Baiona

Chiscos - Atlantic Cruise
John Simpson
Mon 22 Aug 2011 17:34
42:07.31n 08:50.75w
 
We stayed two nights in the anchorage at Combarro and, although the anchor didn't drag again, we only ventured ashore to buy some bread.  We spent a couple of lovely warm, sunny days just reading and playing music.  John has been perfecting his kazoo technique!
 
As darkness fell the local people came out in their droves to fish - what with them and the seagulls constantly diving, you wouldn't want to be a fish in Combarro!  We were amused by the sight of these people fishing in the darkness, all carefully spaced along the quayside as if they had territory marked out.
After Combarro we spent another night at anchor off a beach at the entrance of the Ria de Vigo.  It was a beautiful spot.  From the boat we could see miles of perfect white sand fringed with pine forest and we went ashore and sat on the beach for a couple of hours.  The Spanish approach to beach activity is to set up camp under a beach umbrella (not a windbreak in sight!) and then parade up and down the water's edge for hours.  We watched the same people come past time and time again - all talking at high speed.  Once again the weather was completely unpredictable.  Whilst we were anchored off the beach we had wind from all directions and varying in strength from none to 20 knots.  As we left to come to Baiona yesterday, the wind was starting to make the anchorage quite uncomfortable and the skies began to darken. 
We are now in the marina belonging to the Monte Real Yacht Club in Baiona.  It has a dramatic location just under the walls of the castle.
From my seat in the cockpit of Chiscos I have a view of the whole bay and can see no fewer than 8 separate sandy beaches.  Baiona has many attractive old buildings and appears to be a holiday destination as well as a fairly prosperous town.  Not many Yacht Clubs have doorways like this!
Shortly after we arrived yesterday, it began to thunder and we then had the most amazing storm lasting several hours.  The lightning lit up the bay in bright blue flashes all evening.  The rain was so hard that we didn't venture far and enjoyed a good meal in the Yacht Club restaurant, which has a colonial-style feel to it.  Here it is in the daylight; the sky has remained overcast all day and we understand from listening to the radio today that it is warmer in the UK than it is here!
Tomorrow (Tuesday) I fly back to the UK for a couple of days to help Alex get off on her placement year abroad - in Spain!  I'm then back to Baiona on Thursday for a few more days with John and we're hoping to do some exploration inland by bus/train, perhaps to Santiago di Compostella.  New crew members arrive in Baiona for the next leg of the journey on 30th and 31st August.
 
Susan