Blog #27 A day in Baiona
Cassini's blog
Simon and Sally, Nigel and Catherine
Wed 20 Sep 2023 19:15
| A day in Baiona We spent yesterday at anchor in Baiona bay alongside many other boats who had the same idea. It is a pretty spot, overlooked by a 16th century castle which is quite spectacular and has two marinas; we were saving on berthing fees, so anchoring it is. The anchorage was very quiet, and a good night's sleep was had by all. We awoke to be surrounded by over 60 small fishing boats all trying to catch something for their supper. When they decide to return to the harbour it is like the whacky races! We used our dinghy to go ashore a couple of times to go to the launderette (a vital service for cruising boats) and to do some shopping at the local supermarket. Having checked the forecast we could see another gale coming our way so decided that, discretion being the better part of valour, we would book the following night in one of the marinas. Sadly, the better marina which supposedly gives World Cruising Club discounts was hosting the J80 world championships and wasn't accepting any visitors. The other marina could take us so we booked in there - cheaper but not nearly so nice. So this morning was an earlier start so we could go to the fuel berth and buy lots more diesel and then proceed to our berth. We tried the fuel berth at the larger marina but it was full of racing committee boats so not available. As we tried to access the other marina's fuel berth we were met by the aforementioned whacky races who think nothing of passing within 10 feet of you at high-speed from all directions. Quite a challenging experience. We eventually managed to get to the fuel berth, despite being beaten by a cabin cruiser, but thankfully there were two fuelling stations. As we finished fuelling, I sneaked a quick peak at his pump which was reading over 900 litres (at €1.85 per litre) and he was still going strong! After fuelling we proceeded to our berth without further drama. Sally and Simon went ashore to get some fish for lunch and supper. Sardines for lunch and paella for dinner - lovely. Catherine and I managed a beer and a glass of wine in a bar overlooking the harbour and then we all went for a walk around the castle ramparts which was very enjoyable. And we got to see the J80 fleet in the distance during one of their races. We have now retired on-board with the wind howling and the rain coming down but looking forward to a lovely paella courtesy of chef Simon and the famous Ninja. Off to Portugal tomorrow. Nigel   Cockle baskets and cockle fishers.  The anchorage from the castle. |
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