Muros and Portosin

Moorglade's Voyage
Ted Wilson
Thu 29 Jul 2010 07:20
Our position is 42:45.84N 08:56.79W
 
We left Camarinas early on Monday hoping to make it round Finisterre before the forecast strong winds arrived. It had certainly been windier in the night than previously but this had died away when we got up at 7am and we motored out of the ria. We soon had the foresail unrolled and poled out and razzed past a Frenchman fishing off his yacht's transom. The wind was reasonable initially and we were surfing down the waves at 8 knots with just the jib, but as we approached Finisterre it fell away and Ted was able to try the twin headsail technique using the genoa and the cruising chute. This enabled us to maintain 4 knots as Finisterre came and went, looking particularly benign. Once round the infamous headland the weather seemed to change completely and the temperature rose about 10 degrees, allowing those crew members suffering from the cold to shed their warm clothing and break out shorts and skimpy tops. It was not deemed necessary to break the passage just past Finisterre so we continued on to the Ria de Muros and headed for the anchorage at Muros itself.
 
This was extremely beautiful and having anchored successfully in the Ensanada de Muros we were able to partake of an excellent evening meal, cooked by Chris, in the cockpit, while watching other people's less effective attempts and deploying the new sunshade and both wind scoops. The wind scoops worked well in the night and by morning everyone agreed that a duvet was needed.
 
The next morning we were surrounded by small boats bearing divers who were fishing for local produce, as well as an actual fishing boats using nets, which at one point looked as if it was going to encircle us. The poorer fishermen just walked about in the water with rakes and baskets, and as the tide went out they too got scarily close. We went ashore to enjoy the town, which was very picturesque and active, and had an excellent 3 course lunch of razor clams, salad and fish. It was still very hot - John photographed a thermometer at the local farmacia reading 35 degrees - and the winds were light when we pulled up the anchor (not attached to a pipe this time) and motored across to the marina on the other side of the ria at Portosin.
 
This offered opportunities to do washing - this time without the machines being taken over by Germans - and use the WiFi - albeit only available near the marina office. Chris was also able to swim off the beach, but the rest thought it was undoubtedly too cold in the water.
 
And so back to the boat for bread and cheese and the promise of a new ria tomorrow. Weather online's forecast is for light winds but the French people on the next boat are claiming 35 knots so we'll have to see.
 
 
At anchor in Ensanada de Muros
 
 
The narrow streets of Muros
 
 
Easy sailing off Cabo Finisterre