Sea Fair, organized by the Tías City Council, has opened its doors this Thursday morning with the aim of "relaunching and promoting nautical leisure in Puerto del Carmen and Lanzarote, with the port of La Tiñosa as a nerve center".
The mayor of Tías, Pancho Hernández, and the deputy mayor and councilor for Tourism and Culture, Amado Jesús Vizcaíno, attended the opening of the fair, which is located in the Plaza de El Varadero. The councilor for Education and Social Welfare and the Family, Aroa Pérez, and the councilor for Sports, Cleaning and Festivals, Francisco Javier Aparicio Betancort, were also present at the event. The fairgrounds, installed on four large tents, will be open until this coming Sunday, September 24, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
More than 20 companies linked to nautical leisure are exhibited there. In addition, the Canary Islands Maritime Fisheries Institute (Fishing School) exhibits its entire training offer related to aquaculture, diving and maritime fishing qualifications in one of the stands, and Turismo de Lanzarote promotes its Lanzarote European Sport Destination brand, among other exhibiting firms. The fair starts this year coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the birth of the first tourist area of Lanzarote.
Tribute and barbecue party
The mayor of Tías, Pancho Hernández, highlighted at the opening ceremony that this fair has its origin in recovering the fishing value of La Tiñosa and promoting all the maritime leisure that has had an important boom in the Island in recent years. As an example, he stressed that Playa Chica "is among the main destinations in the Canary Islands and Europe for scuba diving" and stressed that last year more than 120,000 people came to the island to dive.
The deputy mayor and councilor for Tourism, Amado Jesús Vizcaíno, stressed that the fair is part of the Dynamization Plan that his Department is launching. In addition, he announced that within the program there will be a tribute and recognition to the men of the sea, as well as a barbecue party for the 50th Anniversary of the origin of Puerto del Carmen as the first tourist area of the island of Lanzarote.
After the opening, the inauguration and presentation of the nearly one hundred photographs submitted to the photographic contest on marine funds organized by the City Council of Tías within the 50th Anniversary took place and a talk was given by technicians from the Office of the Biosphere Reserve of the Cabildo of Lanzarote on the conservation and awareness of the marine funds of the Island to the schoolchildren of the municipality of Tías.
Traditional fishing haul
Within the program, there will also be a traditional haul with the participation of the sailors of La Tiñosa, as it was done in the past. With the capture, a great elaboration of jareas will be made to flood the town of La Tiñosa with typicality and tradition, as until a few decades ago was common in this enclave of the coast of Tías.
During the days of the fair, which is born with a desire to celebrate it annually, diving baptisms will be held in the El Poril area (next to the port of La Tiñosa), sailing courses for children and a jolateros workshop.
In addition, this Thursday, September 21, at 9 p.m., the television documentary produced by the City Council of Tías, and starring fishing boats from La Tiñosa, about "The traditions of La Tiñosa. Arallado fishing" will be premiered. During the days of the Fair, the square will host daily musical and folkloric performances, concerts and a Canarian gastronomy area.
Latin Sailing Regatta 50th Anniversary Trophy
The waters of Puerto del Carmen will host this coming Sunday, September 24, a Latin sailing boat regatta, which will sail again along the coast of Tías after the break of many years to compete for the 50th Anniversary Cup of Puerto del Carmen.
The City Council of Tías has the collaboration of the teachers of the IES Marítimo Pesquero de Canarias (Fishing School) who during the days of the fair will give various talks on the making of marine knots, propulsion of boats, survival at sea and handling of fire extinguishers, among others. Attendees can also enjoy from this Thursday practices of paddle surfing, kayaking and diving baptisms.
Emerlan volunteers will perform a maritime simulation on the morning of Sunday, September 24. The well-known diver and photographer Javier Medinaveitia will give a workshop on underwater and sea photography on the afternoon of Friday, September 22, at 5 p.m., organized by the Lanzarote Underwater Activities Club.
Talk by Domingo Concepción
The well-known biologist, teacher and Biosphere Reference award winner in its 2017 edition, Domingo Concepción, will give the talk "Beach and high sea birds: relations with fishing" this Friday, September 22, at 7 p.m.
On Friday night, the music will be provided by the Agrupación Gaida and the group El Requinto. On Saturday night the performances will be by the groups Boulevard and Mama Said. During the fair, different tickets will be given for gifts provided by the exhibiting companies, which will be raffled on Sunday afternoon, in the hours prior to the final closing of the La Tiñosa 2017 Sea Fair.