Aisling I

For the past few days the weather has been cool in the early morning, but sunny and warm by midday- much like September weather in Nova Scotia. We are still anchored at the mouth of Ria de Vigo off the Islas Cies- a designated nature park accessible only by boat. The beaches on these islands are said to be the best in the Rias, and among the best in the world. One of the islands is a fully protected bird sanctuary, but the largest is serviced by ferries and a limited amount of camping is permitted on shore. As a result, there are throngs of people on the largest beach during the day, (although not so many as in Baiona). Late in the afternoon, the beach empties, and you might imagine yourself to be at Carter's Beach in Port Mouton, with wooded hills and dunes behind a long sandy beach, the sound of gulls crying, and beautiful-looking ocean water that is too frigid to swim in. (The similarities to Nova Scotia are both a good and a bad thing for someone who is periodically longing for home.) Tonight there is only one other boat in the anchorage with us- probably our last experience with such solitude for a very long time, since tomorrow we are heading toward busier destinations south of here.

Because of our unscheduled month in the Azores, we can't stay for further cruising in the Rias as originally planned. On balance, that was a good trade, but we would love to spend more time here. Galicia is lovely, and the fact that I have not seen a single mosquito makes me want to stay forever. And they still have fish here! That may be because they still seem to use traditional methods of fishing. This morning Rick pulled me out of bed to watch two fishermen in a small boat pulling in a net. (My first thought was "how charming" my second was "holy cow, it's cold out here!") We frequently see schools of fish passing in the clear water, and on shore the seafood is delicious. Little baby calamari called "chiperones", octopus, crab, razor clams even more delicious when eaten in a sunny caf� on the waterfront, as Rob and Al can confirm.

Tomorrow we plan to leave here at 6 a.m. and sail to Porto (about 70 miles). So it's back to Portugal and back to struggling along in Portuguese-just as we were beginning to hit our stride with our very limited and long-forgotten Spanish. The real story is that we forgot to study any Spanish before we left, and didn't even remember to bring a decent English-Spanish dictionary. (No, you cannot buy one in Baiona). Everyone is very helpful, but the language challenges have created some interesting surprises- my new haircut is a good example. I should have let Rick cut it after all- and I should have known better than to turn myself over to the tender mercies of the nice lady in the one room shop that was the first place I could find. The only other client was an elderly Spanish lady having her hair dyed (no one has grey hair here, by the way). I used my usual "No hablo espanol" then said "por favour, quiero " and made little scissor motions with my fingers. She smiled broadly, motioned to the chair, and when I heard her say something that sounded like "pequeno" I thought she was saying she would only cut it a little. So I smiled and nodded enthusiastically and she started chopping equally enthusiastically. By the time I realized she must have been saying "short" it was too late so now I have a Mia Farrow-style haircut, and without the Mia Farrow face that is not a good thing. Luckily, we have over a dozen ballcaps on board.

One last note about Baiona- the fireworks! They were just as spectacular as promised- we think. We realized that we had a ring-side seat when we saw that they were being lit on the breakwater near the boat. After one or two blasts we made a mad scramble for earplugs, couldn't find them, so we just stuck our fingers in our ears. For the first few minutes the show was awesome- then the smoke started to build and we couldn't see much other then the low roman-candle type ones (which we could also hear sizzling, in spite of fingers in ears) and occasionally you could make out the starbursts through the haze. After a while they stopped and we thought that was it. But then we heard very loud classical music playing from shore and they started letting off more from the beach, behind the replica of the Pinta. The first was a big fountain effect that looked really neat with the silhouette of the Pinta in front of it. But then the smoke started to build again- and before long we couldn't see the beach, the Pinta or even to the other side of the marina! The smoke didn't seem to trouble anyone- they just kept on merrily setting off the charges, with people cheering and car horns blowing and all the while the classical music booming. This seemed very odd to us but then again, they even set off fireworks during the day here- just to see the smoke and hear the noise I guess. Classic Spanish exuberance!

Hopefully, we'll be in Porto (where port comes from!) tomorrow night.

All the best from Aisling I

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The People and Boats You See and Meet

08 August 2007 | Ilas Cies

Rick

Hello All: One of the joys of cruising is the people you meet and the boats you see. We've already told you about some of the people we met in the Azores, and since arriving in Bayona we've met many more. Recently we met Alfredo Lagos who is 83 years old and originally from Vigo. He now lives on the mountain outside Bayona. I had heard of him previously from a friend in Halifax who suggested that, if I needed help, he was the one to call. The reason is obvious- a finer person you could not meet. He is a tall, elegant Spaniard who speaks reasonably good English and is well tied into the sailing scene here and abroad. He arranges a rally each year here in Bayona and invites cruisers from the CCA and the RCC to take part. This is a well-organized event with bus tours, dinners and cruises to special anchorages in the Rias. We met him when we dropped in to see Bill and Karen Foss on Detente, and were invited to participate in the rally (but unfortunately had to pass because of time constraints). The next morning he appeared at our boat to extend an invitation to join the rally group for a bus tour to a few local points of interest. They were a very congenial group (ranging in age from 50 to 80+). It was a memorable day for us, as we toured the site of an ancient Celtic village (200 BC), visited an relatively modern monastery (?12th century) and drove up into the mountains where, in addition to a spectacular view into Portugal, we saw the destruction caused by huge fires that devastated this region last year. On the trip we met a chap named Drummond -retired from producing movies and TV series in LA and now a sheep farmer in Devon. He was a fascinating guy who also takes part in Antique car rallies in the US, driving cars from his "collection". Having sailed extensively in the Atlantic, North and South, he was able to provide us with a wealth of information about various ports of call. We also enjoyed meeting Bill and Karen's friends Dave and Patsy, who were so congenial that we felt doubly sorry we could not continue with them for the rally.

We have met a surprising number of people from Ireland, all from County Cork (with accents very similar to our Newfoundland friends, and equally as outgoing). Most have been other cruisers, but we also met a charming family at dinner in Bayona. Their 11 year old son chatted happily with us throughout dinner, providing a full and accurate outline of the sights to see in the Vigo area. We really wished that Richard had been there to meet him.

Our (very) large Canadian flag seems to provide a great incentive for introductions. In the marina at Baiona, Bonnie met a Brazilian/Portuguese woman, who had lived in the United States for an extended period and spoke perfect English. We were disappointed to see that their boat had left the marina when we returned from our day in Santiago de Compostela, but on returning to Aisling we found a note with their email addresses, cellphone numbers and home phone number, so we are hoping to see them later in the journey, since their home is in the Algarve.

Three nights ago a rough and tough aluminum boat from Ireland pulled into the Marina beside us. The boat was called Northabout and the skipper Jarath Culane won the Blue Water Medal from the CCA in 2005 for doing a circumnavigation of the Arctic. After building the boat himself, he did the Northwest passage in 2004 and then the Northeast passage over Russia the next year. You can see more on the CCA web site, I think. I was itching to meet him, but when I woke up in the morning they were gone. Today while sitting in the cockpit I saw a ketch-rigged black hulled boat having trouble in the channel. They eventually dropped their sails and pulled into our anchorage. Later I was exploring by dingy and noticed it was Penn Duick III (?sp) which I believe was sailed in a couple of the single-handed around-the-world races a few years ago.

We are still anchored at Ilas Cies-we'll write more about that later!

All the best from Aisling I

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Reflections

07 August 2007 | Ilas Cies (Off Bayona)

Rick

Hello All:

You've heard us all wax eloquently about the bounties we have seen, tasted and experienced. Most of it is true. Five days have now passed since our arrival in Bayona. The passage was easy in the end, though six days is still a long time at sea for us. Little or no wind was the norm, as well as the hum of the diesel. It was hot near Sao Miguel, but as we climbed higher in latitude, the evenings and nights started to get cool. I was wearing a fleece with shorts and socks most nights on watch, as were the others. Lots of stars and the moon was with us as well. Al is a great fisherman and eventually was lucky with the tuna landing.

No vessels were sighted on the passage except a sailboat heading west in the distance, until we entered the shipping lanes heading north and south from the English Channel and Gibraltar. Then it became very busy with many crossing situations one after the other. These are busy lanes and one would want to try and pass through them while it is light, as even with AIS and radar it was a challenge keeping track. The fastest vessel was travelling at 25.4 knots, with our AIS system showing a CPA (closest point of approach) of 2 miles.

We had hoped to arrive in Bayona in daylight but it was not to be. The entry is straightforward and well marked but with all the shore lights it was very difficult to see many of the marks except for the lighthouses until you were right on top of them. The stars were especially brilliant that night and as we closed the harbour, the moon rose directly on our bow. It was beautiful. There are two choices for marina and we chose the commercial marina instead of the Yacht Club. Perhaps that was a mistake because the Yacht Club was old and well established with lots of history on the walls. They had apparently sponsored at least one America's cup boat as well. We were fortunate to be invited there to lunch by Bill Foss (CCA), yesterday after a RCC bus tour of the area. A local friend of the RCC and the CCA, Alfredo Lagos was gracious and invited us along for the tour although we were not taking part in the rally itself.

Bonnie and I were sad to see my two brothers go and honestly it is taking us a while to adjust to being alone in a strange land. It doesn't take long to get back to normal over Chiperones and beer, though!

All the best from Aisling I

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Hola Espana

04 August 2007 | Baiona Spain

Bonnie

Arriving in Spain seemed even more exciting than our landfall in Horta, in spite of the greater length and difficulty of that first passage. Having wondered at times whether our dream of sailing to Europe was achievable, I felt a surge of pure joy as we sailed through a confusing array of lighted buoys and into the harbour at Bayona, with a beautiful moon rising over the hills at our bow and the 2500+ nautical miles we had traveled at our stern.

Bayona (Baiona) was a neat spot for a landing- Christopher Columbus landed in this 800-year-old town when he returned from his passage to the Americas. He would find a few changes if he could visit now, when it is a hopping resort area frequented mainly by the Spanish. From the marina we can see beautiful sandy beaches on both sides and rolling hills in the distance. In addition to a medieval fort and some lovely old-world architecture in the town center, there is lots of tourist kitsch along the waterfront, and a concrete jungle of condominiums above the beaches on the outer edges of the town. The weather is hot and sunny, and there is a festive atmosphere on shore- we've seen a couple of impromptu parades with musicians, costumes, and people on stilts. Around noon today we saw the smoke of fireworks being set off above the harbour- we've been told that this is are the town's way of announcing there will be fireworks tonight, so we'll be on deck waiting for that!

We hated to see Al and Rob leave- it had been wonderful to have them on board for more than a week, and we rarely have an opportunity to spend such an extended time with them. After dropping Al off at the Santiago de Compostela airport early yesterday, we took the opportunity to explore the town before taking Rob to the Porto airport in the evening. Santiago de Compostela is an important pilgrimage destination, since it is believed to house the bones of James the Apostle. As we approached the area, we could see pilgrims arriving in small groups along the "Camino de Santiago"- many would have hiked hundreds of kilometers to reach this point, and I hate to imagine what they were thinking when we hopped out of the car to take our photographs beside one of the trail markers! Inside the town, the 11th century cathedral is awe-inspiring. As non-Portuguese-speaking Protestants we could not fully follow what was happening during the mass we attended, but the spirituality of the service was very moving.

The town of Santiago de Compostela is a confusing labyrinth of narrow streets and old buildings. The scene outside the cathedral is a startling contrast to the sacredness inside- bustling with buskers, vendors and pilgrims in all shapes and sizes. There was also a wonderful market with a huge selection of fresh fish and meat, and delicious-looking fruit and vegetables, so we took the opportunity to do a little food shopping. But in spite of the lovely array of fresh vegetables on our bags, we were so tired when we arrived back in Bayona at 9 p.m. that we couldn't face the idea of cooking a meal, and went to a restaurant on shore for paella instead. After a good rest last night, today we are dealing with some of our mundane boat chores, and trying to decide where to go next.

It is a great feeling to have achieved the goal of the Atlantic crossing, and we owe a great deal to Dave, Wally, Al and Rob for helping us complete the passages (and to their wives and families, who were willing to accommodate the effect this had on family life and vacation plans.) The disruption of normal sleep rhythms during watches can be exhausting- especially for those not accustomed to living and sleeping in such a confined space. We hope the happy memories of beautiful sunrises, dolphins at the bow, moonlight sailing and successful fishing will outlive the memories of the middle-of-the-night wakeup calls! We are also grateful to Wilson, Iain and Lesley for helping with the "shake-down" passages and we were sorry they could not be with us to experience the more enjoyable parts of the journey.

Rick will post his thoughts on the passage and arrival later- stay tuned

All the best from Aisling I

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Vessel Name:	Aisling I
Vessel Make/Model:	Slocum 43
Hailing Port:	Halifax, NS, Canada
Crew:	Rick and Bonnie Salsman
About:	Crew from Halifax to Horta: Bonnie and Rick Salsman, Dave Morse, Wally Fraser Crew from Horta to Spain: Bonnie and Rick Salsman, Al Salsman, Rob Salsman We left Halifax, N.S. in June 2007, sailed to Horta, and explored the Azores for a month. [...] More
Extra:	The info below is a copy and paste from some literature about the Slocum 43. Please excuse the platitudes. Although I may like them , they are not truly mine. Aisling I is a 1987 Slocum 43, designed by Stan Huntingford. She has been designed to satisfy the sailor who wants the blue water, "get [...] me there" ability with the amenities for great comfort at anchor and at sea. It's a combination of engineering, performance, comfort and safety, wrapped in high quality Burmese teak finish, teak and holly cabin soles and rich upholstery. She is meant to be easily handled by a couple under almost any conditions. She was built in Taiwan to exacting standards using some of the latest technologies of the time that are still admired today. LOA: 42'6" LWL: 35'10"" TYPE: Sailboat - Cutter Rigged BEAM: 12'11" DRAFT: 6' 5" BUILDER:SLOCUM DISPL: 28,104 lbs. SAIL AREA: 808 Sq.Ft. DESIGNER: Stan Huntingford BALLAST: 9,000 lbs. HULL MATRL: Fiberglass ENGINE: Perkins 4108 TANKAGE/FUEL: 120 gal TANKAGE/WATER:150 gal GENERAL INFORMATION: Naval Architect Stan Huntingford has incorporated into this sturdy double ender, both seaworthiness and ample interior space that offers steady and comfortable cruising. Below the water line, the hull shows a fine entry with a long cutaway forefoot followed by an efficient and modern keel section and a deep profile skeg hung rudder, just forward of a tapered stern section. This design combination readily separates the Slocum 43 from other traditional yachts and offers ease of handling and lively performance. This yacht is a perfect example of a classic offshore design and has a warm, roomy and comfortable interior . Incorporating a tumble home stern, bulwarks, dorades, opening ports, oversize rigging and quality construction, This yacht is a modern classic. ACCOMMODATIONS & LAYOUT: Headroom is 6'4" or better, throughout the boat and storage capacity can only be noted as "more than ample". Beautiful Burmese teak joinery throughout, solid teak staving , all doors are beveled and hand fitted, lockers are teak lined and the glossy varnished cabin sole is teak and holly plank. The interior is finished with a satin varnish with high gloss accents on the trim. Teak doors are louvered. This yacht sleeps up to six people in accommodations with the forward cabin, main salon and owners quarter berth cabin. The forward cabin design is a signature of the Slocum and incorporates an upper and lower twin bunk to port, with the top berth extending into a a settee and to port, there is extensive storage in the form of shelves, hanging locker, drawers and louvered doors. Naval Architect Stan Huntingford has incorporated into this sturdy double ender, both seaworthiness and ample interior space that offers steady and comfortable cruising. Below the water line, the hull shows a fine entry with a long cutaway forefoot followed by an efficient and modern keel section and a deep profile skeg hung rudder, just forward of a tapered stern section. This design combination readily separates the Slocum 43 from other traditional yachts and offers ease of handling and lively performance. This yacht is a perfect example of a classic offshore design and is one of the warmest, roomiest, most comfortable interiors available in a 43' cruising yacht. Incorporating a tumble home stern, bulwarks, dorades, opening ports, oversize rigging and quality construction, This yacht is a modern classic. Underneath the starboard countertop is a Stainless Steel automatic internal lighted freezer controlled by an opening top or door. Additionally, the refrigerator box opens from the front. The refrigerator and freezer have large capacity plates which were built to be easily removed for future servicing. There are 2-deep stainless steel sinks, fully gimbaled stove and generous counter space. Overhead cabinets have a moveable peg system, which allows you to custom fit spaces inside to the size and shape of your dishes. Over the galley is a large opening hatch for light and ventilation, also, there are two opening ports over the stove area for added ventilation. Directly across from the galley, to starboard, is a proper offshore, forward facing navigation station and chart table with tremendous room for an exceptional compliment of navigation and electronic equipment for easy use while navigating. The large nav table/desk has a generous storage locker under the desk top and room for the additional electronic navigation and communication equipment outboard. The nav seat is contoured for ease of use underway and the electrical panel is flush mounted here, on a swing-out door for easy access. Overhead are two additional opening ports for excellent cross ventilation with the galley and Nav area. Just aft of the nav station and to starboard of the companionway, is a large pilot berth that will be your favorite berth when offshore. There is a teak grate built into the teak and holly floor at the bottom of the companionway, to catch water from wet gear. With the wet locker and teak draining grate, which drains to the bilge, all foul weather gear is kept aft and away from the main living quarters. All locker doors are ventilated. At the bottom of the companionway stairs is additional storage behind bottom two steps. Next, to port is the owners aft cabin with a queen sized berth with storage below as well as drawers for him and her. Various shelves and locker with removable shelf and enclosed storage locker, as well as ample book storage and large teak framed mirror, mounted on the bulkhead. The aft stateroom also has excellent ventilation provided by two opening ports and an opening hatch overhead. There are 11 Stainless steel opening ports with screens and 5 opening deck hatches, plus the companionway hatch, with screens, which provides a tremendous amount of light and superior cross ventilation. There are also 2 dorade vents, one over the head and one over the chart table. Below deck ventilation far surpasses the standards in the industry. There are light colored curtains at the ports for privacy, interior cushions are a blue HULL AND DECK Hull hand laid-up Fiberglas with 20mm R62-80 Airex Sandwich. Cast iron ballast - 4.08 tonnes, flooded with resin and 100% glassed over ( encapsulated keel). Deck- hand laid-up Fiberglas with 3/4" Baltek balsa-wd sandwich core. Teak side decks - seasoned timber, quarter sawn with black bedding compound below and in seams, secured to Fiberglas by 1" sheet metal screws, countersunk and plugged. Inlaid teak on cabin top. 1 1/2" s/s shaft, tapered to ABYC std ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Conforms to United States Coast Guard and American Bureau Yachting regulations governing wire type, coding and load capacity FRP battery box, ventilated cover with quick release tie down NEWMAR (USA) electrical panel with panel light, circuit breakers with "ON" light and battery test switch, both 110v AC and 12v DC, volt Fuel tanks - New April2000, 120 gallons in 2 Aluminum 60 gal tanks with baffles, clean out ports, complete with dipsticks, inter tank connectors with valve, take off from top with s/s ball valve on each labeled and grounded More
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