Cruising The Rias

Tillymint.fortescue
Tue 11 Aug 2009 09:41

 
Tuesday 11 August - at anchor in Ria Cedeira. All the drama of the high seas has subsided. The crew of Tilly Mint are at rest, cruising the Rias of Galicia in North West Spain. The coast is extra-ordinarily beautiful, wide river estuaries with steep wooded hillsides fringed with miles of golden beaches, quiet sheltered anchorages, Norwegian fjords with southern European weather; picture postcard scenery. It is definitely worth lingering along this stretch of coast and we are happy to oblige after the adrenalin rush of our Biscay crossing. We were the only boat anchored in Viviero and we spent our 2 night stop-over there wondering what the catch was, would a wicked wind whip up at night and turn on the washing machine, would we awake before dawn deafened by the activities of the nearby commercial fishing port? How could it be so perfect and so empty? So far nothing has happened to break the illusion; we have travelled and the world is different and this morning, after a third tranquil night, we are begining to believe it is real.
 
We've got time on our hands to indulge in the more frivolous aspects of life afloat. We launched the doughnut in Viviero (helpful photograph attached in case you think we've taken to sailing cakes) and I've caught up on my Biscay laundry mountain. The boys caught two fish on our cruise between Rias, Gary the Garfish and Mannie the Mackerel. Both now lay in state in the fridge waiting transformation a la Rick Stein (albeit with modest sized portions). Life is not lacking in challenges though; we are in Spain and between us we speak very few words of Spanish. Anchoring on arrival avoided the unnecessary fuss of working out whether the harbour master could speak English, we know we can navigate a supermarket with our few words and Sandrine taught me how to ask for stamps for my postcards. Sorted - almost, unless we want to go out to eat as we discovered in Viviero on Sunday. I kept staring at the menu expecting that the veil of confusion would lift and my ideal lunch choice levitate from the page; next time we must remember to bring out our phrase book! The children wisely relied on the international call sign for a meal - Pizza. We ordered Raxo and Zorza, possibly characters from Babar rather than food? For dinner last night we remembered the phrase book so translation was possible (although Immy protested that, even in English, little on the menu actually sounded like food to her). Pronounciation is another matter and we listen attentively to the waiter's confused response as he tries to work out what we are ordering. Just a few more ports to go and then we are in Portugal, another language but alas we have no phrase book; bit of an oversight in the pre-voyage planning!
 
Today we are all feeling super lazy, we're going to have a walk in the woods, visit the supermercado and have a barbeque for dinner. Tomorrow we potter off to La Coruna, then onto Camerinas, around Finisterre to Islas Cies after that on South to Bayona and Portugal. Beyond that we don't have a cunning plan, with just over 2 weeks left we don't have time to reach the Canaries. To any movie buffs out there who remember Paint Your Wagon; we have adopted the soundtrack as our anthem:-
 
Got a dream boy, got a song
Paint your wagon and roll along
 
Where am I going - I don't know
Where am I heading - I ain't certain
All I know is I am on my way
 
When will I be there I don't know
When will I get there -  I ain't certain
All I know is I am on my way
 
But who gives a dam - we are on our way!!
 
 
 

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