The yacht 'Christina', one of the most beautiful ever seen on the island, was white and blue, like the colors of the Tenerife flag.
Winston Churchill: an English bulldog in the Canary Islands
The historic visit of Winston Churchill to the Canary Islands
Winston Churchill, known as "the English bulldog," visited the Canary Islands in February 1959 alongside Greek magnate Aristotle Onassis, aboard his luxurious yacht. Christina. They were accompanied by Onassis's wife, Athina, and Churchill's wife, Clementine. The visit was a significant event in the islands.
The yacht Christina and its arrival in Tenerife
The Christina He docked in Santa Cruz de Tenerife on February 21, 1959. The yacht, white and blue like the Tenerife flag, was one of the most luxurious in the world and even carried a seaplane and a small vehicle for traveling on land.
After disembarking, Churchill and Onassis attempted to travel to Puerto de la Cruz in the yacht's small vehicle, but Churchill was cold, and the Cabildo of Tenerife lent them the official car of its president. In the Port, they dined at Lido San Telmo, by the sea, and the photo of Churchill leaving the establishment, wearing his coat and hat, traveled around the world. The entourage also visited Gran Canaria and La Palma, spending about a day on each island.
A diplomatic and tourist twist
The visit also had a political reading. Franco's Spain sought to project a more open image to the world, and receiving a figure like Churchill was an important symbolic gesture. We should not forget that during World War II, the United Kingdom prepared plans to occupy the Canaries if Spain entered the war on the German side.
In those years, tourism was beginning to take off in the islands, and visits from famous people like this contributed to raising their profile abroad.
Curiosities of the stay in the Canary Islands
Chronicles say that at Lido San Telmo, Churchill did not remove his coat during the entire meal, and Onassis paid the bill leaving a tip of 1,000 pesetas, about three times the monthly salary of a waiter at the time.
Today, Lido San Telmo and the promenade of Puerto de la Cruz remain one of the most beautiful corners in the north of Tenerife. You can see it live with our San Telmo beach webcam.
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