05/05/2012
After watching the weather since Monday it was getting rather frustrating, each day suggested the day after tomorrow would be the day to go but always the updated forecast was giving wind a bit stronger and Kaye doesn't do sailing with a 7 in the forecast. Friday was looking good and even the wind stayed constant but now they were giving possible fog on Friday morning. Thursday morning while contemplating the world economic crisis pushing the trolley around the supermarcado I came up with a plan to sail to Camarinas overnight. Considering the suggestion it was received rather well by the First Mate and the ship was readied.
Since we got to Bayona every forecast has given the possibility of thundery showers but to date no sign of even a rumble until we cast off lines and a loud clap was heard. We messed around outside the marina until it had passed and then set off with another boat "Aragorn" who was heading direct to Falmouth.
At long last on this trip the engine went off and with two reefs and half genoa we enjoyed fair sailing towards Finistere. As the sun was going down clouds gathered and we ran into another heavy shower and at this time we could see lightening flashes inland as the unstable air crossed the mountains.
Approaching Finistere the clouds darkened noticeably but with the sails well reefed and quite light wind we were still enjoying a pleasant beam reach, a bright flash and the heavens opened with stinging hail stones, the boat was spun around as the wind changed direction and all we could do was let Ruby sail herself.
Ten minutes later and it was all over and apart from the odd shower I still enjoyed the sailing. Well before dawn we were at Camarinas so not even considering a night entry we pushed on to La Coruna arriving at lunchtime.
We are now watching the rain and thunder in La Coruna and will wait here for a few days before starting to look at the weather to find a window to cross Biscay.
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05/05/2012
One night in Lexoies and the weather is favourable for the hop to Viana Da Costello and true to form motor sailing again but as progress is good a further push to Bayona will give us a day off on Sunday. I cannot help marvel at the amount of lobster pots deployed to make any passage along the coast an obstacle course but it did manage to keep Kaye alert. The only pod of dolphins spotted so far put in an appearance and with the genoa flapping as the wind did its best to make my life a misery we resorted to engine only to make our final approach and entry tp Bayona.
Sunday dawned dry and sunny and a walk around the castle and an insight into Spanish history. Spain like Portugal is rightly proud of its naval history and it seems every town lays claim to its connection with this heritage. Bayona is the town Christopher Columbus chose to return to after discovering the new world and to commemorate this a replica of ship the Pinta houses the museum of navigation in the marina, personally I would have chosen landfall further south where it rains less.
The other strange site we witnessed was a seagull diving head first into the water and coming up with a large starfish, we thought this was quite an unusual incident but were soon to discover, certainly in Bayona this is there staple diet and they used the marina pontoons to disect their dinner.
Sunday evening and a check of the met suggested Monday could be the day to head north to our next stop in Camarinas. We woke on Monday to a bit of rain but undeterred we donned fouls and just as we cast off the heavens opened and the wind piped up to 27kts, not a good omen. After 1.5 hours we had barely done 5 miles and into head wind and a very short sea we decided to cut our losses and return. A couple of unsettled days and we await a favourable forecast to carry on north.
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04/27/2012, Leixoes
Figuera Da Foz to Leixoes
Five days in Figuera Da Foz and a real eye opener. The forecast was for strong winds on Wednesday but we were woken before dawn to the wind whistling through the masts in the marina and torrential rain. It poured all day finally easing up about 4pm by which time cabin fever had set in and we needed a walk so an amble up to the lighthouse and a look at the waves crashing against the breakwater.
A lot of the harbours on the Portuguese west coast are closed in Westerly gales as the entrances become dangerous with the large swell and Figuera Da Foz is no different. Adjacent to the lighthouse is a mast that displays various lights and shapes to indicate the state of play and given the lighting configuration we could see the harbour was closed to vessels under 11m in length.
The forecast for Thursday was for light winds and a 3-4 m swell so we thought it may be worth pushing on. We got up to leave the marina at 7am and the entrance was still showing the lights restricting boat movements to craft over 11m long, we motored out towards the entrance and before we got half way turned the boat around. The entrance had breaking 4m waves or should I say surf rollers and I would think the QE2 would have struggled.
About an hour later the lighting configuration on the mast was changed to close the harbour to all vessels and I had to walk to the end of the breakwater for a closer look at the waves. All day we were watching the entrance and finally in late afternoon they reopened to the larger boats and we watched a freighter going out. All was fine until he got through the harbour exit and he pitched violently showing the dangers these harbour entrances can exert.
This morning and all had calmed down so we made our way north again to Leixoes, the swell was still at about 3m but with very light winds we had to motor sail. The afternoon saw the wind pep up a bit from the West and we were able to enjoy a close reach all the way to the harbour entrance, well enjoy apart from a moment of brief anxiety. The wonderful AIS we have on board picks up other craft before you can see them and gives you a readout of the vessel name and call sign, there course, speed and how close they will come to your vessel, ours picked up a ship steaming towards us on collision course, we watched this for ten minutes and although steam gives way to sail I decided to give the ship a call to ask if he had seen me?
Not sure if we startled him but he confirmed our presence and then altered course. Leixoes is very busy commercial port with many large container ships and oil tankers and the swell in the marina will make for an uncomfortable night, hopefully we will only be staying one night before moving on to Viana De Costello.
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04/23/2012, Figuera Da Foz
The forecast was for a Westerly force 4, great, after the initial exit West to Cabo De Roca this should give us a nice beam reach to Peniche and a broad reach to Nazare, What could possibly go wrong!!
Well the wind was Westerly and there was a 4 in it, unfortunately it was more like 4kts so yet again and to a great deal of grumbling the engine went on.
We arrived at Nazare at 18.15 to be greeted by the harbourmaster directing us to a berth in a space that was too tight to turn so this involved reversing out turning the boat around and reversing in. The harbourmaster was an English guy who lived aboard his boat in the marina. I thought he looked like and had the same mannerisms as Anthony Worrel Thompson, he was very interesting and helpful and was explaining that his boat was a replica of Joshua Slocums "Spray" and it had carried him around the world several times and he enjoyed many free entries to classic boat events. Sadly at 77 he sees his sailing days are over and the condition of owner and boat had clearly seen better health.
We fully expected a couple of days at Nazare but after talking to brother Lee on Skype on Sunday morning a brief look at the weather charts and Kaye decided it may be worth making the short 35 mile hop to Figuera De Foz. Not needing to be asked twice to go sailing we were ready and slipped within 30 minutes and once again after starting with the predicted Westerly on the nose heading North it did eventually back to allow a nice sail.
Figuera de Foz is a strange marina, the reception pontoon is a concrete wall that focuses the mind when berthing so we thought we would turn into one of the visitors berths and walk back to reception but this was halted in its tracks by a whistle blowing arm waving GNR officer, who when he had got our attention just walked back to his office without offering to take our lines.
Formalities over we are now secure and tied up and looking forward to explore the town and surrounding area.
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04/23/2012
Now possessing a vast vocabulary of two letter acceptable scrabble words and an even bigger knowledge of Sines history we decided the weather forecast for Friday was at last good enough to proceed north. While waiting at Sines we have become friends with s Finnish couple, Raimond and Iris who has sailed from the Canaries and we also waiting to take their Bavaria aptly named Sea Iris back to North Finland so we sailed in convoy. The trip started with 3m waves and a long swell and with much more North in the wind than forecast we ended up motor sailing part of the way. By the time we got towards Sisimbra the wind had backed and we enjoyed a nice sail to Cascais, a slightly sobering moment came when we had to avoid a very large tree trunk floating in the water, certainly had this been at night it would it would have brought the boat to a shuddering halt.
We arrived at Cascais at 16.30 and as the weather forecast was for a good sailing day on Saturday we readied the boat for an early start the next morning,
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04/12/2012, Sines
Looks like an extended stay in Sines for a few days due to the persistent northerly winds, so I can probably get a job in the future as a tour guide explaining how Vasco Da Gama was born here in 1469, a fact gleaned from an extended trip around the museum, various statutes and the fact that every road seems in some way to be named after him. The old town is understandably built around the castle, coincidentally where a very young Vasco was born. The whole area is a mass of construction relaying all the cobbled streets and repointing the castle, the project board seems to indicate EU funding, what a surprise.
Health and Safety has not reached this part of the EU with the old cobbles ripped up as people walk by and shoppers competing with diggers for pavement space. There is also a project to drop a lift from the top level down to beach level, the downside is that they are driving piles into the cliff side with the associated noise involved but it is providing entertainment for the flat capped locals overseeing the work.
The fold up bikes have been a big plus to explore the area and get farther afield although the traffic seems to work to finer tolerances when it comes to overtaking. We are certainly getting practice at pedalling up steep hills and Kaye got a standing applause from a flat capped local on the climb up to the castle.
At present the winds are at 30kts and the boat is rocking to Pirates of the Caribean on the CD player, I hope these winds die down soon so we can get some sail time.
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