41:22.52N 8:45.9W Povoa de Varzim gives us a nasty surprise on the 13th!
Niord's Big Adventure
Tony Gratton
Fri 14 Jul 2023 23:25
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13/07/2023 Baiona to Povoa de Varzim
Distance covered 52nm
Up with the larks (seagulls) again. Our first priority
was to get fuel. Niord has no fuel gauge, so we were working on estimated
levels, and really needed a fill-up to check our actual consumption. We also
needed to replace the 30 litres we had taken from our cans before departing La
Coruna. It was low tide, and the pilot warns of depths as low as 1.5m at the
fuel berth, but we had asked the staff and they assured us that there was plenty
of depth. Tony had checked the depth gauge on the fuel berth before leaving our
berth which was reading 4 metres, so no worries. On the approach where we had to
turn to squeeze into the fuel berth the depth gauge quickly started rising...and
reached 1.4 metres which is our draught! Tony was sure we were going to ground,
but happily we reached the berth without incident. Note to self to cross check
the offset on the depth gauge!
The sun was out, and it was already feeling hot as we
raised the mainsail and headed out. Baiona lies on the South side of the Ria, so
we were out reasonable quickly, and were again treated to the sight of many
fishermen in small boats fishing in a giant cluster. Lots of dolphins joined us
again just outside the Ria, as did a trio of other boats all following the same
advice as us to avoid the Orcas; motorsailing about a mile offshore, as the 20
metre contour here is on the rocks. There was no wind to speak of as the
mountains gradually fell away. We ran up the Portuguese courtesy flag as we left
Spain. Another milestone reached. The shoreline flattened out, and there were
endlessly long beaches stretching along it. We were hand steering as per the
advice to avoid the autopilot which seems to attract the Orcas. A good job too,
as there were pots littering our route marked not with buoys but with canes,
sometimes with a black or coloured flag, but often with nothing at all. We had a
few near misses, more troublesome as our rope cutter is now out of action since
our prop shaft tried to escape in La Coruna. The wind filled in well again from
the North, so we made good time.
We had booked into the Marina da Povoa en route, and
were circling in the harbour rigging our lines and fenders, having avoided a
sailing school in full flight with 25 knots of wind howling around us, when a
helpful chap in a rib appeared to show us to our berth. He was trying to lead us
to another marina, not in our old pilot book, so we suspected he was from
another marina and was poaching us. We called the marina on the radio, and were
reassured when he answered us. These old pilot books of ours are only of limited
use now as everything looks different from their harbour plans! Must get some
newer ones when we can. We successfully manoevered into a tricky berth in the
wind, and our helpful marineirho explained to us that the office and facilities
were the speck in the distance on the other side of the harbour about a mile
away where we had originally expected to berth.
We sorted the boat out then hiked around to the office.
Deciding not to walk on the suggested dirt path behind the beach we ended up
making the distance even longer, actually ending up in the next village South!
The marina is a curious mix of the new and decaying. The main facilities are
pretty run down, but the pontoons in the North area are all new with a clever
biometric entry system. Unlike Baiona, which was full, the marina here is pretty
empty. The Orcas are making their presence felt with only idiots like us taking
the risk of this coast!
Our end of day routine is engine checks before a shower
and dinner. Following our experience in La Coruna, the daily checks now include
a check on the transmission. Imagine Tony's shock when he found a hole in the
prop shaft coupling where the new bolt should be! It had happened again! The
bolt was sheared in two on the engine bed, and it was showered with rust again.
The only positive was that the hose clip had prevented the shaft from slipping
completely out this time, so it was a relatively easy job to get it back
together again using one of the spare bolts which had been delivered in La
Coruna.
We have to get to the bottom of this issue, and are
going nowhere until we do. Strong winds are forecast from Sunday onwards, and
our next leg is a long 75nm to Figuera de Foz, which has a tricky
entry. With no shelter on this stretch of coast, and a big Atlantic
swell, this is no place to be losing our transmission. Our plans to get to Lagos
before the end of the month are up in smoke. We are
desolate...
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