Sail to Camarinas - and many sea beasties

Stargazer of Southampton
Susie and Adam (both think they are skipper)
Tue 10 Aug 2010 20:16
 
10:08.10,  43.07.81N 09:10.46W
 
We had a couple of days in Ares anchored off the beach waiting out some really windy weather and relaxing.  Ares was quite nice - pretty bay and nice clean beach.   On Sunday Spanish families seemed to pretty much set up home on the beach and in the park next to it - in the morning we saw people traipsing chairs and bbq's etc down to the beach - impressively some folk had tents, picnic tables, chairs, mini fridges and bbq's all set up.  I tried out my Spanish in the local supermarket and veg shop - I am not sure if people smiling meant I was doing well or meant that I was saying something that I was unaware of - however, I got Adam some good blue cheese- it is mouldy and it stinks so it must be good.
 
Today the wind dropped so we took the opportunity to do the next hop along the coast to Camarinas which is about 20 miles from Cape Finisterre.  Reading the 'Sailing Guide book ' I found out that this coastline is known as  the 'Costa Del Morte' - which sounds nice until it is translated as the 'coast of death'.  Luckily for us it was not the Coast of Death today - there was virtually no wind at all so it was a very long motor 50 miles to Camerinas.   However - despite this it has been the best day so far for beastie spotting.  This morning in flat calm seas we spotted another sunfish - however, this was mega-sunfish.  We saw the fin sticking out of the water so motored over to investigate - the water here is absolutely crystal clear but the sea is very deep so it appears black when you look down - from a few metres off you could see a huge shape under the water a couple of metres across. 
 
Later on we saw probably five or six unidentified fish - looked like basking sharks from the surface with two fins cutting lazily through the water - but each time we went over to investigate whatever it was slipped away.  Maybe not big enough to be sharks but must have been pretty big - no idea what other fish would swim around at the surface in that way.
 
Much later on as we came into the coast to get to Camarinas we saw a pair of Whales - they weren't hanging around but were breaching every 20 seconds or so for air,  we sailed past them only 20 or so feet away.  That made the day - really good to see
 
We sailed into Camarinas which is (again) in a Ria - it looks very much like a Scottish Sea Loch again being surrounded by Pine wooded hills, we are anchored off a small beach by a town.   It is much warmer than Scotland but the midges are the same.
 
Dinner is being prepared by Adam under the watchful gaze of Susie a simple pizza ,using a Spanish pizza dough mix. Adam trusting in the wisdom and knowledge of the 'All Knowing Susie' follows instructions well until he takes a look at the packaging a quick check of the Spanish instructions and even to his untrained eyes, notes that the dough makes enough pizza base for 8 but we only put in the water and oil for 4! a very dry and heavy dough results... Susie catapults the results into the sea....it went plop... looks like filled pasta again for tea :)