Next month will mark half a century since a significant event that revolutionized maritime communications with La Gomera. On Monday, 8th July 1974, at 11 o’clock in the morning, Benchijigua, a ferry constructed in the shipyards of Trondheim, Norway, embarked on its maiden voyage from Los Cristianos port to San Sebastián. It had a passenger capacity of 399 and could accommodate a maximum of 60 vehicles.
The inaugural journey of this new regular route was a grand social affair. It was a momentous occasion as, up until then, trips to Colombina Island were undertaken by the popular correíllos, which took between 12 to 14 hours from the capital of Tenerife.
With the innovative initiative spearheaded by the Norwegian shipowner Fred. Olsen and a consortium of Tenerife entrepreneurs, the travel time was slashed to a mere 90 minutes, with three daily sailings from each port. The initial ticket price was set at 280 pesetas per passenger (340 with a bus from Santa Cruz) and between 500 and 700 for each vehicle.
The christening of the line, which would play a pivotal role in the socioeconomic progress of La Gomera, was graced by local authorities and a significant representation of the business community.
On Benchijigua’s debut voyage, notable figures such as the civil governor of the province, Rafael González Echegaray, the military governor, Rafael Facerías, and the president of the Commonwealth of Cabildos, Rafael Clavijo, were on board. The ship was welcomed at San Sebastián port by a folkloric ensemble performing to the beat of chácaras and drums, subsequently receiving a blessing from Bishop Luis Franco Cascón.
Journalist Juan Carlos Díaz Lorenzo recollects, on his blog “Puente de Mando,” that Captain Miguel Ángel Sánchez Conejo, entrusted with bringing the vessel from Norway, captained this historic journey while José García Oliva served as the first chief engineer. Another notable figure was Lali Hernando, an employee responsible for customer service at the establishments inaugurated by Ferry Gomera on Anaga Avenue.
In addition to Fred. Olsen’s pivotal role in establishing the maritime route, Díaz Lorenzo highlights the contributions of businessmen Álvaro Rodríguez López-Braun, Cándido Luis García Sanjuán, and Antonio Carballo Fernández, along with Rear Admiral Leopoldo Boado Endeiza, who assumed the position of the first board of directors’ president.
182 MILLION PESETAS
The Benchijigua, furnished with stabilisers for enhanced navigational comfort and boasting a motor capacity of 2,310 horsepower, enabling it to cruise at a speed of 14.5 knots, incurred a cost of 182 million pesetas. It introduced a novel concept of onboard customer service, featuring a restaurant, two bars, and television. The vessel’s deployment necessitated refurbishment work on the docks of Gomera’s capital and Arona, where ramps were installed at the moorings.
The ship spent its nights in La Gomera, enabling it to embark on early morning journeys on numerous occasions to transport critically ill patients to Tenerife – a service deemed invaluable by the population of Gomera even fifty years later.
100,000 TRAVELLERS IN SIX MONTHS
Within its initial six months, Benchijigua had already ferried over 100,000 passengers. From its inception, the maritime link facilitated day trips for tourists from Tenerife, stimulating the economy on Isla Colombina by boosting sales of artisan products, benefiting taxis and buses, while also supporting restaurants and car rental enterprises.
The triumph of the Los Cristianos-La Gomera route prompted the company’s directors to acquire a larger vessel valued at 300 million pesetas six years later.
