Cape Finisterre

42:46.908N 09:03.367W Tuesday 22nd & Wednesday 23rd
September 2010 We left Camarinas at a lunchtime and headed south rounding
Cabo Finisterre, a route known locally as the Costa del Morte – ‘The Coast of
Death! This is because in bad weather it is susceptible to large waves
and has numerous unmarked off lying rocks lurking dangerously just beneath the
surface. Fortunately for us it was, as usual, dead calm with
no wind. Apart from the odd light house the Spanish don’t believe in any
navigation marks, so all the rocks are totally unmarked. To add to the
fun the area is swarming with fishing boats and tiny pot markers, which are
impossible to see until virtually too late. Navigating this coast is relatively easy now with GPS and
plotters, but one can see why it had such a bad reputation. However
despite the danger area has wonderful rugged scenery and many beautiful Rias
with lovely anchorages. We arrived at about 8.30pm and anchored off the
town of Muros in the Ria de Muros. We are on the westernmost tip of Spain and of mainland
Europe, which is much further west than the UK, but as their clocks are an hour
ahead it doesn’t get light until nearly 8am and doesn’t get dark until about
9.30pm, hence the late starts, which Mary thinks are great! The Spanish
are famed for staying up really late but could this be because their clocks are
so out of synch with the daylight? We dinghied ashore to Muros in the morning and wandered
around the old cobbled streets through narrow alleyways, it was very pretty and
a lot posher than Camarinas with tourism as well as fishing benefitting the
economy. We then had a short motor of about an hour over to the other
side of the Ria and berthed in the marina in Portosin where Alan changed the
oil in the engine and Mary did more washing – afternoon fun for all! Cobo Finisterre looking menacing, even though it was flat
calm!
The opening shot from The Perfect Storm? There’s
fishing boats everywhere! Stella anchored in Muros Sunrise in the anchorage at Muros taken at 0900h |