I will get to A Coruna 43 40.93N 07 39.10W

Lera(hen3ry)
Malcolm Cann
Sun 16 Sep 2007 10:05
Gijon is quite a nice little town, its obviously a tourist centre and seems to be on the itinerery of every University judging by the number of younger people sporting backpacks and guides. The town is full of museums and pretty buildings plus an old roman site, which I intended to have a look at but, on closer inspection didn't seem all that interesting. Of course there is the usual collection of large churches, which everyone photographs. Other than the historic value there is a large shopping area, where you seem to be able to buy most things, and the open air restaurants.
Gijon is in Asturia and while I was there it was "Dia de Asturia" a festival day. I prepared myself for some sort of celebrations and made sure the camera was clear to get all the pictures I could then went to the tourist office to find out what the schedule was. The tourist office was very helpful and told me that Gijon has Asturias day in August (for the tourists) and that the day was just a bank holiday for them any celebrations were in Navia, some 40 miles away. The day came and went and all I saw was a fairground ride, so the camera remained empty.
Tuesday the 11 I was due to leave Gijon. The weather forecast was quite good with East winds force 3-4 and the sea state not too upsetting. This was too good to be true but at least a reasonable East wind had come up every evening which I considered to be a fact. Tuesday dawned and I got up early (0900) and got all ready, just before I was going to fuel the boat opposite me went, so I hung on a bit. When I went to the fuelling berth that other boat had just got on it, so I parked and went and recovered my key deposit, when I got back there wasa queue, so I abandoned the fuel idea and went without, after all there was going to be a good east wind?
I started motoring at about 1145 I kept it ticking along on my chosen course until about 2145 some 10 hrs and was only 30 miles from my starting point.I decided that I would have to divert, so changed course to Ribadeo which was about 34 miles distant, I would take a further 10hrs to get there. The forecast wind had not materialised and the evening breeze had failed as well. All this time both sails had been hanging quietly.
At 0445 the sails started stirring and soon they were pulling quite well so I closed the engine down to generating only. I did not stop the engine as it was still dark and with all the lights on the battery would go flat quite quickly, so I kept the engine generating until it became daylight. During this time I noticed a fishing boat on the stern starboard quarter, as I watched it it came closer until it seemed to me it was behind and heading directly for me, I began to panic, and prepared my ship scarer (200Watt halogen lamp). But his navigation lights changed to green and he was going past. He was close enough for me to hear his engine very clearly. he came alongside at about 1/2 mile and passed me, as soon as he'd passedhe turned for the coast and his home port. I worried me slightly that he hadn't seen me, but thinking about it, this is not the first time a fishing boat has had a good look at me and I think they are looking for deserted boats, which become theirs if they catch them, and as soon as they are sure there is someone on board they go away.
The wind allowed me to make a further decision and change course once again, I resumed my original course to A Coruna. By about 1050 the wind had moved round to directly behind me and things were beginning to become uncomfortable, so the final decision was made, the sails were gybeing and thrashing about so I decided to head for Viviero. Once it was decided it was done.
At about 1500 I was tied up safe and sound in the Ria de Viviero.
This is a marina cut into the side of a river, its very calm and serene and not abit like the rough bay I had to cross to get here. It's certainly not a tourist centre even though it's got the beaches and historic buildings.
I've encountered other boats who subscribe to this blog system they are "Sancerre and Pyxis" and am beginning to see the same boats more than once, there seems to be a group of boats all travelling in the same direction, we'll see how it developes.