42.46N:17.28W
Plambeck
Wed 21 May 2014 17:49
Hello again.
Still dreaming of Terceira. They have a special festival consisting of a bull run, but nothing like the one in Pamplona, Spain. It is called tourada da corda. The bulls are allowed to career through the village streets whilst local youth show off their courage and daring, cheered on by spectators from safe vantage points. Two or three men check the bulls movements by means of a long rope. No bull is ever killed or seriously injured. This appears to go back to the day over 400 years when Spanish invaders were driven back into the sea (by bulls let loose on them?). Often visitors are invited into private houses to enjoy the spectacle from its balcony and are treated to snacks and drinks.
Sounds great?? It does. Pity we only heard about it the following day. Our stay ended very nicely with dinner at the Beixa do Mare hotel in the company of Jean from Hendaye (near Bayonne at the French-Spanish border). We left toghether the next day and had a tight race for a few hours. He is sailing his Dufour 40.5 home single handed and we are full of admiration for him.
All that is now three strenuous days behind us. We started off with a force six close reaching, which is exactly what we are having now. But in between the wind increased to gale eight gusting nine. In my forward cabin it felt like being in a tumble drier with the subtle difference that nothing got drier, quite the contrary. It was(and still is) quite impossible to let air in withou water finding its way in too. Even the cowls are closed with plastic bqgs stuffed with paper (pity they are not proper Dorade Boxes). Tom has difficulties holding on qith his damaged shoulder so we chnged the watches to 4hours and let him rest. When my berth is untenable I take my sleeping bag to an empty berth aft, the rotating warm berth principle. Who said it was all fun? But if it was too easy there would be no satisfaction having completed it.
We have thre good days runs behind us of 182,168 and 143 miles and are enjoIng ourselves (or did I just complain?) anyway, we are not flagging even if the declining order of our mileages might suggest it!
Th sea has gone down a little and I shall try my hand at some Indian food tonight. Tomorrow si baking day again. Philip left us enough yeast so fresh bread is expected.
Bye for now.
J