Some more thought on cruising

I had never thought of anchors as consumable items, but we’ve been getting worried recently. We anchored of the beach in Santa Uxia de Ribiera in 10m of water and laid out 50m chain – well it’s no good in the anchor locker. We were a bit worried about it holding, but there was no wind forecast, so we set the anchor alarm and settled in.

The next day the GRIB files showed a F6/7 coming through overnight from SW so we decided, after a trip into town in the RIB, to move into a marina at Parbo do Cariminal. As we got into shore to leave the RIB there was a local guy who was rather distressed and said he found a small dog drowned with a rope and stone tied around it’s neck and was trying to remove it before all the kids in the sailing school saw it.

Anyway a bit of a wander around and back to the anchorage to weigh anchor and move on – but again the windlass complained – I had dug it in pretty well as there were some granite rocks around (just like the Baltic days) and in the end had to drive the boat around the anchor pulling in different directions to finally break it free before it came up clear.

Oddly there were 3 divers in the bay with us, but by the time we were ready to move they had gone, otherwise we could have given them 20 Euros to help break it out. Now our plan is to use the anchor buoy I bought as a tripping line – (see piccie) – this has a reel on a spring that runs to 16m so will always sit over the top of the anchor clipped to the bar at the back of the Delta. It has a shackle on the top, so we can retrieve it and I have put “Suzie Too” on it so some twit doesn’t think – “Oh, that’s handy a mooring buoy”

It really is very pretty down here and great sailing, even today after some rain and wind last night we still have 27 deg in the cockpit and still in shorts and t shirts. Suzanne has done her washing – not sure it’s allowed on a Sunday. Then next week we are planning to go to Santiago de Compestella with all the old people – so we will be wearing our Beige Outfits and revert to our “Albert & Elsie” names to blend in with the coach parties.

Apparently St James the Great (one of the Gang of 12) rocked up here to preach and popped his clogs, they kept his bones and then lost them but they mysteriously turned up years later and they put them in the Cathedral and now make all the poor people walk there and give the Church money – even the Vatican doesn’t recognise the authenticity of the Relics. But anyway no point in sailing past the front door without popping in for a touristy look around.