42:13.25N 08:53.99W

As if by magic, the B&G wind instruments and the spinnaker pole were sorted and back aboard by Wednesday evening.  That the B&G stuff had been re-fitted took us a bit by surprise on Thursday morning.  As we cast indolent eyes over the marina we spotted a mast with a burgee at the masthead and what was very definitely a wind instrument strut holding a wind vane and anemometer.  But, hang on – nobody else here hoists their burgee to the masthead.  So, Monsieur Poirot, what do ze little grey cells deduce from zat?  Huh?  Yesssss!  They’d snuck aboard and done it.   Oh, right.  So, I guess that means we’ve got to go to sea then.  But first into Vigo because just as we’ve sorted out all the boat bits Jon’s mobile ‘phone decides to pack up.  The screen is just a big blobby thing. Into the dinghy, nip round a dock or so, buy a new ‘phone, run out of petrol three quarters of the way back, row the rest of the way, job done.

Inevitably, it took a bit of time for all the invoices from the various sub-contractors to be collated but by lunchtime today we were ready to go (à deux).  Joy of joys – a single invoice covering all the work and the 2 week stay.  It’s entirely consistent with the immaculate service we’ve had here throughout our stay and it has to be said that we are slightly sad to be leaving.  A more cheerful, proactive and cooperative bunch you couldn’t hope to meet.

The next real stop is about 40 NM from Vigo and just the other side of the border with Portugal – Viana do Costelo.  Apparently in the 16^th century the locals there did a roaring trade swopping port wine for Cornish fishing nets – sadly we’re fresh out of fishing nets.  Given what we know about the formalities of arriving in Portugal we’d rather get there in office hours.  So, we’re not going there today.  Instead, we’ve come 7 or 8 NM to a beautiful anchorage on the eastern side of Islas Cies at the mouth of the Ria de Vigo.  We sort of gather that you are supposed to have a permit to do this and that the first time you apply for one it will take a week – what with all the "documentos" and all that.  But, we reckoned that nobody would expect a Brit to understand that sort of stuff.  So, here we are with two other yachts (one British and one Swedish) for company – see photos.   If the next blog entry comes from a Spanish jail you’ll know why.