Dolphins at Dawn

AJAYA'S CRUISE
Phil & Nikki Hoskins
Tue 30 Sep 2008 12:32

"41:45.85N 8:59.38W"

We left La Coruna at lunchtime yesterday and paid the penalty for a late start, having to motor into a stiff afternoon breeze and a foul tide. Do we ever learn? Once we could lay a course towards Finnistere the sailing got easier - in fact we had a fabulous beam reach which became a run as we shaped the course towards the northwest corner of Spain. We gybed the reefed genoa (the main hasn't seen the light of day since Gosport) and passed the famous cape in the early hours its bright flashing beacon almost dazzling. The night was full of stars and as a passages go it doesn't get much better. We were passed by a racing trimaran that made us seem the nautical equivilent of a Robin Reliant. It came from the northeast and wooosh - it was gone into the night leaving us to plod along at our sedate pace.

This morning around sunrise after an extremely cold night we had visits from pairs of dolphins playing in the bow wave. Now the wind has dropped and the port engine is all that is pushing us along towards Porto when we expect to arrive late evening. Have had the fishing line out for hourswith a variety of lures - none obviously attractive to the local denizons of the deep. We'll keep trying otherwise its last nights potmess reheated. This morning is warm and sunny and the sea temperature is climbing as we head southwards. Now 18 degrees - it was 15 degrees in La Coruna.