HARD SAIL TO RIA AROUSA

Aquila
Alan and Sarah Bennett
Fri 17 Jun 2016 15:44
42:36.8N 8:51.5W

GRIB files promised us W5 on Wednesday, and that’s what we got – plus grey skies and very heavy rain squalls gusting 6-7. We felt we were back in the English Channel! Chris did some sterling work on the helm (phot) under tricky conditions as a squall line temporarily made a hole in the wind while a lumpy sea and considerable swell continued; but the wind soon returned (phot) as we successfully weathered the rocks guarding the entrance to Ria Arousa (phot). This caused the skipper to lambast the crew with a full blooded rendition of ‘my father was the keeper of the Eddystone Light’.
Once well into the Ria, conditions became much calmer. We picked our way through a mussel farm (phot) and by 1730 were tucked into a tranquil bay (phot). The crew all agreed that they deserved a slap up meal – as it was frequently raining hard up top, we elected to dine below. See several phots of Tim’s masterpiece….. The day ended with Tim endeavouring to attract the morrow’s catch (phot).

JPEG image

JPEG image

JPEG image

JPEG image

JPEG image

JPEG image

JPEG image

JPEG image

JPEG image

JPEG image