Have you ever had a grey day that was ok because of the evenings entertainment you had planned, maybe a film or musical? The lights go out, all around is inky blackness and suddenly from the night the star performers arrive, their white shimmering costumes fit perfectly to their graceful forms. In groups they perform around us with displays of speed and unison too beautiful and spell binding for words. As Rob suggested they looked like the ethereal spirits that escaped from the Ark of the Covenant in the film Raiders of the Lost Arc, but without the malevolence. As they leave we admire the curtains of their stage, creamy patches of ocean, that sparkle as we cross them as if reflecting the stars – but not on this cloudy night, the sparkle is all their own.

 

In the early morning the wind picked up so poles and preventers and a full rig seemed a risky idea, so at 4.30am while I took Zoonie onto a comfortable angle to the wind Rob reefed both sails and we crawled into another grey day.

 

Then along came another pigeon, but this one was a totally different ball of feathers to the first well behaved chap. From the second he/she landed he was hell bent on getting down below and causing havoc. We discouraged him with a comfortable towel in the cockpit and supper of cooked rice and water, all of which he ate. But he wouldn’t give up. Leaving messages everywhere, he took his chance while we were both busy and shot below. His triumph was short lived as Rob grabbed him by the leg and threw him overboard. ‘Such fun’ he thought circling above our heads before landing on the spreader out of our reach. Yes you are right, he sneaked back onto the afterdeck, then the coach-roof and back into the cockpit where all we could do was shoo him behind the wheel.

 

We entered Corunna in thick fog and as soon as we were tied up, he flew off, the free-loader.

 

Corunna on fire!

 

Corunna held an atmosphere of anticipation on the eve of their celebration of summer festival. The lady in the marina made it quite clear the event was well worth a visit. Indeed it was. We wandered along the shoreline of Playa del Orzan watching hundreds of happy families drinking and chatting around their bonfires and BBQs. A thirty foot high two tier construction covered in effigies, presumably of politicians or local officials was burned after a firework display at midnight. Dozens of ambulances were at the ready and a fire engine in case of accident, but the crowds were full of joie de vivre and just out for a good time.

 

Today , Weds 24th we walked to the impressive Tower of Hercules, which has stood at the entrance to Corunna since Roman times and today shines bright at night to help mariners to a safe home-coming.

 

On a more mundane front we have established the black water tank pump does not infact pump but we have yet to find out why. Tomorrow we will get the manual bilge pump working again and try the anchor windlass which hasn’t been used since last August in Studland Bay!