Last few days in Spain

Stargazer of Southampton
Susie and Adam (both think they are skipper)
Thu 2 Sep 2010 10:01
 
02:09.10
 
We spent quite a few nights in Baiona as we knew it was the end of the Spanish Rias - we have really enjoyed the last few weeks spent there, the Ria's are all protected by high hills all around and we saw some really nice little towns.  I had heard Baiona was nice and it was - we anchored for 5 nights in still, calm water in the middle of the bay.  As there was no wind the days were very warm and we did morning and evening trips into town by dingy with afternoons spent messing about on the boat as it was too hot to walk anywhere and the town descended into silence between 1pm and 5. 
 
Out of our journey from Ribadeo to Baiona the places that really stood out were Ribadao itself (I think because it was good to have done the Bay of Biscay and to tie up somewhere warm and welcoming!), Combarro was pretty to walk around and put on a good firework display and the Isle of Cies were a good reason to go sailing - islands populated only by people camping and walking and anchored boats, clear blue water and cool eucalyptus and pine woods to wander about in. 
 
The sail from Camarinas to Ares goes down as one of the best days - was pretty challenging to sail, as we rounded the headland north of Coruna and the wind steadily increased, as did the waves so we were soon surfing along.   Mr. autopilot didn't get to do any steering that day as it was too much fun to let him do it ( also - Mr. autopilot doesn't know how to compensate for big waves which is no good for making cups of tea).  As soon as you hear a wave starting to break behind you, you steer downwind and surf down the wave - good fun but stuff goes everywhere if you make a mess of it and end up side-on, not good if anyone is on the loo at the time - it leads to complaints.     We have learnt that if the forecast says force 5 around Coruna - then it will be 7 - by the time we pulled into the Ria we had everything reefed down and the boat still piling along.
 
We spent a couple of days further in Baiona sorting out some bits for the boat that we needed and taking in the town and surroundings.  The strangest thing was at night I kept waking up hearing roaring waves so thinking it must be blowing a gale  Soon realised that it was the sound of the swell from the atlantic hitting the rocks and headlands that surround Baiona - even if there is no wind at all, on the outside of the bay there are still big waves breaking the rocks that you can hear a mile away.
 
Can't believe we have spent a month in Spain - it really doesn't feel like it, and my Spanish remains woefully inadequate. . . next it is on to Portugal - my Portuguese skills are zero so that may be interesting.
 
A few more pictures of Baiona. . .
 
The Fort and Town in the background
 
 
View across the Anchorage
 
 
Baiona's answer to the angel of the North .....and some big statue ......
 
View across the Fort and the Bay - the white bits of water are those waves breaking that I was on about