Home from Home!

Returned to Lisbon yesterday, flying from Manchester. In our bunk by 23:00 after trouble-free journey, 9.5 hours door to door. Home from home!

Follyfin is parked in the very modern part of Lisbon, right up the river Tejo. This was the site of Expo 98.

Tomorrow we will explore the old part.

Weather permitting we will leave here early Sunday on the ebb tide and head straight down to Lagos hopefully with a following wind. Should be there by Monday afternoon. Will be incommunicado en route. Excited to be setting sail again!

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.

How many Spaniards fit into a Zodiac?

La Corūna (A Corūna to the Galicians in whose part of Spain this splendid city is) was the ideal place to recover from the rigours (or not) of a Biscay crossing. Great little restaurants - this one specialising in cured Spanish meats with an excellent line in Rioja,

places to visit by bike, such as this mock menhir, one of several with peep holes cut in to admire the view,

and of course the great and wonderful Torre de Hércules, begun by the Romans, which is the oldest functioning lighthouse in the world.

From A Corūna, one can also take a 30 minute train ride to the ancient cathedral city of Santiago de Compostela. We went on a Sunday, along with several hundred or thousand other tourists, but unfortunately train times did not allow us to attend a service. The main altar is blindingly gold.

I preferred the more modest side chapels, one with a beautiful carved roof,

and another with an impressive carved stone archway leading into it.

Despite being unable to attend a cathedral service, we did have time to sample the local cooking - sardines and Spanish omelette - in a pavement café.

Monday 22/6/15, a beautiful hot sunny day, was spent re-provisioning, searching the town by bike and locating a chandlery (not self-service and lack of the lingo prevented any purchases) and generally preparing for our voyage further South. Tuesday dawned but gone was the hot sun; loud fog horns early in the harbour warned that thick fog had taken its place! Although all our reading told of fog, clouds and mist in this part of Spain, we were unprepared for this setback. But Fearless Follyfin and her crew, determined not to be deterred and supported by RADAR and AIS, slipped her mooring at the first hint of the fog lifting, about 3 hours behind schedule. Fog cleared about 3 hours later and all was well except there was very little wind to sail by. Very frustrating! We cleared past Cabo Villano, the point protecting the Ria de Camarinas in which our next port of call is situated,

arriving in the delightful harbour of Muxia (pronounced 'Mugia' with a soft g) at about 21:00.

It would have been nice to stay a couple of days but Cape Finisterre and the Costa del Morte (the death coast) as it is known, awaited us on the next leg, and preferring to round that particular piece of land in fine weather, we pressed on to the Ria de Muros the next day. Finisterre did not look too threatening when we passed it - this is the southern tip -

but I for one heaved a sigh of relief to see it go behind. We rested a day in Muros, another delightful Galician fishing port, before setting out again yesterday, Friday, to the Galicia Atlantic National Parks consisting of four groups of islands just off the coast north of Baiona. We are now anchored off the east side of the Isla Ons, which protects the Ria de Pontevedra from the west. The extensive bureaucracy involved in applying for permission to anchor off any of these islands is well worth it. All peace and tranquillity on a Friday evening ... until the weekend ferries started to arrive this Saturday morning. Having been the only boat anchored off the beautiful beach last night, today we were joined by several yachts and small RIBs and motor launches. Thankfully, at the time of writing, they have all left except for one other British yacht which arrived in late afternoon. Peace again, except for the birds.

And now to the title for this post, what you, dear reader, have been wondering about ... two charter yachts, one with young men and the other with young women on board, arrived this morning and anchored either side of us. Of course they got together!

Phew - we made it!

The bay of Biscay ... tick! And indeed this post is being written in Spain, in La Corūna in fact, an ancient port on the NW tip of Spain. Thanks to the Cruising Association, we managed to link up with one Peter Whyley, who is on a sabbatical from his teaching job in Yorkshire. Luckily he was able to join us at short notice and hot footed it down to Plymouth last Sunday, ready for the off on Monday 15th June. The weather window had opened. So by 08:00 on that day we had slipped our mooring in Queen Anne's Battery marina and soon waved goodbye to Plymouth Hoe behind us.

Having dodged a couple of warships,

excellent sailing was had in easterly wind force 3/4 for the whole day as the Devon and Cornish coast disappeared behind us and we emerged into the Western Approaches. Regrettably this situation did not last, the wind died and our engine went on. Still, that gave our new crew member a chance to catch up ... he'd had a long day!

All sails were dropped before the dark and an uneventful night watch was passed, shared between the three of us, uneventful apart from the wonderful stars, some of them shooting, several planets passing overhead and of course the Milky Way clearly visible. Off-watch crew were able to sleep soundly as the sea was calm and this continued into Tuesday. This photo below was taken at midday. The red thing on the left is part of our new self-steering gear, the 'Hydrovane', which works a treat.

During Tuesday a turtle was spotted going on the opposite direction as it slowly swam passed the boat, and a collar dove caught a lift with us, sitting on the upper spreaders for several hours. In the night, dolphins were heard and glimpsed around the boat. But Wednesday was THE Dolphin Day as we saw so many we lost count. Getting good photos of Dolphins is not easy. I have numerous shots showing swirling water at various points around the boat where a dolphin is about to emerge or has just submerged again. The one below is the best one but nothing beats seeing them and hearing them in real life.

They came and went all day, playing round the boat and weaving in and out of our bow wave. Again the sea was very smooth with little or no wind so we were motoring again. That morning our AIS system allowed us to identify a large ship that was passing us on our port side, about 5 miles off. It was the QEII! I had a brief conversation with her watch keeper over the radio - they were bound for Gibraltar and due to arrive by 05:00 the following morning - when we would still not have arrived in Spain. Well, I suppose she is a tad bigger than us... 

A brief bit of wind came up in the afternoon, so the Magic Zero sail was hoisted. What joy to lose the engine noise for a short while!

Night watches on Tuesday and Wednesday were spiced up a little by all the large cargo ships that were on their way between UK/Northern Europe and points south. We were essentially crossing a huge motorway in the sea. The AIS system makes it so much easier to see who and what is out there in the pitch black, the direction they are taking and whether or not one is on a collision course. Lots of time to take avoiding action!

Thursday dawned overcast and very grey but fortunately no rain. We didn't see the sun all day. And we knew that a NE gale was forecast in the area into which we were heading. An increase in the wind allowed us to sail properly (gull-winged using our new pole arrangement) for the first time since Monday. As evening drew on the wind steadily increased and by 20:00 we had three reefs in the main sail and a only 50% of the jib sail out. But Follyfin was still clipping along at a goodly pace. The sea state changed and quickly went from the smooth, slight state we had become used it to moderate and occasionally rough. Not good for sleeping! Still, we now knew we would make landfall earlier than anticipated and in the dark, so all hands would be needed for the next few hours. Arriving in a strange port in a foreign land in the dark can be very tricky. This it proved to be as we weaved our way through numerous fishing boats, some very poorly lit and without AIS, as we got nearer to the port of La Corūna.

At 05:30 Follyfin was berthed in the marina and had had a wash down. She had completed the 478.9 miles in 93:5 hours, 57.5 motoring or motor sailing, and 46.0 sailing. Maximum boat speed achieved was 8.7 knots (although the instrument recording this data broke down halfway across), average speed 5.2 knots. So we had arrived and felt very pleased to be here!

More about the place itself in the next post. We'll be here for a couple of days at least before heading on South.