18 August 2016

We had four good days in La Coruna in brilliant sunshine with a gentle breeze.  The first day spent in various cafés chasing Wi-Fi in order to catch up on e-mails and for Ken to work.  Several very spectacular tall ships gathered for a race.  We walked further into town to the chandlers which of course was shut in the afternoon, so more coffee whilst waiting for it to reopen at 4.30pm.  We learned Spanish time means basically ‘whenever they feel like it’, so more coffee (and maybe a cheeky beer!).  Chatting to a guy who lives in Spain, he said he spends his whole life ‘waiting’!  Eventually we were able to purchase charts for the West Coast of Spain and Canary Islands. 

The following days were spent juggling with boat chores and sightseeing.  Ken got the SSB radio up and running which is fantastic as will enable us to communicate with other boats at a far greater range than the VHF radio, plus saved a good few Euros as he was contemplating purchasing a new one.

An interesting trip to the supermarket which took forever trying to decipher what we were actually purchasing; we have yet to find out if the milk is actually milk and not yoghurt and the cream cheese actually cheese and not butter or worse crème caramel!  Ken discovered they did a delivery service to the boat so promptly filled the trolley with beer and wine, some 1 litre plastic bottles of red and white at 1 Euro 39 (we know how to live) – that has actually turned out to be very drinkable!

The final evening in La Coruna included a skippers briefing from the rally organiser, discussing our next rally destination which is Porto in a few days’ time and a meal with the rally participants who have gathered so far.  We are up to 5 boats now, various boats joining along the way.  The number of entrants is 36 boats most of which join us in Lanzarote.

Sunday 14 August, La Coruna to Ria De Camarinas, 52.6 miles, 8.5 hrs, 8.5 engine hrs, 6.2 knots average speed.

Total miles: 476.2.

We departed La Coruna at 0950 hrs.  We were late due to having to wait for the marina staff supposedly opening the office at 0930 hrs, to give us our deposit back for returning the marina keys.  Surprise surprise they were 20 minutes late.  We didn’t have a coffee or beer whilst waiting this time!

Our first port of call on route to Porto was a beautiful little anchorage 52 miles from La Coruna called Ria De Camarinas, sandy beaches and brightly coloured houses. Unfortunately the sail to get there was in thick sea fog, visibility only 0.5 miles and with no wind, so we ended up motoring all the way and didn’t see any of the supposedly stunning coastline.  Storm Breaker and Maryna II (the French Catamaran headed in the same direction).

What we did see however were sharks, well fins that were definitely not dolphins, porpoises or whales!  We think they were Blue Sharks, known to be in this area.  One solitary one initially, then 4 together.  Although very exciting, I’m quite pleased we didn’t have our fishing lines out!  We also had a passenger for a while, a little Spanish Yellow Wagtail.  It quite bravely sat on the guard rail next to the cockpit then took a ride on the granny bars next to the mast, flew off and came back for a final trip on the rib that we carry on the stern of the boat.  Rain water had collected in the rib (yes, we’ve had rain!), so our friend was able to rehydrate and continue on their journey.

Whilst in La Coruna I finally manged to set up my new Garmin Vivofit and easily achieved the 7820 steps it required whilst sightseeing.  I soon discovered it is not easy to reach the target number of steps whilst aboard, in fact I failed dismally. 

Fortunately when we dropped anchor in the stunning bay beyond the marina, amongst a few other yachts, the sun had broken through the fog and the evening was glorious.  Perfect for sitting in the cockpit watching the holiday makers having fun on the water.

Monday 15 August, Ria De Camarinas to Bayona, 77.8 miles, 11.5 hrs, 11.5 engine hrs, average speed 6.7 knots

Total miles: 554

We raised anchor at 0715 hrs (this is no holiday!) just as it was getting light.  The fog was back with a vengeance.  We weaved our way through numerous fishing vessels and lobster pots and headed out to the 100m contour line where it is too deep to fish.  A wise move given the extremely poor visibility.  The wind was 10 knots and on the nose, so motored once again.

I’ve now taken to marching on the spot every time my Garmin Vivofit says ‘move’ in order to attempt the required number of steps it has set me.  Still nowhere near it and frustratingly it has increased the target 8200!

We decided to moor in the marina at Bayona as our anchor chain counter is not working and we’ve not yet marked the chain with depth markers.  We stayed on board listening to the bank holiday festivities ashore and various bands playing.  A guy from a neighbouring yacht kindly offered us a brandy which we accepted and chatted for a while on the pontoon.  Luckily his English was a lot better than our Spanish!

Tuesday 16 August, Bayona

Our first job was to mark the anchor chain.  We laid the 80m of chain on the pontoon and marked it at 5 metre intervals with varying coloured cable ties. 

A friend, Helen Gould (who we met whilst sailing around the UK and keeps her boat at Liceo Maritimo De Bouzas, near Bayona) came by bus to see us.  The sea fog was too thick for her to have an enjoyable sail down.   

We shared a fantastic sea food platter accompanied by a local white wine.  It was a gorgeous sunny day, perfect for a long lingering lunch.  We then went aboard Pinta, a replica of the ship that Christopher Columbus came back to Bayona in, having discovered America in 1492.  A lazy walk around the castle with stunning views of the bay with its gorgeous sandy beaches and islands out to sea followed, then a walk into the quaint backstreets of Bayona with its narrow streets and pretty buildings.  

We found a great rooftop bar overlooking the marina. 

Spanish hospitality is always to serve tapas/nibbles with any drinks so we made our way around a few other bars, ensuring each one was offering a different type of tapas! 

Peter and Sarah from Storm Breaker were sat outside one of the bars so we joined them for a while and had Empanada pie (a bit like a flat pasty made with fish and tomatoes, meat or vegetables). 

We persuaded Helen to sail to Porto with us tomorrow so the three of us returned to Lady Rebel for cheese and biscuits. 

Wednesday 17 August, Bayona to Porto (Portugal),   74.7miles, 10.5 hrs,  9.5 engine hrs, 7.11 knots average speed,

Total miles: 628.7

We departed Bayona at 0905 hrs with our extra pair of hands on board to assist with the lines and fenders. Half a dozen porpoises joined us for a while.  Unfortunately the sea fog was still lingering with very little wind and on the nose, so we once again headed out to deep water with the engine on.  Very disappointing, especially for Helen whose not sailed Lady Rebel before.

At 1233 hrs (Spanish time, CEST – Central European Summer Time) and 1133 hrs (Portuguese time, WEST – Western European Summer Time) we crossed the border into Portuguese waters.

The fog cleared to reveal a gorgeous hot sunny day, hot enough to sit on the foredeck in t-shirt and shorts (and of course lifejacket!).  It was necessary to keep a sharp eye open for lobster pots as they were everywhere.  We had to alter course on numerous occasions. 

Two small pods of Bottle Nose Dolphins paid us a quick visit, gracefully swimming by.  Magical.

Eventually the wind picked up enough to sail for an hour or so, much to Helen’s delight!

We reached Porto at 1930 hrs and moored up in Douro Marina next to the Swiss and French catamarans in the rally.   Martin and Rita, catamaran Maisie, invited us for drinks on board, then we all went into Porto for a meal, traditional Portuguese food, 8 Euros per head including wine!