HARD SAIL TO RIA AROUSA
Aquila
Alan and Sarah Bennett
Fri 17 Jun 2016 15:44
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).
