11th July. At this stage of the game we are starting to see yachts for a second time in new places and quickly, distant waves become friendly chats and then visits to and from other yachts. The friendly Dutch couple we met in Portosin came to us while we were at anchor near them and offered us their dinghy: they had noticed us return with one of the floatation tubes well deflated on our dinghy. In the heat of the day, and because it was over-inflated, one of the seams had popped causing a leak. Reminding me of the time quite a few years ago in Alderney when we split a float on a rock and had to row back to our boat on just the forward floatation chamber and the outboard hanging underneath the dinghy. We prioritised and made sure the duty free gin was safe before hauling the motor up on deck for a fresh water flush through, from which it recovered 100%. I was five months pregnant at the time.

 

Rob set to in the sunshine effecting a repair with glue and a patch. He was doubtful it would work.

 

“I have one hundred percent confidence  in your skills my darling” I encouraged him, [and about 50% in my own]. It was partially effective but a bigger patch had to be placed over, and of course doubts have arisen as to whether all the seams are now suffering from tired glue.

 

It was very hot and windy at this anchorage off the beach, just outside the harbour and we watched with interest as two orange tugs wrestled with a large tanker into the harbour, turning it around in the process, all upwind and just 200 mtrs from us.

 

In the morning we woke to find dozens of men and women in waders between us and the shore, dragging the seabed for clams. Groups of tiny fishing boats powered with oars fished together and bigger boats with a crane aboard moored alongside an anchored and floating wooden vivero each sending big wire mesh baskets underwater to collect the next crop of mussels growing there.

 

The tender had only lost a little air so we pumped it up and took the pump ashore with us. We explored by foot before having a drink at the municipal market and returning to Zoonie to change ready for a swim and sun-bathe on the beach. Tough life is this, if you weaken.

 

The wind continued all night and into the next morning and having satiated our curiosity here we decided to move across to the city marina of Vilagarcia for a what turned out to be a complete change.