Baiona, into Portugal and home

Slightly cheating here as I am writing this post from home, a couple of days after returning. Internet connection was very hard to come by down the Atlantic coast of Portugal, even if one had had time to compose a post en route. We hardly stopped until we arrived in Lisbon, excepting of course in Baiona (the Galician spelling (as opposed to Bayona) about which I gather the natives are very sensitive) which is a splendid place with the mediaeval town nestling behind the modern front. This is the most southerly port in NW Atlantic Spain. The entrance is spectacular, passing the wonderful and huge fortress/castle of Fortaleza de Montereal to starboard before you turn in behind the breakwater. Follyfin was berthed in the private marina owned and managed by the venerable Monte Real Club de Yates, nestling under the ramparts of the ancient castle. A walk round and beneath said ramparts of Fortaleza de Montereal was most rewarding. There is a 4 star parador hotel inside the walls which has spectacular views. One to save up for a stay in future years.

The sea is constantly challenging the lower defences.

The wall walk provides spectacular views, back to the islands,

and out to sea. Note the lone conifer on the left ...

Here you see it again, viewed from the sea as we departed Baiona for Portugal.

On 3 July we left lovely Baiona, on a beautiful sunny day but with a southerly force 4 wind blowing. This meant of course that we had to tack our way down the coast into Portugal and inevitably took much longer to cover the ground. If only this huge floating wind generator, located some 3 miles off the coast could have given us a helping hand.

Cutting our losses we decided to go into Viana do Castelo for the night, about 25 miles short of where we had intended to get to that day. This is a place with lots of history and one where we would dearly have loved to stay a day or two. Another year perhaps?

The wind turned North the following day, assisting our passage down to Porto de Leixões (pronounced Layjoish I gather ... spelling in relation to pronunciation in this language is nuts!). From the marina here we caught the bus into Porto the following day. What a city! Not only was there evidence everywhere of the excellent wine to which it has given its name

but it also boasts a bridge designed by Monsieur Eiffel

as well as a church altar piece designed by a wedding cake specialist.

Portuguese houses are often faced with colourful tiles,

these are very attractive but their outdoor wiring leaves a lot to be desired.

We enjoyed lunch at a rooftop restaurant: a tasting menu including a glass of wine. The dishes as they arrived were mostly a complete surprise to us...

but all were delicious! This was followed up by a port tasting session in the cellar below. Suffice to say the afternoon went by in a bit of a blur.

There was lots more to see and do in Porto but again our time was short. For the next three days we sailed on with northerly winds, only stopping at night, twice in nice quiet anchorages (Aveiro and Cascais - or 'Cashcesh' in local speak) and once in a definitely not-so-quiet one at Navaré. Indeed we were 'moved on' - in the nicest possible way - by the Policia Maritima at 23:00 that night! As high winds were forecast they deemed we would not be safe where we were and they helped us onto a berth in the local private yacht club. We had a lovely quiet but short night there and moved off before anyone came to question what we were doing. So 'obregado' to the two nice young policeman who looked out for us!

These three days were memorable, not only for the splendid down-wind sailing but also for the mackerel harvest. Up until then no fish had been caught. But in total we caught nine over these three days, including one monster mackerel.

Cascais is right at the entrance to the river Tagus (Rio Tejo) which leads up into Lisbon. How many capital cities can you sail past? Lisbon is one of the few, and it is well worth it. The passage upstream from Cascais to Parque das Nacoes took about three hours on the end of the flood tide. The spectacular part starts at the ancient fort known as the Torre de Belem 

hot on the heels of a much more modern but equally splendid construction right next door

and continues past the Padrao dos Descombrimentos Monument to the Discoveries – a celebration of Portugal’s important role in naval exploration,

then under the Ponte 25 de Abril suspension bridge (the date of Portugal’s revolution in 1974 which overthrew Salazar, which, tellingly, was, until the day before, the Salazar Bridge) and generally round to port/east and the main riverside sites of Lisbon 

before turning northwards to the Vasco da Gama Bridge (at 17 km, the longest road bridge in Europe and beautiful) and Parque das Nacoes where Follyfin is berthed now until the beginning of September when we return to continue our adventure further south. Arriving at the marina on 9 July, just one and a half days before our flight home, we had no time to explore the old part of the city. This we intend to do on our return. Until then me' hearties, it's adios from me!

Island paradise, Spanish style

An early walk ashore on Isla Ons, before the tripper boats arrive, was well rewarded. As we climbed through the eucalyptus forest with its beautiful aroma

we could look back at Follyfin at anchor with only two other boats nearby. The vegetation was reminiscent of Scotland or North Yorkshire - bracken, gorse, broom, and heather in flower.

There is only a handful of small houses on the island and even fewer permanent residents as many of the houses were derelict. The lighthouse, however, was an impressive construction, powered by a large bank of solar panels. In the summer a few cafés provide refreshments for the hordes of tourists who arrive daily on the many ferries. Some people come to camp but there is no overnight accommodation. Others take advantage of the beautiful beach (favoured by nudists) off which we were anchored.

After two nights anchored here we moved a few miles to anchor off another crowded (but non-nudist) beach on the mainland of the Ria de Pontevedra, between Porto Novo

and Sanxenxo. This enabled us to sample some more of the local seafood in an unpretentious but very welcoming little pavement restaurant in Porto Novo. Pescaditos Fritos ('little fishes fried' according to the English translation on the menu) and clams in sauce - delicious!

On Monday it was time to move a few miles west, over to the Islas Cíes, jewel in the crown of the Galician Atlantic Island National Park. Even on a weekday the ferries work constantly to bring people over from the mainland to enjoy the pristine beaches, wonderful walks and general away-from-it-all feeling of the place. Boats wishing to anchor off the islands require special permission to do so, and the authorities only allow a small number on any one day. On this day only five yachts were anchored near Follyfin, seen from a vantage point above the inland lake behind the sand dunes.

Various trails have been created ashore, one of which led up to the lighthouse. 

Walkers are discouraged from wandering off the path into the nature reserve where numerous gulls, guillemots and other sea birds are nesting and raising their chicks These birds take their warden duties seriously.

From the top we were able to look down on the anchorage where we would be that night - a lovely quiet bay on the southernmost island of the group - Isla de San Martin - and one where no one is allowed to step ashore. The view to the north, over the western, Atlantic Coast shows the whole group of islands.

That evening, looking up from our anchorage just before sunset, we just caught a glimpse of the lighthouse almost enveloped in cloud.

We were fortunate to have had excellent weather for our visit to these beautiful islands. Lots of opportunities for swimming, walking and exploring. Definitely want to revisit sometime! On Tuesday 30 June we planned to go 6 miles further south to Baiona in order to re-provision and prepare everything before setting off to Portugal. This would be the final phase of our summer sailing season as we will be flying home from Lisbon for a few weeks break.