The priority in Vigo was to sort out the overwintering arrangements for Flinesse. The main problem is that at the yard we have in mind, the boat will be floated on to a cradle and then winched out up a rail track once the tide goes out. The yard has twin tracks, each of which can accommodate 4 yachts.  Therefore the boats which are winched out first, must be the last ones to be relaunched. Although the yard owner seems happy with our proposed dates for haul-out and relaunch, he is unable to commit until he has heard from all his regular customers and can then co-ordinate a plan. Otherwise, the security, guardenage and maintenance capability seem excellent; but it will be the beginning of September before we know for sure if the arrangements will work and  so our fingers are crossed.

 

After 2 days at Bouzas, a suburb of Vigo that specialises in boatbuilding and repair, we moved on to the head of the Ria, sailing anxiously under a motorway bridge, even though the published height indicated it shouldn’t be a problem. Our destination was the Isle of St Simeon, a one time leper colony, where we anchored in the lee of the island to shelter from the strong, gusty northerly wind. Each day the wind steadily increases in strength throughout the afternoon to reach a maximum of 30 knots just before nightfall, only to die completely by dawn.

We looked at several anchorages on the north shore of the Ria before arriving at the magnificent beach at Barra, with brilliant white sand and backed by pine forests, exactly like those found on the French Atlantic coast south of Bordeaux. As is the case with these remote beaches, they attract more than their share of nudists, who spend most of their time parading up and down the beach. We did feel, however, that nude jogging really cannot be comfortable if you are a well endowed nudist!

 

It was a short hop across the Ria to Bayona to top up with water and fresh supplies. The downwind arrival into the rather soul-less marina was tricky, but fortunately neither the pride or the boat was dented. Let’s hope next time we visit Bayona, that the Monte Real Club de Yates, which we used during Rally Portugal in 2005 can find us a berth.

 

Our next episode will describe our time in Ria de Pontevedra, the adjacent Ria to the north.