RIA CAMARINAS

Camarinas was not much more than a small village although it did have three small supermercados. We found that along the harbour front there were still many cafes where the locals gathered.

The Ria de Camarinas was very beautiful and if we had not wanted to move further south we would have explored other villages/towns that were there.

The translation of a Ria is "an estuary or river mouth" but unlike England once you pass through the mouth it opens up and is more like a huge, circular inland sea with towns and villages all around, some with their own little estuarys/creeks that are accessible by dinghy, similar to the creeks off the River Dart and the River Fal in Cornwall - generally it is far more sheltered from the winds and seas than along the coast and the beaches are superb with calm waters for swimming.

When we arrived in Camarinas we realised that Kit and Belinda from Quilcene were also there - they had intended to stop at Corme another Ria en route but as it was good sailing weather continued on to Camarinas.

With some surprise we also recognised another boat there, the last time we had seen it was at 'Turf' on the Exeter Canal. Roger, who owns it was on my Day Skipper course four years ago. He had an horrific tale to tell. We heard that on his voyage from La Coruna he was motoring against heavy seas and strong winds and his engine failed pushing his boat on to the rocky lee shore. He put out a Mayday call with no response and put up a number of flares - he was eventually towed to Camarinas by a passing fishing boat who charged him 800 euros - we hope that it was due to a fault in his radio signal that his Mayday went un-answered - it is as well not to dwell on the alternatives.

The following morning as I was preparing breakfast Paul called to me to come on deck. There, in the anchorage were a pod of dolphins. They spent about twenty minutes jumping and diving in unison around the boats before making their way out of Camarinas. They must have heard my complaints that we hadn't seen any and come into the anchorage especially!!

We were thrilled we were able to pick up WI-FI in the anchorage and were able to speak via Skype to Paul's Mum and Dad and two of my children, having spoken to Paul's son and daughter and my eldest son at La Coruna a few days previously.

When we went ashore we were unsure where to leave the dinghy - we took it into the marina and left it tied up to a pontoon by the slip to the harbour office. On passing the office we thought we should check if it was okay. The lady marinero could speak as little English as we could Spanish. Therefore the conversation that followed was very confusing. We were at one point going to move it but I was sure that amidst her words I had picked out 'beuno' (meaning good). I therefore pointed to the dinghy and said 'beuno' again. 'Si, Si' she said smiling and we realised all was okay. We thanked her 'gracias' and smilingly waved our goodbyes. We have found all the Spanish people very friendly and helpful.

We saw Kit and Belinda sitting at a caf� on the harbour front - they had missed the dolphins earlier and were very disappointed. Having studied the weather forecast and finding that fair winds and calm seas were predicted we were all moving on the next day, they were heading for Corcubion and we hoped to go further to Muros, unless the weather deteriorated around Finnisterre when we would also take shelter in Corcubion.

The next morning 4th August we weighed anchor at 8.30am and pulled alongside an old motor boat on a pontoon in the marina to replenish the water tanks. One of the marineros came down to us and gave us a form to fill in. Paul filled it in and took all our papers up to the office, pleased at last to be able to register our existence in Spain. They were going to charge for a night in the marina but Paul explained we had pulled onto the pontoon for 'agua solo' (water only) The marinero then smiled and ripped up the form, obviously pleased not to have to bother with formalities.

At 9.10am we left the anchorage and began our passage to the Ria Muros having to round the dreaded Cape Finnisterre en route. At 12.45 we saw a pod of dolphins heading North - they were some distance away but it was nice to see some more. Later, we were amazed to see thousands of 4" to 5" crabs swimming on the surface of the water - we had not realised crabs did this, believing them to always remain on the sea-bed. We were still passing them fifteen minutes later.

Our actual rounding of Cape Finnisterre at 3.10pm was something of an anti-climax as the sea was quite calm with a slight swell and with so little wind we had to motor.

Unfortunately the whole passage was completed by motor and we anchored off Muros beach at 6pm.

MUROS

We stayed in Muros for five days. We had beautiful blue skies and sunshine but very strong winds at times, generally more so at night.

Muros was an old picturesque fishing village/town. The streets were very narrow with an old square behind the buildings fronting the harbour and beach. As was usual the square was crowded in the afternoons/evenings with tables, chairs and parasols and people relaxing. Life in Spain generally seems very relaxed and the people cheerful and laid back.

We were intrigued by granite structures mounted on eight granite pillars with tiled eaved roofs generally with a cross on top. Our imaginations ran riot - almost every garden held one and we wondered whether they could be tombs. Tourist shops sold models of them. We eventually found the answer in our pilot book - they were grain stores - presumably off the ground to prevent the invasion of rodents - what an anti-climax - there will be a photograph in the gallery.

On one of our walks we discovered a communal laundry area of sinks and washboards where the villagers obviously used to gather to wash their clothes etc but it seemed to have fallen into disuse - although we did see similar individual sinks with washboards attached at the rear of some of the houses. On the 9th August we weighed anchor and sailed over the Ria to Portosin. On the way there I had a sailing lesson in how to heave-to (basically stopping and making no headway) This manoeuvre is useful if you need to have some respite from a violent storm or if you have a man overboard situation and need to give someone time to swim to the boat - hopefully I shall not have to use this procedure!!

PORTOSIN

We enjoyed our stay in the anchorage in Portosin. The marina staff were very helpful and we were able to print off a Spanish copy of our insurance certificate. We were able to use the launderette to catch up with larger laundry items - bedding, towels etc and enjoyed the shower facilities - not all marinas will let you use the facilities if you are at anchor.

We met up with another English couple Jack and Jean of 'Penguin II'. They had over wintered in the marina and had recently returned from a two month trip back to England.

Jean told us of a market in the town of 'Riveira' (pronounced Ribera) the next day. We caught the bus 2.20 euros for a single trip equalling �3 return for a journey of 30 kilometres each way. We caught the bus there with Jean and Belinda and Kit who had Kit's sister Jane and her two teenagers Connie and Rob staying with them for a few days. We took photographs of the family when we arrived as we were moving on the next day and were unsure whether we would meet up again. We spent a pleasant couple of hours in Riveira but caught the earlier bus back as we had left 'Sareda' at anchor.

We left Portosin on the 12th August weighing anchor at 9.00am.

We had to motor for the first three hours and then turned off the engine to sail. It was however slow progress as the wind was very light, then all of a sudden the wind blew up. Paul was mortified - his baseball cap from Topsham with the Topsham latitude and longitude bearings on it had blown off. We immediately turned trying to keep it in view. We circled many times before having to accept it had sunk and reluctantly abandon the search. It was of sentimental value too as my dear friends Ruth and Maureen had given it to him as a leaving present. From then on we had a spectacular sail, running goose-winged as the wind was behind us, averaging 6-7 knots over an increasingly lumpy sea, arriving in good time in Ria de Vigo where we selected a sheltered anchorage off the lovely town and beach of Cangas. A truly exhilarating sail!


CANGAS

We really enjoyed our time in Cangas - it was a lovely town and beach catering for the Spanish tourists but not overly commercial. We went for many walks, one evening walking up to the far point from where we had a good view of Vigo. Vigo is a big commercial Capital and port and was on the other side of the Ria - we looked at it from a distance and considered catching the ferry across as there was no anchorage, but decided we would rather stay in Cangas.

We did eventually find a WI-FI caf� and visited three or four times to up-date the blog and ring Lucy on her birthday - 20th August via Skype.

For most of the time in the anchorage there were just four yachts, ourselves, one german, one French, one Finnish and later a Portuguese. We were invited aboard a French yacht, 'Yallah' meaning 'Lets go'. They had seen us in the anchorage in La Coruna, Caraminas, Muros and then Portosin, where Fabien and Josianne introduced themselves. They had sailed the Caribbean for two to three years and after selling their boat in Martinique returned to France and waited twelve months for 'Yallah' to be built in La Rochelle. Having taken possession of her only a few weeks ago they then sailed to Viveiro and Cedeira before going on to La Coruna where they saw us for the first time. We are beginning to realise the stories we have heard are correct - when sailing, people do meet up time and time again.

On the afternoon of the 19th we were invited on board 'Yallah' again, with Fabien, Josianne and their daughter Marie, who is twelve, together with a Portuguese couple, Fernando and Anna and their daughter Rita who is fourteen. We enjoyed a lovely multi-cultural afternoon. The Portuguese couple spoke perfect English and French including their daughter Rita. Their Spanish was probably good as well as they had been holidaying in the Spanish Rias for the last twenty five years. Fabien also spoke very good English and his wife Josianne and daughter Marie obviously understood the conversation and contributed at every opportunity. We again felt slightly embarrassed that our French was very basic and Portuguese non-existent but everyone else seemed to enjoy the chance to practice their English.

The afternoon which included French wine, Portuguese port and Spanish liqueur along with fresh coffee was most enjoyable and entertaining.

In the evening the French family from 'Yallah' joined us on Sareda for three hours of humerous chat. We were most impressed with Marie, their daughter, who although only twelve tried and succeeded in participating in the conversation in English at every opportunity - clearly her social skills are developing well!

On the 21st August Paul received his first haircut in the cockpit, he was most impressed with it and I was pleased with my efforts too, especially as it was my first attempt. I have been trimming my own fringe and have even cut my hair at the back with Paul tidying it with his beard trimmer. We are beginning to feel like real liveaboards living on a small budget.

Paul and Fabien were looking at our charts for further down the coast of Portugal and into Southern Spain and Gibralter. Fabien was able to photocopy about twelve of these for his own use and also photocopied some of his charts for us, including Trinidad and Tobago and the Atlantic coast of Africa, so this was time well spent. Fabien was very pleased and when he and Marie returned our originals later, Marie invited us aboard 'Yallah' for a meal that night.

We enjoyed a wonderful four course meal with them that night and we said we would return the complement another day.

On the 22nd August we were again sitting aboard 'Yallah' when Marie saw some dolphins just beyond the anchorage. We hoped they would come closer as Marie was anxious to go into the water to swim with them. Unfortunately they chose to keep their distance but were a wonderful sight to behold.

We were beginning to feel we were port bound. We were enjoying Cangas so much - we had been there ten days - the staff at the WI-FI caf� even knew what drinks we were going to have before we ordered. Fabien and Josianne suggested we go to the Islas Cies with them, they had visited the islands before Cangas and thought it was wonderful there. We therefore weighed anchor the next day and made passage for Islas Cies which took about an hour.

ISLAS CIES

The Islas Cies is now a National Park. The islands form a natural barrier from the severity of the ocean and they are a place of refuge for marine species. There is a lake behind the sand spit which divides the main island into two. Many marine species breed in its tranquil shallow waters and therefore swimming in the lake is prohibited. Some areas are prohibited to walkers as they host important seabird breeding grounds or have delicate vegetation etc but there are recommended routes to walk.

When we arrived we anchored off the main beach. The first sight of the islands was breathtaking. We were somewhat tired and did not go ashore the first evening. During the night a north easterly wind blew up and Paul found the anchorage rather uncomfortable and he was a little concerned that it might blow us ashore. The next morning he motored in the dinghy to a little cove around the corner on the South of the island and when he returned he said the anchorage was far more sheltered than off the main beach so we weighed anchor and moved around.

It was a spur of the moment decision and although we had tried to hail 'Yallah' to let them know we were moving they were below deck and did not hear us. After anchoring Paul again motored in the dinghy back to the main beach to let them know where we were. He had a very wet passage as quite a swell had developed on the main beach so Fabien suggested he tie our dinghy to the stern and join them in moving 'Yallah' to the other anchorage. I took advantage of the time he was absent to catch up on the washing and managed to hang it before his return.

We were now anchored off a little cove and later decided to go ashore. The beach reminded me of a soft light brown sugar and the children were enjoying making their sandcastles. The water near the shore was the delightful turquoise blue that you see in all the magazines and find hard to believe it is real. We had accustomed ourselves to topless sunbathing since leaving La Coruna but complete nudity was often apparent on this little beach (male and female) and indeed on others we encountered. I do not think these sights were good for Paul but refrained from taking his blood pressure on our return to the boat! He seemed to enjoy swimming with his snorkel and mask though!

We made our way from the beach to the Monte Faro lighthouse. It was a walk of 7.4km and rose to 175metres on a very steep ascent. My lungs are not fit for such increases in altitude and although I determined not to give up poor Paul had to sit and wait for me on many occasions. When we reached the top the views were spectacular and I took many photographs. We had a fantastic view of the Isla de San Martino on which the public is not permitted to land and only houses the warden of this protected park.

The following day we walked to the other side of the island around the lake. I took a picture of the grey mullet in the lake as there were many of them resembling an outdoor aquarium. Grey mullet seem to abound in all of Northern Spain and in the anchorages and marinas it is not unusual to see dozens of them 18"- 24" in length. We could not understand why they were so prolific but apparently they are not good to eat so have few predators.

We decided to follow the "Alto do Principe" walk. It was a very soothing and relaxed walk through the shady glades of the woods. As you walked along you could glimpse the various sandy coves through the trees. I attempted to take photographs but it was very hard to avoid the tree trunks overpowering the views. Paul's legs were beginning to ache due to our walking so far the previous day, I actually did not experience this and as the route rose gently to a height of 122metres my lungs coped well. I eventually persuaded Paul to return to the boat whilst I continued to the vantage point on the far side of the island looking back towards the lake from the other side.

We will put some of these photographs on the blog. I did manage to get a beautiful one of a cove through the trees, unfortunately one of the male nudists intruded into the picture and Paul says it is too risqu� to put on the blog. Perhaps you would all like to vote on that!!

Whilst we were anchored at Islas Cies, we received a radio call from Kit and Belinda of 'Quilcene' whom we had last seen at Portosin. They were anchored at Baiona another small town in the Ria Vigo and had been held up there for some time awaiting for new batons for their sails. They were moving on to Cangas which we had just left and we were heading for Baiona the next day, so we were literally 'ships passing in the night'!!

Fabien and family were also moving on to Baiona the next day so in the morning we both weighed anchor and left the same time. Fabien headed for the waypoint in the pilot book which took a route outside a line of rocks and two small islands. With horror I noted that Paul, instead of taking the same route was heading for the gap between the mainland and the first island. I became quite paranoid and donned my life jacket, despite Paul's reassurances that with our large scale chart we were in no danger of hitting a rock. As usual he was right and by the time we reached the gap there were two other yachts heading through as well. I should know by now that when it comes to sailing Paul is usually right!!

We actually reached Baiona before Fabien but he said he would not hold it against us. As soon as we anchored Paul noticed a Morgan Giles 30 yacht and immediately recognised it as belonging to James, a young single hander who also hailed from Dartmouth and who Paul had spoken to in Dartmouth whilst James was preparing his yacht for ocean crossings. Our previous yacht was a Morgan Giles 30 so Paul and James found much to talk about. We jumped into the dinghy and made for shore via James's yacht who had also recognised us when we arrived. He was heading for the Algarve which we have now decided not to visit as we intend making passage from Lisbon to Madeira some 550 nautical miles which will take us approximately five days.

We only stayed in Baiona the one day to stock up with stores and water. We wished we could have stayed longer as it too seemed a friendly place to be. Whilst ashore we bumped into Fabien and Josianne in an internet caf� and they asked us to join them for a drink at the bar/caf� around the corner. We told them we were leaving the next day for Portugal, we were unsure whether we would stop at Viana do Castelo or carry on to Povoa de Varzim which is near Porto.

We left Baiona at 8.45 on a still and windless but cloudy morning. After 3 hours of motoring we were well down the rather inhospitable coast and feeling rather cold in what proved to be a damp fog when I switched on the radar to check all was well and saw a heavy black storm cloud just in front of us. Within 15 minutes the still air had turned into a roaring force 6 gusting 7. We turned up into the wind and Lin took the wheel while I went on deck to put 2 reefs in the mainsail, we also rolled the jib and I thought that reefed main and staysail should be ok - however this was not to be. The wind became stronger and was accompanied by lightening and Sareda was heeled well over with water gushing along the side decks. There was little choice but to take down the staysail which I did, making sure I was strapped on with my harness. This did calm the movement and, with just a little bit of jib unfurled Sareda became balanced and was sailing at 5 to 6 knots with much spray coming over the boat - we were both soaked!

After about 45 minutes the storm passed by and suddenly we were back to light winds, a warm sun and gentle sea. We were able to "dry out" and look back on what we had learnt from this unexpected squall. Lin was brilliant and handled Sareda superbly while I adjusted the sails, there was no sense of uncertainty or concern and I think this has probably given us more confidence in our ability to handle long passages.
POVOA DE VARZIM

On arrival we anchored in the harbour in the North East outside of the marina. The water was shallow and we were slightly dubious as to whether it would be deep enough for us. At low water we started hearing knocking noises and we were concerned that we may be over foul ground so we weighed anchor and moved onto the holding pontoon for the marina where we were welcomed the next morning by extremely friendly marina staff who took our ship's details and passports for us to be officially checked in to Portugal.

We moved carefully into our designated berth and, with the help of two marineros, tied up with no trouble in this half empty marina. The cost for one night was only 13 euros (about �8.50) what a difference to the �28.00 we would have to pay in England for a night!

Within 30 minutes we had met and were introduced to other English boat crews, some who were over-wintering in this very friendly marina with Porto just down the road on the Metro. We liked it so much we stayed for 3 days which meant Lin could catch up with all the washing, we could luxuriate in hot showers with doors (instead of in our open cockpit) and of course we went exploring and shopping.

On the second day 'Yallah' our French friends arrived and we invited them over for dinner with us. We started with wine and nibbles, followed by avocados baked in the oven with freshly made (by me) hummus and spinach leaves. The main course was tofu and mushroom risotto with salad followed by local custard tarts which are a speciality of Portugal. Finally fresh local bread and cheese finished off with a glass of port from a bottle Fabian had brought as a gift. Altogether another delightful evening but a bit scary cooking for the French!

On day three Quilcene arrived and we arranged with Kit and Belinda to visit the local yacht club to which we had officially be invited and offered a free drink.

We plan to move on tomorrow and sail the 155 miles to Lisbon but will have to go well offshore to avoid the many pots and buoys dotted everywhere along the shore line and up to some 8 miles out.