La Coruna to Spanish Rias August 20^th ~ 22^nd.

Returned from England with the faint hope of spending a day in La Coruna, but the weather window definitely points to an early next day start to allow 2 days around Cape Finisterre before potential big winds and poorer weather possibly sets in. We plan a 45 mile run to Camarinas, and a second 35 mile run to the Ria de Muros.

Camarinas is unremarkable, despite its reputation as a particularly charming stop-over. Sunday night and food is scarce (a lesson we are learning about Sunday evenings in small town Spanish resorts). Nevertheless the welcome is warm and the marina has basic but good showers and loos. We eat in the plastic/glass extension of the local Sailing Club, which still manages to retain a certain air of formal gathering that characterises Spanish Sailing Clubs.

Wherever we have been (since and including Weymouth) we have seen large quantities of Mullet! These, I have come to appreciate, are the sewage disposal units of marinas. Camarinas is distinguished by having Mullet in such abundance that the waters of the marina and harbour are literally afroth with them; there must be thousands upon thousands.  They are obviously not good eating, but I wonder at their effectiveness and potential for tackling pollution; a thought that’s not particularly encouraged by the state of the water lapping many of the Spanish beaches we have encountered.

On to Ria de Muros we reef the sails very cautiously in anticipation of Finisterre’s fearsome reputation. We sail peacefully past but not without Finisterre booming her siren at us as a reminder of where we are, and the occasional gust of 20+ knots still managing to carry us along at 6+ knots despite our well reefed main, jib and only full staysail.

We anchor off the first sheltered beach in the Ria de Muros and relax. It feels that we have reached the next significant phase of the journey, and that we are now heading South!

We have thoroughly enjoyed our journey along the North coast of Spain: off the beaten track,rugged and unspoilt.