42:07.47N 08:50.55W Passage details to Ria de Vigo and Photos
Gaudeo
John and Prue Quayle / John Quayle
Fri 17 Aug 2007 07:31
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13/14th August: Given the forecast of change
from the last two weeks` glorious weather, it seemed a good opportunity to
visit Santiago de Compostela (the third holiest site in Christendom after
Jerusalem and Rome) and to ask St James to put in a good word for us.
First a leisurely sail around to Ria de Vigo and to a
commercial harbour with an expanding marina complex
(Davilasport) at the otherwise uninspiring town of Bouzas.
We had overwintered our previous yacht, "June Dawn" at
Davilasport soon after it opened 7 years ago,
receiving excellent service, and were interested to see how
it has developed.
The eco-conscious boss, as ever
determined that she must save the planet at each
turn, insisted on the train next day to Santiago which I admit for once was
a pleasurable experience - at least she didn`t suggest pilgrimage on foot,
so no scallop shell reward and memento to bring back to Shropshire.
Before taking in the spiritual hot spot, the body had to be
fortified and fortunately along the delightful flagstone streets and
arcades of this enchanting city there are many excellent
restaurants - good enough reason alone to make the pilgrimage. There
certainly seemed to be far more eating than
praying.
The exuberant grandeur of the cathedral was
as awe inspiring as at our previous visit but with a larger swarm of
people trying to embrace the great man`s image and kiss his
bejewelled cape. No sign of the Botafumeiro, the immense suspended incense
burner, this time. Your blogger found the numerous surrounding
churches much more relaxing places to meditate and sleep off his
lunch.
Back at the marina a chain smoking, amusing but
typically outspoken Kiwi, looking older than his 55 years kindly
helped me make a Wi-Fi ( Prue calls it "Y front") internet connection. He
was Graham Dalton, the illustrious, single handed round the world yachtsman who
has recently completed the Velux 5 oceans race (see the excellent web site
which I think is www.velux5oceans.com for a synopsis of
his biography; his brother incidentally, is Grant Dalton of
New Zealand America`s cup and Whitbread Global race fame).
Son in law, Lawrence Bernstein, who thinks that I care only for Ellen
McArthur, may like to know that over the last year, Graham Dalton`s trials and
tribulations in the Velux 5 oceans race
held my interest almost to the same degree! Though clearly
mentally tough, extremely determined and as blunt as any antipodean can be, he
came across also as being rather modest, amusing, intelligent and
sensitive; a good kind of guy. I enjoyed two hours at the
dockside hearing the tales of his amazing sailing experiences,
continued the following day when he came for lunch on board Gaudeo. We
were given a tour over his Open 50, "A Southern Man" which was tied up nearby
and which he is hoping to sell in Vigo - if not he may take part in next year`s
Open 50s around the world race. The dog in the photo incidentally, is the marina
dog and nothing to do with either of us!
15/16th August: Moved on to Baiona for
more creature comfort, taking the long route around the offlying
islands and rocks in view of a surprisingly large and somewhat menacing swell
coming into the bay from the NW - another new marina with limited dockside
facilities, this time full of yachts many of which are ocean
girdling, but with mooring fees as pricey as the south
of England. Now an attractive thriving holiday resort, the
town is historically renown as Columbus` first mainland landfall after
returning from the New World. As it was Assumption day, a national
holiday, there was much jollity on the streets and in the many
excellent eating houses, a marked contrast with Bouzas.
A lovely walk around the
medieval walls which now enclose the luxurious Parador Conde de
Gondomar - reputedly one of Spain`s best hotels - brought us to
its superbly situated restaurant which overlooks the Ria towards the
beautiful Isla Cies and it just happened to be lunch
time.........
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