42:07.338N 008:50.677W
Whisper
Noel Dilly
Sat 25 Aug 2012 20:00
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"Bayona" -
Friday 24 August
Our planned departure is delayed, it is not a nice day. Wind and rain from the SW which progressively deteriorated over the day. As we are heading south and are not in a hurry there seemed little point in heading out into bad weather. The morning past quickly wandering about the town to track down and purchase a new oil change bucket (special purposes until commissioned for duty) and also some cockroach traps! Nobody told me about this possible problem when I was being seduced into the idea of sailing in tropical waters etc! As lunch time neared we decided to enjoy lunch at a Tapas Bar in the old town, after all this is Spain and it is fun to experience a different way of life. We sat outside under the awning where it was warm but damp watching the local people hurrying about with their colourful umbrellas of many shapes and sizes, most just scurried about in their short sleeved summer clothes, not caring about the summer drizzle. By the time we had finished eating the rain had turned from intermittent drizzle to a heavy downpour. We wanted to visit the replica of La Pinta in the harbour, she was one of Columbus' three ships which crossed the Atlantic in 1482. The ships had spent a month in the Canary Islands repairing sails etc before departing for the Indies, their aim was to arrive from the Western side. After 36 days of uncertainties, hardship and anxieties the cry of "land ahoy" was heard and a New World was discovered. In order to keep the freeboard, these small top heavy vessels were ballasted with stone and sand to stabilise them and when food and water was consumed and the freeboard altered the ballast was increased by filling the empty barrels with seawater. There was certainly nothing comfortable about La Pinta, standing on the open decks in todays weather helped our imaginations paint a realistic picture of just how brave these sailors were to sail off into the unknown. The rest of the day was spent drying out from our wet excursion in anticipation that tomorrow's weather will be more favourable as forecast and we shall depart southwards. |