Thursday 22 September 2011
A day in Lagos
We were intending to get the bus out to Sagres and have a look from the land where we had been at such a rolly anchorage but got delayed by chatting with Edmund on the fellow Rival moored next to us. Instead, we took a bit of a walk along the beach to the east of Lagos and then through the town and had lunch in a very nice tapas bar as recommended by the Rough Guide.
It felt very strange walking along the beach as it was of course, packed with sunbathers. Neither of us have done a beach holiday for decades and it emphatically isn't our thing. Clearly it is for lots of people though and there was an almost overwhelming pong of suntan cream and acres of naked flesh on show. We were quite relieved to get to the harbour channel and cross over to start the sort of tourism we are more familiar with.
Lagos is very much a tourist town and english is almost ubiquitous everywhere - a marked contrast from the towns on the Atlantic coast. We'll be interested to see what the rest of the Algarve is like.
On another front. Our faltering steps into the world of chart plotters took a big step forward when we acquired some charts and tried them in opencpn. We also borrowed a usb gps receiver from Edmund which works a treat. I have ordered one from Amazon now but, in the meantime, will work to get by with my smart phone for which there is an app to allow it to work as a gps tether. The whole process is a bit odd and I am not used to the concept yet. More on this later I suppose. Photos will also follow soon.
Wednesday 21 September 2011
Got To the Algarve
For various reason we have been out of wifi for a while so here is a big update.
We really liked Baiona and the passage pas the Islas Cies really gave us a wish to be able to come back with more time and a permit to anchor there.6 After originally planning to go into the marina at Baiona, we decided to anchor on the spur of the moment which proved to be a very good idea. Firstly, it is always better to be at anchor generally as well as being free. Secondly, we met up with a fascinating woman called Ellie on her rebuilt Hilliard nine tonner. We had originally met her in Muxia but we joined her for a drink and exchanged various stories about sailing of which she had an enormous fund.
The next day was to be the big kick off for a long passage down to the Algarve. It all started very auspiciously with a nice fresh northerly to speed us south. The problem was that it proceeded to become brisker and brisker till it was gusting more then 35 knots quite a lot. As the sun got lower it became clear that it wasn't going to drop very quickly and neither of us fancied a long rough night. Had the wind stayed below 30 knots most of the time I would have pushed on but the seas started to build and some of them were breaking, though not seriously thankfully. As the sun reached setting point we decided to stop at Leixoes and visit Port which we had always wanted to do anyway.
The approach to Leixoes was an interesting one. The coastline here is very low lying and the first thing I saw was the light at Leca while still 12 miles away. Then as we closed the harbour all the shipping decided to get moving including a cruise ship called the Braemar - all lit up like a Christmas tree and headed for Dover of all places according to the video game (AIS). Still, we got in at 12:20 Spanish time and dropped anchor and went to bed exhausted.
Today, we went into the marina which is very friendly and helpful. We have dropped our laundry off which will all be done for 2 Euros a kilo. The showers were nice and there are some nice friendly people here and all for less than half the price of a marina in Galicia.
We then walked to the metro and went into Porto. I am really glad we did as it is a beautiful city in an incredibly dramatic location. It is such a shame that the entrance to the Douro river is so difficult as it would be great to take a boat up to Porto. We had a lunch which included a local speciality for Audrey. We can't remember the name of it but it consists of ham, sausage and steak between two slices of bread with melted cheese on top, the whole then being soaked in spicy tomato sauce. The best heart attack on a plate you can imagine!
Following that, we walked across the bridge and visited the Sandeman Port house. The tour was of average interest but it was nice to see the port being produced and the tasting was also interesting as well though I would have preferred the 15 Euro tour with more to taste. I then scared their gift shop into a fit by buying a bottle of 2007 vintage port. I will open it for my sixtieth birthday when it should be nice and mature. I also got two bottles of ten year old tawny.
Leixoes is very different from the places we have been visiting. It is a port pure and simple with no tourism or anything like that. The approach made that clear but it is interesting to be in a purely working port and the marina is excellent though you can smell the port as soon as you come past the breakwater. Others tried to persuade us to stop at Povoa de Varzim rather than here but I am pleased we came here. A cruise ship left this afternoon and the tug/fireboat gave it a traditional send off with all the water spraying.
All in all it was an excellent day and the weather proved very fortuitous in stopping here.
19/09
This netbook seems to be throwing a bit of a wobbler and the track pad is not working now but at least the keyboard is working so I will soldier on.
We are in Sines now having sailed a good couple of hundred miles from Leixoes. The sailing has been brisk to say the least. The nortada has certainly been reliable though a good bit stronger than what the books give you to understand. The theory is that over the summer they build form the north blowing from between 16 to 25 knots. In the afternoon, the sea breeze is supposed to augment the wind so it typically blows harder the afternoon and then drops when the sun goes down. Our experience however is that it seems to drop a bit in the afterrnon sometimes and then gets up and blows a high force 6 to 7 all night and often through the morning. 20 knots seems to be the minimum except occasionally. The sell has also been quite big which has made for a fast but roller coaster of a ride. We have been clocking up good averages with nearly 110 miles a day being possib le. It has been quite uncomfortable though. At least the engine has had a bit of a rest.
We sailed right through the night to Cascais arriving there just after sundown. Coming round Cabo da Roca was an exciting experience. The winds had actually started moderating in the run up to it but when we got round and started heading for Cabo Raso they blew up in no uncertain terms and we recorded a consistent 38 knots with gusts to the mid forties for about five miles. They then moderated until we turned into Cascais a couple of miles further on from Cabo Raso. We anchored and all night the wind was howling a gale. It moderated a bit in the early hours. At least I had got tired of worrying if the anchor was dragging and got faith that it was well dug in.
We took a flyer on not doing the official checking in with authorities at Cascais looking on it as a psssage stop rather than a proper stop. Certainly we didn't go ashore.
Yesterday we took off a bit later as we were wondering if the wind was really blowing as hard as it seemed to be but left around 10:30 for Sines. The sail was much the same – 53 miles of fast rolly sailing. The entrance here was very exciting though.
Firstly, the end of the breakwater is derelict for 500 meters past the light supposedly on it's end. There is a red bouy to leave to port which is “lit” and so easy to find. We couldn't find it at all. After deciding that we must be past the broken bit we made a turn in. In the dark I saw some jagged bits just as Audrey shouted that she could see the bouy off to our starboard (the wrong) side! We hastily made a rapid turn and snuck round the correct side of it. Then, to add to the excitement, we descried a tanker on the move. Sines is a major tanker port and can handle ships up to 400,000 tons. Cue another rapid about face and gilling around waiting for it to clear. We then headed in but were perturbed to see tugs hanging around. Sure enough, another one started heading in! Luckily we were sufficient far advanced not to have to bother it. The wind was still blowing very hard but it eassed nicely as we got into the old harbour where yachts can anchor. We would rather avoid that sort of excitement in the future.
The anchorage and town are interesting. From the boat you would hardly know that there was a major oil port outside as it is all behind the breakwaters and there is a nice sandy beach in front of us with people sunbathing and gingerly swimming in the clear water. Above that is the old town. It is mostly famous for being the birthplace of Vasco da Gama who established Portuguese trading links with India at about the same time as Columbus was getting ready to open up the Americas to plundering by rapacious europeans from Spain and the UK.
Tomorrow we start the last bit of the Atlantic stage of this adventure when we make the final hop down to Cabo da Sao Vincente. This is an enormously evocative point. It is the southwesternmost corner of this peninsula though not the furthest west ponit. Cabo da Roca takes that honour at 9° 30' W. For information, this well to the west of Cork in Ireland though not as far west as the west coast of Ireland. After Sao Vincente, we will be all east bound and on the last lap of the trip.
20/09
Well, we are round Sao Vincente. The anchoreage is rather rolly here behind Cabo de Sagres but it feels fantastic to be round the final big point of the voyage. The cape also lived up to expectations in all ways as the photo shows. We took a bunch more but will refrain from cluttering up the interrtubes with them.
21/09
Now we are in Lagos and a complete contrast with a major tourist resort town complete with english cafes serving egg and chips though the marina is useful. We need to do laundry and such like as well as wifi access. The wind has been disappointing after the roller coaster down the northern end of Portugal. We had no wind at all from Sines and none this morning coming round from Sagres. It is also a lot hotter here and we really feel that we are in the south. A meal ashore is called for this evening as well as a shower for us and a good clean out for the boat.
Thursday 15 September 2011
Fogged in
Thick fog this morning. I doubt we will be moving unless something dramatic happens. There is a fog horn blowing mournfully at the entrance to the harbour and that is about all we can see. At least the northerlies are holding so we should still be able to get south when we can move.
Wednesday 14 September 2011
First stop in Portugal
We really liked Baiona and the passage pas the Islas Cies really gave us a wish to be able to come back with more time and a permit to anchor there.6 After originally planning to go into the marina at Baiona, we decided to anchor on the spur of the moment which proved to be a very good idea. Firstly, it is always better to be at anchor generally as well as being free. Secondly, we met up with a fascinating woman called Ellie on her rebuilt Hilliard nine tonner. We had originally met her in Muxia but we joined her for a drink and exchanged various stories about sailing of which she had an enormous fund.
The next day was to be the big kick off for a long passage down to the Algarve. It all started very auspiciously with a nice fresh northerly to speed us south. The problem was that it proceeded to become brisker and brisker till it was gusting more then 35 knots quite a lot. As the sun got lower it became clear that it wasn't going to drop very quickly and neither of us fancied a long rough night. Had the wind stayed below 30 knots most of the time I would have pushed on but the seas started to build and some of them were breaking, though not seriously thankfully. As the sun reached setting point we decided to stop at Leixoes and visit Port which we had always wanted to do anyway.
The approach to Leixoes was an interesting one. The coastline here is very low lying and the first thing I saw was the light at Leca while still 12 miles away. Then as we closed the harbour all the shipping decided to get moving including a cruise ship called the Braemar - all lit up like a Christmas tree and headed for Dover of all places according to the video game (AIS). Still, we got in at 12:20 Spanish time and dropped anchor and went to bed exhausted.
Today, we went into the marina which is very friendly and helpful. We have dropped our laundry off which will all be done for 2 Euros a kilo. The showers were nice and there are some nice friendly people here and all for less than half the price of a marina in Galicia.
We then walked to the metro and went into Porto. I am really glad we did as it is a beautiful city in an incredibly dramatic location. It is such a shame that the entrance to the Douro river is so difficult as it would be great to take a boat up to Porto. We had a lunch which included a local speciality for Audrey. We can't remember the name of it but it consists of ham, sausage and steak between two slices of bread with melted cheese on top, the whole then being soaked in spicy tomato sauce. The best heart attack on a plate you can imagine!
Following that, we walked across the bridge and visited the Sandeman Port house. The tour was of average interest but it was nice to see the port being produced and the tasting was also interesting as well though I would have preferred the 15 Euro tour with more to taste. I then scared their gift shop into a fit by buying a bottle of 2007 vintage port. I will open it for my sixtieth birthday when it should be nice and mature. I also got two bottles of ten year old tawny.
Leixoes is very different from the places we have been visiting. It is a port pure and simple with no tourism or anything like that. The approach made that clear but it is interesting to be in a purely working port and the marina is excellent though you can smell the port as soon as you come past the breakwater. Others tried to persuade us to stop at Povoa de Varzim rather than here but I am pleased we came here. A cruise ship left this afternoon and the tug/fireboat gave it a traditional send off with all the water spraying.
All in all it was an excellent day and the weather proved very fortuitous in stopping here.
The next day was to be the big kick off for a long passage down to the Algarve. It all started very auspiciously with a nice fresh northerly to speed us south. The problem was that it proceeded to become brisker and brisker till it was gusting more then 35 knots quite a lot. As the sun got lower it became clear that it wasn't going to drop very quickly and neither of us fancied a long rough night. Had the wind stayed below 30 knots most of the time I would have pushed on but the seas started to build and some of them were breaking, though not seriously thankfully. As the sun reached setting point we decided to stop at Leixoes and visit Port which we had always wanted to do anyway.
The approach to Leixoes was an interesting one. The coastline here is very low lying and the first thing I saw was the light at Leca while still 12 miles away. Then as we closed the harbour all the shipping decided to get moving including a cruise ship called the Braemar - all lit up like a Christmas tree and headed for Dover of all places according to the video game (AIS). Still, we got in at 12:20 Spanish time and dropped anchor and went to bed exhausted.
Today, we went into the marina which is very friendly and helpful. We have dropped our laundry off which will all be done for 2 Euros a kilo. The showers were nice and there are some nice friendly people here and all for less than half the price of a marina in Galicia.
We then walked to the metro and went into Porto. I am really glad we did as it is a beautiful city in an incredibly dramatic location. It is such a shame that the entrance to the Douro river is so difficult as it would be great to take a boat up to Porto. We had a lunch which included a local speciality for Audrey. We can't remember the name of it but it consists of ham, sausage and steak between two slices of bread with melted cheese on top, the whole then being soaked in spicy tomato sauce. The best heart attack on a plate you can imagine!
Following that, we walked across the bridge and visited the Sandeman Port house. The tour was of average interest but it was nice to see the port being produced and the tasting was also interesting as well though I would have preferred the 15 Euro tour with more to taste. I then scared their gift shop into a fit by buying a bottle of 2007 vintage port. I will open it for my sixtieth birthday when it should be nice and mature. I also got two bottles of ten year old tawny.
Leixoes is very different from the places we have been visiting. It is a port pure and simple with no tourism or anything like that. The approach made that clear but it is interesting to be in a purely working port and the marina is excellent though you can smell the port as soon as you come past the breakwater. Others tried to persuade us to stop at Povoa de Varzim rather than here but I am pleased we came here. A cruise ship left this afternoon and the tug/fireboat gave it a traditional send off with all the water spraying.
All in all it was an excellent day and the weather proved very fortuitous in stopping here.
Sunday 11 September 2011
weatherbound again
Ten years ago today I was installing some reporting software for a group of users at London Guildhall University when someone came in to say that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. It was one of those Kennedy moments. Now, by contrast, we are weatherbound here in Combarro and doing some laundry by hand as there are no facilities for this at this marina and we have been caught out because we expected to be in Baiona by now where there are washing machines to be had. There is a laundry here in Combarro but it is a service laundry and closed on Sunday of course.
Yesterday was a frustration as we motored out of the ria into increasing wind which then proceeded to gust up to off Cabezo de la Mourisca which forced us to turn back rather than get to Baiona There was a long low blue boat tied up at the marina which announced itself as customs (Aduanas). Two very polite men proceeded to peer at all our paperwork and give us the blue copy of the form they filled out in triplicate so we can then wave that at any other customs people that may take an interest in us. Their boat was long, low and looked very serious being bedecked with spotlights and numerous aerials. It also had very large engines -presumably for intercepting drug smugglers in the remoter rias.
Today, there is a motorbike festival ashore which explains the number of bikes roaring up and down the roads yesterday. We took a wander around but my old fogey element prevented me from liking any of the hundreds of bikes around.
The weather continues to blow from the west so we are sitting here with not much to do. When I head up to the bar to post this, I will b be able to check on the forecast as well. The Spanish met office doesn't post it's forecasts very early. The Portuguese web site by contrast has a very useful table to present their information and it seems to be saying we will have northerlies by Tuesday. So it looks like we will be hanging around here for bit then.
Having just checked the forecast - we will be sitting still for a little while yet by the looks. The chances of visting Lisbon are receding as well with a long passage round to the Algarve looming now.
AGENCIA ESTATAL DE METEOROLOGIA
PREDICCION METEOROLOGICA PARA LAS ZONAS COSTERAS DE LA COMUNIDAD
AUTONOMA DE GALICIA
DIA 11 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2011 A LAS 08:00 UTC
1.-AVISO A LAS 0900 UTC DEL DIA 11 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2011:
HAY TEMPORAL FUERZA 8 DEL SW EN EL AREA DE BARES.
2.-SITUACION A LAS 00 UTC DEL DIA 11 Y EVOLUCION:
HURACAN EXTRATROPICAL KATIA SITUADO EN 47N-38W DESPLAZANDOSE
HACIA EL NORDESTE HASTA 54N-19W, CON POCOS CAMBIOS. DEPRESION DE
972 AL OESTE DE IRLANDA RELLENANDOSE Y DESPLAZANDOSE HACIA EL
NORDESTE. ANTICICLON DE 1020 AL OESTE DE CANARIAS REFORZANDOSE A
1024, CASI ESTACIONARIO.
3.-PREDICCION VALIDA HASTA LAS 24 UTC DEL DOMINGO 11:
AGUAS COSTERAS DE LUGO:
SW FUERZA 4 Y 5 ARRECIANDO EN BARES A FUERZA 6 Y 7 Y
OCASIONALMENTE FUERZA 8 Y ROLANDO Y AMAINANDO MAS TARDE EN BARES A
W-SW FUERZA 5 Y EN EL RESTO A FUERZA 4. FUERTE MAREJADA EN BARES Y
EN EL RESTO MAREJADA. MAR DE FONDO DEL NW DE 2,5 A 3 M.
AGUAS COSTERAS DE A CORUNA:
- NORTE DE FISTERRA: SW FUERZA 6 ARRECIANDO EN ORTEGAL-BARES A
FUERZA 7 Y OCASIONALMENTE FUERZA 8, AMAINANDO MAS TARDE A FUERZA 6
EN ORTEGAL-BARES Y A FUERZA 5 EN EL RESTO. FUERTE MAREJADA
DISMINUYENDO PRONTO DE FISTERRA A PRIOR A MAREJADA. MAR DE FONDO
DEL NW DE 3 M DISMINUYENDO AL FINAL A 2,5 M.
- SUR DE FISTERRA: SW FUERZA 4 A 5 AMAINANDO MAS TARDE A FUERZA 4.
MAREJADA DISMINUYENDO A MAREJADILLA. MAR DE FONDO DEL NW EN EL
ENTORNO DE 3 M DISMINUYENDO DESPUES A 2,5 M.
AGUAS COSTERAS DE PONTEVEDRA:
S-SW FUERZA 4 A 5 AMAINANDO MAS TARDE A FUERZA 4. MAREJADILLA A
MAREJADA DISMINUYENDO AL FINAL A MAREJADILLA. MAR DE FONDO DEL NW
DE 3 M EN DISMINUCION CON 2,5 M AL FINAL.
4.-INFORME DE LAS ESTACIONES A LAS 06 UTC DEL DIA 11 DE
SEPTIEMBRE: LUGO:
- SAN CIBRAO: S FUERZA 3-4. MAR DE FONDO DEL NW DE 1,5 M.
A CORUNA:
- BARES: SW FUERZA 8.
- FERROL: SW FUERZA 3.
- A CORUNA: SE FUERZA 4.
- VILAN: SW FUERZA 6.
- FISTERRA: SW FUERZA 6.
for those of you who don't read Spanish - Hurricane Katia is moving north east though it isn't really a hurricane now but is bringing strong winds. The Azores high has retreated well to the south and we can expect south or sw force 4-5 though we are seeing closer to 6 or 7 here. The direction is the critical thing as S-SW is exactly where we want to go. Grrr. :-(
Yesterday was a frustration as we motored out of the ria into increasing wind which then proceeded to gust up to off Cabezo de la Mourisca which forced us to turn back rather than get to Baiona There was a long low blue boat tied up at the marina which announced itself as customs (Aduanas). Two very polite men proceeded to peer at all our paperwork and give us the blue copy of the form they filled out in triplicate so we can then wave that at any other customs people that may take an interest in us. Their boat was long, low and looked very serious being bedecked with spotlights and numerous aerials. It also had very large engines -presumably for intercepting drug smugglers in the remoter rias.
Today, there is a motorbike festival ashore which explains the number of bikes roaring up and down the roads yesterday. We took a wander around but my old fogey element prevented me from liking any of the hundreds of bikes around.
The weather continues to blow from the west so we are sitting here with not much to do. When I head up to the bar to post this, I will b be able to check on the forecast as well. The Spanish met office doesn't post it's forecasts very early. The Portuguese web site by contrast has a very useful table to present their information and it seems to be saying we will have northerlies by Tuesday. So it looks like we will be hanging around here for bit then.
Having just checked the forecast - we will be sitting still for a little while yet by the looks. The chances of visting Lisbon are receding as well with a long passage round to the Algarve looming now.
AGENCIA ESTATAL DE METEOROLOGIA
PREDICCION METEOROLOGICA PARA LAS ZONAS COSTERAS DE LA COMUNIDAD
AUTONOMA DE GALICIA
DIA 11 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2011 A LAS 08:00 UTC
1.-AVISO A LAS 0900 UTC DEL DIA 11 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2011:
HAY TEMPORAL FUERZA 8 DEL SW EN EL AREA DE BARES.
2.-SITUACION A LAS 00 UTC DEL DIA 11 Y EVOLUCION:
HURACAN EXTRATROPICAL KATIA SITUADO EN 47N-38W DESPLAZANDOSE
HACIA EL NORDESTE HASTA 54N-19W, CON POCOS CAMBIOS. DEPRESION DE
972 AL OESTE DE IRLANDA RELLENANDOSE Y DESPLAZANDOSE HACIA EL
NORDESTE. ANTICICLON DE 1020 AL OESTE DE CANARIAS REFORZANDOSE A
1024, CASI ESTACIONARIO.
3.-PREDICCION VALIDA HASTA LAS 24 UTC DEL DOMINGO 11:
AGUAS COSTERAS DE LUGO:
SW FUERZA 4 Y 5 ARRECIANDO EN BARES A FUERZA 6 Y 7 Y
OCASIONALMENTE FUERZA 8 Y ROLANDO Y AMAINANDO MAS TARDE EN BARES A
W-SW FUERZA 5 Y EN EL RESTO A FUERZA 4. FUERTE MAREJADA EN BARES Y
EN EL RESTO MAREJADA. MAR DE FONDO DEL NW DE 2,5 A 3 M.
AGUAS COSTERAS DE A CORUNA:
- NORTE DE FISTERRA: SW FUERZA 6 ARRECIANDO EN ORTEGAL-BARES A
FUERZA 7 Y OCASIONALMENTE FUERZA 8, AMAINANDO MAS TARDE A FUERZA 6
EN ORTEGAL-BARES Y A FUERZA 5 EN EL RESTO. FUERTE MAREJADA
DISMINUYENDO PRONTO DE FISTERRA A PRIOR A MAREJADA. MAR DE FONDO
DEL NW DE 3 M DISMINUYENDO AL FINAL A 2,5 M.
- SUR DE FISTERRA: SW FUERZA 4 A 5 AMAINANDO MAS TARDE A FUERZA 4.
MAREJADA DISMINUYENDO A MAREJADILLA. MAR DE FONDO DEL NW EN EL
ENTORNO DE 3 M DISMINUYENDO DESPUES A 2,5 M.
AGUAS COSTERAS DE PONTEVEDRA:
S-SW FUERZA 4 A 5 AMAINANDO MAS TARDE A FUERZA 4. MAREJADILLA A
MAREJADA DISMINUYENDO AL FINAL A MAREJADILLA. MAR DE FONDO DEL NW
DE 3 M EN DISMINUCION CON 2,5 M AL FINAL.
4.-INFORME DE LAS ESTACIONES A LAS 06 UTC DEL DIA 11 DE
SEPTIEMBRE: LUGO:
- SAN CIBRAO: S FUERZA 3-4. MAR DE FONDO DEL NW DE 1,5 M.
A CORUNA:
- BARES: SW FUERZA 8.
- FERROL: SW FUERZA 3.
- A CORUNA: SE FUERZA 4.
- VILAN: SW FUERZA 6.
- FISTERRA: SW FUERZA 6.
for those of you who don't read Spanish - Hurricane Katia is moving north east though it isn't really a hurricane now but is bringing strong winds. The Azores high has retreated well to the south and we can expect south or sw force 4-5 though we are seeing closer to 6 or 7 here. The direction is the critical thing as S-SW is exactly where we want to go. Grrr. :-(
Friday 9 September 2011
Pontevedra Now
We have just arrived at Combarro near the top of the naviable part of Ria Pontevedra. It was a surprisingly long trip round here from A Pobra de Caramiñal being over 20 miles but it is really nice here and the batteries are now nearly completely charged up which is a good thing. Our intention was to run up to Pontevedra itself with a view to visiting the chart agent there. However, as it is now past three, we are going to spend the night here at anchor, go into the marina tomorrow and then finally head off to Bayona on Saturday before taking off for Portugal.
The relief of having the ability to charge our batteries is huge though it would have been nicer not to have had to spend three days in limbo at Vila Nova
Now we are in Combarro after a longer than expected motor. Usually I chafe badly at having to motor much – something we have done a lot of on this cruise – but this time it felt good to know that a good bit of charge was going into the batteries.
Combarro is a funny town. It had it's origins in an old fishing village that wound up being selected for preservation and so is the first genuinely touristy place we have visiteed complete with street hawkers. The old village is ruthlessly restored with tiny but immaculate granite houses complete with a huge number of stone grain stores known as horrários
We spent last night at anchor but today we are in the marina having the avowed plan of going to Pontevedra to find a chart agent. As it happens, we found a suitable commercially produced chart of Ria de Vigo in the little chandlery here. We then completely failed to find the bus stop so failed to get to Pontevedra. Still, we had a good lunch in a local cafe of which there are dozens.
Tomorrow we head round to Baiona (Bayona en Castellano) where we will take our departure from NW Spain and head south to Portugal. First stop is planned to be Leixoes just outside Porto. Then, on to Lisboa, possibly breaking the trip at Peniche or Figuera da Foz.
The relief of having the ability to charge our batteries is huge though it would have been nicer not to have had to spend three days in limbo at Vila Nova
Now we are in Combarro after a longer than expected motor. Usually I chafe badly at having to motor much – something we have done a lot of on this cruise – but this time it felt good to know that a good bit of charge was going into the batteries.
Combarro is a funny town. It had it's origins in an old fishing village that wound up being selected for preservation and so is the first genuinely touristy place we have visiteed complete with street hawkers. The old village is ruthlessly restored with tiny but immaculate granite houses complete with a huge number of stone grain stores known as horrários
We spent last night at anchor but today we are in the marina having the avowed plan of going to Pontevedra to find a chart agent. As it happens, we found a suitable commercially produced chart of Ria de Vigo in the little chandlery here. We then completely failed to find the bus stop so failed to get to Pontevedra. Still, we had a good lunch in a local cafe of which there are dozens.
Tomorrow we head round to Baiona (Bayona en Castellano) where we will take our departure from NW Spain and head south to Portugal. First stop is planned to be Leixoes just outside Porto. Then, on to Lisboa, possibly breaking the trip at Peniche or Figuera da Foz.
Tuesday 6 September 2011
Engineer Arrived at Last
He sauntered down the pontoon with a shopping trolley with his toolkit in it. He then peered at the batteries, verified that they had no charge, looked at the alternator and then took it off for testing. So far we haven't seen him though all his tools are still here so we are hopeful that we may be back on the go this evening. Watch this space.
Update 18:50
He has come back with the news that our alternator is knackered. He had a "new" one with him which we tried and it works. We have agreed to buy it as it has a bigger capacity than the old one. We are going to stick with it as more capacity is a good thing anyway. The relief of having a functioning engine is fantastic. Now, we are going to go to Vilagarcia tomorrow to try and get more charts and then anchor over on the other side of the ria before heading further south.
Hoorah!
Update 18:50
He has come back with the news that our alternator is knackered. He had a "new" one with him which we tried and it works. We have agreed to buy it as it has a bigger capacity than the old one. We are going to stick with it as more capacity is a good thing anyway. The relief of having a functioning engine is fantastic. Now, we are going to go to Vilagarcia tomorrow to try and get more charts and then anchor over on the other side of the ria before heading further south.
Hoorah!
Reflection on the Rias Bajas (Baixas en Galego)
We are still stuck in Vilanova marina waiting for the engineer to look at our alternator so I am taking the opportunity to put something down here about where we have been recently. Word is that he has “noticed” us and will be down soon.
It was nice rounding Finisterre as it really is a corner and looks the part as well though Torinana is the most westerly point in mainland Europe. It is actually a good bit west of Cork and even west of the Fastnet rock in Ireland.
There is quite a lot of regional pride here and a lot of people speak Galego rather and Castellano so we have deemed it politic to purchase and fly a Galician courtessy flag under our Spanish one.
The Ria de Muros was particularly nice and we really liked Muros itself and have it down as somehwere to stay a bit longer if we make it back here. Although it is a lot bigger than the northern rias, it is still fairly small being only about three miles wide and perhaps five miles deep. We also had a very social time. On one side were a family cruising slowly to Vilagarcia here in the Ria de Arousa where they were planning on laying up. I gave them a bit of a hand changing a taxi booking as they were dropping their daughters at the airport at Santiago and hiring a car to visit the Picos de Europa. On our other side was a past local vice-president of the Ocean Cruising Club who knew this coast extremely well and was making his way to Vigo slowly.
Since rounding Finisterre we have noticed a subtle change in the landscape and feel of the area. Although it might be part of the improved weather, things feel much more southern down here. The trees are a good bit scrubbier and some of the hills are a lot barer. Of course, I am sure that we would feel quite differently if we the weather continued as it had last week with lots of rain and strong westerlies. The scenery is spectacular and this current ria – de Arousa – is very large and very picturesque though it is a lot more developed than the more northern area. Once again, I suspect that this is at least in part a function of the remoteness of places like Camarinas and Muxia.
The sail the day before yesterday was nice as we were able to see Cabo Sillero in the distance which marks the southern extremity of the rias and Baiona behind it will be our departure point for Portugal. We are also starting to get excited about heading into Portugal and where we might stop. The Atlantic coast is quite forbidding and it is unlikely we will stop at more than two or three stops. Cabo Sao Vincente will then be the next major turning point leading to the Algarve and the final stages of the voyage.
Meanwhile our enforced stop her at Vilanova has shown a very picturesque fishing harbour!
The fishing here is of a different kind where they cultivate shellfish on huge floating "viveiros". These are squares of timber with hundreds of lines hanging down where the mussels are grown and then harvested before being loaded into huge trucks to be shipped off to processing plants somewhere. There are also some smaller boats with a cage contraption that they drag across the seabed collecting bottom dwelling shellfish. There are, apparently, 1400 viveiros alone in the Ria de Arousa!
Next update will hopefully be full of praise for our engineer and the alternator!
It was nice rounding Finisterre as it really is a corner and looks the part as well though Torinana is the most westerly point in mainland Europe. It is actually a good bit west of Cork and even west of the Fastnet rock in Ireland.
There is quite a lot of regional pride here and a lot of people speak Galego rather and Castellano so we have deemed it politic to purchase and fly a Galician courtessy flag under our Spanish one.
The Ria de Muros was particularly nice and we really liked Muros itself and have it down as somehwere to stay a bit longer if we make it back here. Although it is a lot bigger than the northern rias, it is still fairly small being only about three miles wide and perhaps five miles deep. We also had a very social time. On one side were a family cruising slowly to Vilagarcia here in the Ria de Arousa where they were planning on laying up. I gave them a bit of a hand changing a taxi booking as they were dropping their daughters at the airport at Santiago and hiring a car to visit the Picos de Europa. On our other side was a past local vice-president of the Ocean Cruising Club who knew this coast extremely well and was making his way to Vigo slowly.
Since rounding Finisterre we have noticed a subtle change in the landscape and feel of the area. Although it might be part of the improved weather, things feel much more southern down here. The trees are a good bit scrubbier and some of the hills are a lot barer. Of course, I am sure that we would feel quite differently if we the weather continued as it had last week with lots of rain and strong westerlies. The scenery is spectacular and this current ria – de Arousa – is very large and very picturesque though it is a lot more developed than the more northern area. Once again, I suspect that this is at least in part a function of the remoteness of places like Camarinas and Muxia.
The sail the day before yesterday was nice as we were able to see Cabo Sillero in the distance which marks the southern extremity of the rias and Baiona behind it will be our departure point for Portugal. We are also starting to get excited about heading into Portugal and where we might stop. The Atlantic coast is quite forbidding and it is unlikely we will stop at more than two or three stops. Cabo Sao Vincente will then be the next major turning point leading to the Algarve and the final stages of the voyage.
Meanwhile our enforced stop her at Vilanova has shown a very picturesque fishing harbour!
The fishing here is of a different kind where they cultivate shellfish on huge floating "viveiros". These are squares of timber with hundreds of lines hanging down where the mussels are grown and then harvested before being loaded into huge trucks to be shipped off to processing plants somewhere. There are also some smaller boats with a cage contraption that they drag across the seabed collecting bottom dwelling shellfish. There are, apparently, 1400 viveiros alone in the Ria de Arousa!
Next update will hopefully be full of praise for our engineer and the alternator!
Monday 5 September 2011
Further south but a problem
Well, we have got down to the Ria de Arousa but have encountered our first real problem. The batteries are completely flat and we are waiting for an engineer to come from the office of hte marina that has been recommended to us by the RCCPPF guide. I think that we may have a problem with our alternator as we have been running the engine a lot so there should be no problem with battery charging but all three (two domestic deep cycle and one engine starting are all flat as pancakes.
Still, we had a pleasant time the day before and yesterday visiting Portosin and then coming round here.
Portosin turned out to be a very social place. We had a quick sail across from Muros and then a bit of a nightmare in the force 5 crosswind getting into a very tight marina berth. Next to us was an Irish registered Westerly while another Bavaria tied up on our other side. Both turned out to be very interesting aquaintances. Peter and Jane in the Bavaria had been coast hopping round Biscay and were planning on laying up somewhere along the Galician coast. The other peter was a past vice regional president for this area and had a huge fund of knowledge of the area.
We took a meal ashore in the yacht club restaurant which was typically good. One of the things we have noticed on this trip in particular is the abundance and quality of the food compared with that at home. In London, to get vegetables as good as we have been buying in common or garden supermarkets would require a visit to Borough Market.
Yesterday morning gave us the first intimation of a possible problem with our engine as it was a bit slow to turn over but started OK. we motored out and continued down the coast to Cabo Corrubedo where we were able to sail That was where the issue with the batteries/alternator showed itself as things like the VHF and AIS started to complain about their 12 volt supply. We just managed to get the engine turning over in idle and continued sailing past Isla Salvora.
As we motored up the Ria which is far larger than any other we have yet to visit we changed our plan to anchor and looked for where to go. The guide said that Vilagarcia to Arousa had a good boatyard and chandlery so here we are.
Things have been a bit frustrating as we have yet to get hold of a card to give us access to and from the pontoons though we do have a promise from the engineer to visit us later on today. I have a suspicion that it may turn into a manana but we shall have to see.
Still, we had a pleasant time the day before and yesterday visiting Portosin and then coming round here.
Portosin turned out to be a very social place. We had a quick sail across from Muros and then a bit of a nightmare in the force 5 crosswind getting into a very tight marina berth. Next to us was an Irish registered Westerly while another Bavaria tied up on our other side. Both turned out to be very interesting aquaintances. Peter and Jane in the Bavaria had been coast hopping round Biscay and were planning on laying up somewhere along the Galician coast. The other peter was a past vice regional president for this area and had a huge fund of knowledge of the area.
We took a meal ashore in the yacht club restaurant which was typically good. One of the things we have noticed on this trip in particular is the abundance and quality of the food compared with that at home. In London, to get vegetables as good as we have been buying in common or garden supermarkets would require a visit to Borough Market.
Yesterday morning gave us the first intimation of a possible problem with our engine as it was a bit slow to turn over but started OK. we motored out and continued down the coast to Cabo Corrubedo where we were able to sail That was where the issue with the batteries/alternator showed itself as things like the VHF and AIS started to complain about their 12 volt supply. We just managed to get the engine turning over in idle and continued sailing past Isla Salvora.
As we motored up the Ria which is far larger than any other we have yet to visit we changed our plan to anchor and looked for where to go. The guide said that Vilagarcia to Arousa had a good boatyard and chandlery so here we are.
Things have been a bit frustrating as we have yet to get hold of a card to give us access to and from the pontoons though we do have a promise from the engineer to visit us later on today. I have a suspicion that it may turn into a manana but we shall have to see.
Sunday 4 September 2011
Been offline for a while
For various reasons we haven't been in a position to update this for a while. I have been writing stuff up on a date by date basis so, here it is.
23/08
Well, it is now two days since we arrived in Spain and we have recovered our sleep from the passage across The Bay though I still find myself waking up around midnight. We will be eating aboard tonight and I hope that will help to re-establish the shore based routine.
The weather yesterday was really not very nice which thoroughly discouraged any sightseeing so we concentrated on other things like the laundry- more of which shortly.
The marina here is a nice one and the staff are friendly as ever. It is also nice that it is significantly cheaper to stay here than it is in England. A night here for us is Euro 25 as opposed to £35 in Plymouth. It is however, just a marina and they tend to be pretty soulless places and uniform the world over. We are looking forward to getting away and visiting remoter places where you have to anchor. Matthew observed that we have the largest anchor on display of anyone on the marina.
The weather on Sunday slowly brightened though the visibility never really completely cleared. We took a walk out to El Torre de Hercules - the oldest working lighthouse by all accounts. It was certainly dramatic with the top in the mist and more rolling in from the west but with sun shining as well. It was particularly noticeable that there were only really Spanish tourists around. This is not an area on the regular tourist route in Spain except for yotties.
Anyway, onto the saga of the clothes washing. Superficially, the facilities here are quite good with three washing machines. The problem is when you want to dry your clothes. In the normal course of events we would wash in the washing machine and then festoon the boat in our underpants and t-shirts. The rain, however, put paid to this and this was when the fact that there was only one dryer. Everyone seemed to be doing their clothes and I started to develop a bit of paranoia about Scandinavians and the amount of clothes they needed. It took till today to finally get at the drying machine by which time the rain had stopped and some of it got air dried.
La Coruña itself is a nice enough city without being spectacular. It is typically well served by bars and is very like other Spanish cities I have visited – except for the weather. It rains here in a way it doesn't in other parts of Spain.
24/08
Finally, having got marina fever, we pushed off from Marina Coruña at about noon with a view to sailing off somewhere. Where we have got to is Ares in a Ria of it's own just to the east of La Coruña. It is a very nice spot and we are anchored with two other boats, one Dutch and the other an English AWB. We went ashore and found the small supermarket and got some bread as well as a couple of other basics. Now we are sitting in the cockpit watching the rain clouds build up to the south west but the wind is dying steadily and is almost nothing now.
This is what cruising is really about. We had a nice gentle sail round here, a nice meal with some good localish wine and now near complete peace and a nice bit of distance from the impending disco in the yacht club ashore.
On our way into the ria, another rival a 41 was heading out and we had a bit of a chat with them on the radio. I hope to be able to catch up with them later on further south.
While anchored in Ares, a traditional fishing boat design got underway.
26/08
Yesterday, we left Ares for Cedeira back round the the east. En route a Dutch catamaran, Miss Poes overtook us. We knew her name as they were also on AIS. They called us and passed on some very helpful advice about where to anchor in Cedeira. As we arrived we agreed that they should come over for a quick drink which became a longer drink and an invitation to dinner on their boat. Several bottles of wine, our whiskey and their excellent Spanish brandy later and we are now nursing some mild hangovers in a rather breezy Cedeira. Today isn't a day for going anywhere so I am sat here writing this at the moment.
The coast round this side of Cabo Prior which, to us at least, seems to form a corner where you are either on the north coast of Galicia or more on the south, is considerably more rugged than that around La Coruña.
A few miles short of Cedeira we were following a catamaran on the video game when a call came over the VHF from Miss Poes to ask us where we were going. They had been intending to go further east but the lack of wind had persuaded them to head for Cedeira as well – to our benefit.
We invited them aboard for a drink and some wine was drunk, snacks were consumed and it culminated in an invitation to dinner on their catamaran. As ever, too much wine was drunk and then, when it transpired that they liked whisky, Matthew went back to Sarah G and fetched his bottle of Talisker which was then finished along with some very superior Spanish brandy called Cardenal Mendoza – I shall have to get a bottle of it for myself. Jef and Marin, if you are reading this, thank you for a very enjoyable evening.
The next day brought strong westerlies and intermittent heavy showers so we stayed at anchor and had more time to admire Cedeira which really is a lovely spot. Matthew went ashore for a search and tobacco but I was feeling very lazy and stayed aboard.
The next day, being Saturday we motored out into a fairly large swell to get back to La Coruña in time to meet Audrey. As ever, the wind played silly buggers with us and never quite filled in enough to sail with. We did manage half an hour of beating but then it died on us though it did fill in on the approach to Coruña but by then we didn't feel inclined to fight with the sails and being downwind only really noticed once we realised there was a bit of a cross wind to contend with when tying up.
It was great meeting Audrey at the airport and we treated ourselves to a taxi back to the marina. A good meal of tapas was consumed in a restaurant behind the Plaza de Maria Pita before poor old Matthew had to make his way to the airport and back to blighty. I never saw anyone drag their heels so much about packing their bags!
30/08
Yesterday, we had a fantastic sail from La Coruña to Ria de Corme. Originally, we had planned on anchoring in Corme itself but after looking at it we decided to cross back over to Laxe where we spent a very comfortable night while Audrey cooked a splendid Tagine like dish in the pressure cooker. The sail was the first really good sail for us as there was a nice force 5 from the north east. It was marred a bit by getting a line round the prop ouside La Coruña and then the shackle holding the mainsheet to the traveller also gave way at an inopportune moment while closing the coast but we still had a good sail – the first on this coast.
We had another drama while motoring just past La Coruña when we picked up a bit of rope round the prop as this photo shows once I had managed to extract it - thankfully only needing the helpo of the boathook.
Today was quite different though we are happy to be in Camariñas and will likely spend tomorrow here as well. Talk is of walking out to Cabo Villano. It is five km according to the rough guide and as it took quite a lot of rounding as well as looking very dramatic it will be of worth to do so I think.
Camariñas is a pleasant little town and we are looking forward to exploring it a bit more. There is also, reputed to be a wifi network around where we should be able to update the blog a bit.
31/08
The wind is continuing to blow hard from the west so we decided to spend a day here and walked out to Cabo Villano which had taken us so long to get round. It was certainly dramatic and there is an interesting little museum in the old lighthouse keepers house which explains some of the history of the lights along the Costa do Morte as they describe this coast. The most amusing bit of the light at Villano was that the first one, completed in 1853, proved to be partially obscured from seaward. Their solution was first to try blasting the rock out of the way but after the “expenditure of much powder and money” this was abandoned and a new lighthouse tower was built on the partially blasted rock!
We had lunch in a cafe recommended by the rough guide and are now out on the boat being battered by wind and rain while hoping it eases enough for us to get round Finisterre tomorrow.
01/09
After getting a severe case of harbour fever, we left Camarinas in rather a hurry and headed out to round Finisterre. Like all major headlands, it has taken on a bit of a totemic and looms ever larger in our consiousness. Until it is passed that is. Today wasn't to be the day for getting round it though. We got out past Muxia and were thinking of getting the jib set and doing some sailing but the easterlies we hoped for hadn't materialised and we both – almost simultaneously – expressed doubts about continuing. We duly turned round in disappointment. I suggested going to Muxia rather than back to Camarinas which turned out to be an inspired decision.
Muxia is a much nicer place really. There is a new marina but money has run out and there is only the marina with no other offices. It is therefore free to tie up and so is inhabited by serious budget cruisers, particularly those in multihulls. There is even a Wharram cat here.
The town is really lovely with lots of much older houses and a good selection of shops. It has a nice laid back feeling as well as some fantastic views from the point where there is a church dedicated to “nostra senora del virgen del barca”. This was apparently a site of an old animist religion based around the granite boulders which are now reputed to be the remains of the ship that brought the body of St James from Jerusalem to Santiago de Compostela. It is a beautiful place nonetheless. I also climbed the conical hill right outside the town as the photos show.
The forecast is not promising so we are likely to be here for a day or so more.
02/09
Well, after assuming we would be stuck in Muxia for a couple of days we proved ourselves completely wrong. We got underway with the intention of pumping out the holding tank once a decent distance from land but the bright sun and lack of wind persuaded us to push on and a good idea that proved as well.
We quickly made it to Cabo Toriñana and comleted our western travel. I looked at the chart and Cabo Torinana is 9 degrees 17' west which is further west than Fastnet Rock is. Now, it is alll south till we reach Tarifa though Cabo Sao Vincente will mark a point where we make much more easting. I am enjoying marking these literal turning points in the cruise.
The coast around Torinana and Finisterre is very wild and you can see why it has got the name of Costa do Morte. We were very “lucky” in that it was nearly completely flat calm
23/08
Well, it is now two days since we arrived in Spain and we have recovered our sleep from the passage across The Bay though I still find myself waking up around midnight. We will be eating aboard tonight and I hope that will help to re-establish the shore based routine.
The weather yesterday was really not very nice which thoroughly discouraged any sightseeing so we concentrated on other things like the laundry- more of which shortly.
The marina here is a nice one and the staff are friendly as ever. It is also nice that it is significantly cheaper to stay here than it is in England. A night here for us is Euro 25 as opposed to £35 in Plymouth. It is however, just a marina and they tend to be pretty soulless places and uniform the world over. We are looking forward to getting away and visiting remoter places where you have to anchor. Matthew observed that we have the largest anchor on display of anyone on the marina.
The weather on Sunday slowly brightened though the visibility never really completely cleared. We took a walk out to El Torre de Hercules - the oldest working lighthouse by all accounts. It was certainly dramatic with the top in the mist and more rolling in from the west but with sun shining as well. It was particularly noticeable that there were only really Spanish tourists around. This is not an area on the regular tourist route in Spain except for yotties.
Anyway, onto the saga of the clothes washing. Superficially, the facilities here are quite good with three washing machines. The problem is when you want to dry your clothes. In the normal course of events we would wash in the washing machine and then festoon the boat in our underpants and t-shirts. The rain, however, put paid to this and this was when the fact that there was only one dryer. Everyone seemed to be doing their clothes and I started to develop a bit of paranoia about Scandinavians and the amount of clothes they needed. It took till today to finally get at the drying machine by which time the rain had stopped and some of it got air dried.
La Coruña itself is a nice enough city without being spectacular. It is typically well served by bars and is very like other Spanish cities I have visited – except for the weather. It rains here in a way it doesn't in other parts of Spain.
24/08
Finally, having got marina fever, we pushed off from Marina Coruña at about noon with a view to sailing off somewhere. Where we have got to is Ares in a Ria of it's own just to the east of La Coruña. It is a very nice spot and we are anchored with two other boats, one Dutch and the other an English AWB. We went ashore and found the small supermarket and got some bread as well as a couple of other basics. Now we are sitting in the cockpit watching the rain clouds build up to the south west but the wind is dying steadily and is almost nothing now.
This is what cruising is really about. We had a nice gentle sail round here, a nice meal with some good localish wine and now near complete peace and a nice bit of distance from the impending disco in the yacht club ashore.
On our way into the ria, another rival a 41 was heading out and we had a bit of a chat with them on the radio. I hope to be able to catch up with them later on further south.
While anchored in Ares, a traditional fishing boat design got underway.
26/08
Yesterday, we left Ares for Cedeira back round the the east. En route a Dutch catamaran, Miss Poes overtook us. We knew her name as they were also on AIS. They called us and passed on some very helpful advice about where to anchor in Cedeira. As we arrived we agreed that they should come over for a quick drink which became a longer drink and an invitation to dinner on their boat. Several bottles of wine, our whiskey and their excellent Spanish brandy later and we are now nursing some mild hangovers in a rather breezy Cedeira. Today isn't a day for going anywhere so I am sat here writing this at the moment.
The coast round this side of Cabo Prior which, to us at least, seems to form a corner where you are either on the north coast of Galicia or more on the south, is considerably more rugged than that around La Coruña.
A few miles short of Cedeira we were following a catamaran on the video game when a call came over the VHF from Miss Poes to ask us where we were going. They had been intending to go further east but the lack of wind had persuaded them to head for Cedeira as well – to our benefit.
We invited them aboard for a drink and some wine was drunk, snacks were consumed and it culminated in an invitation to dinner on their catamaran. As ever, too much wine was drunk and then, when it transpired that they liked whisky, Matthew went back to Sarah G and fetched his bottle of Talisker which was then finished along with some very superior Spanish brandy called Cardenal Mendoza – I shall have to get a bottle of it for myself. Jef and Marin, if you are reading this, thank you for a very enjoyable evening.
The next day brought strong westerlies and intermittent heavy showers so we stayed at anchor and had more time to admire Cedeira which really is a lovely spot. Matthew went ashore for a search and tobacco but I was feeling very lazy and stayed aboard.
The next day, being Saturday we motored out into a fairly large swell to get back to La Coruña in time to meet Audrey. As ever, the wind played silly buggers with us and never quite filled in enough to sail with. We did manage half an hour of beating but then it died on us though it did fill in on the approach to Coruña but by then we didn't feel inclined to fight with the sails and being downwind only really noticed once we realised there was a bit of a cross wind to contend with when tying up.
It was great meeting Audrey at the airport and we treated ourselves to a taxi back to the marina. A good meal of tapas was consumed in a restaurant behind the Plaza de Maria Pita before poor old Matthew had to make his way to the airport and back to blighty. I never saw anyone drag their heels so much about packing their bags!
30/08
Yesterday, we had a fantastic sail from La Coruña to Ria de Corme. Originally, we had planned on anchoring in Corme itself but after looking at it we decided to cross back over to Laxe where we spent a very comfortable night while Audrey cooked a splendid Tagine like dish in the pressure cooker. The sail was the first really good sail for us as there was a nice force 5 from the north east. It was marred a bit by getting a line round the prop ouside La Coruña and then the shackle holding the mainsheet to the traveller also gave way at an inopportune moment while closing the coast but we still had a good sail – the first on this coast.
We had another drama while motoring just past La Coruña when we picked up a bit of rope round the prop as this photo shows once I had managed to extract it - thankfully only needing the helpo of the boathook.
Today was quite different though we are happy to be in Camariñas and will likely spend tomorrow here as well. Talk is of walking out to Cabo Villano. It is five km according to the rough guide and as it took quite a lot of rounding as well as looking very dramatic it will be of worth to do so I think.
Camariñas is a pleasant little town and we are looking forward to exploring it a bit more. There is also, reputed to be a wifi network around where we should be able to update the blog a bit.
31/08
The wind is continuing to blow hard from the west so we decided to spend a day here and walked out to Cabo Villano which had taken us so long to get round. It was certainly dramatic and there is an interesting little museum in the old lighthouse keepers house which explains some of the history of the lights along the Costa do Morte as they describe this coast. The most amusing bit of the light at Villano was that the first one, completed in 1853, proved to be partially obscured from seaward. Their solution was first to try blasting the rock out of the way but after the “expenditure of much powder and money” this was abandoned and a new lighthouse tower was built on the partially blasted rock!
We had lunch in a cafe recommended by the rough guide and are now out on the boat being battered by wind and rain while hoping it eases enough for us to get round Finisterre tomorrow.
01/09
After getting a severe case of harbour fever, we left Camarinas in rather a hurry and headed out to round Finisterre. Like all major headlands, it has taken on a bit of a totemic and looms ever larger in our consiousness. Until it is passed that is. Today wasn't to be the day for getting round it though. We got out past Muxia and were thinking of getting the jib set and doing some sailing but the easterlies we hoped for hadn't materialised and we both – almost simultaneously – expressed doubts about continuing. We duly turned round in disappointment. I suggested going to Muxia rather than back to Camarinas which turned out to be an inspired decision.
Muxia is a much nicer place really. There is a new marina but money has run out and there is only the marina with no other offices. It is therefore free to tie up and so is inhabited by serious budget cruisers, particularly those in multihulls. There is even a Wharram cat here.
The town is really lovely with lots of much older houses and a good selection of shops. It has a nice laid back feeling as well as some fantastic views from the point where there is a church dedicated to “nostra senora del virgen del barca”. This was apparently a site of an old animist religion based around the granite boulders which are now reputed to be the remains of the ship that brought the body of St James from Jerusalem to Santiago de Compostela. It is a beautiful place nonetheless. I also climbed the conical hill right outside the town as the photos show.
The forecast is not promising so we are likely to be here for a day or so more.
02/09
Well, after assuming we would be stuck in Muxia for a couple of days we proved ourselves completely wrong. We got underway with the intention of pumping out the holding tank once a decent distance from land but the bright sun and lack of wind persuaded us to push on and a good idea that proved as well.
We quickly made it to Cabo Toriñana and comleted our western travel. I looked at the chart and Cabo Torinana is 9 degrees 17' west which is further west than Fastnet Rock is. Now, it is alll south till we reach Tarifa though Cabo Sao Vincente will mark a point where we make much more easting. I am enjoying marking these literal turning points in the cruise.
The coast around Torinana and Finisterre is very wild and you can see why it has got the name of Costa do Morte. We were very “lucky” in that it was nearly completely flat calm
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