La Rochelle to A Coruna
16 September 2020
Peter Cariss (edited by Donna Cariss)
I'm really sorry for the lack of blogs lately but I have been a little busy. Donna, as you know, has returned home, so the spelling and grammar will suffer, unless she edits the blogs before you read them!
Tim Gorton joined me in La Rochelle, although he almost missed his flight, having arrived at Manchester without his bag, complete with passport and wallet and had to return almost all the way back to Howden to pick it up. One speeding ticket later, he just about made the last call for the flight. Ted and I collected Tim, having dropped Donna off a little earlier and we made the four hour drive north to Douarnenez, where Ted had left Waylander. The plan was for Ted and I to sail Waylander down to La Rochelle, as quickly as possible, while Tim drove down with the car, providing him with an opportunity to chill out on Muirgen. As it was, we all spent two nights in Douarnenez before leaving. Ted and I retraced my and Donna's steps, through le Raz de Sein, calling at Sainte-Evette, Locmaria (Belle Ile), where Donna wanted to go but the wind was in the wrong direction, Piriac sur Mer and Les Sables d'Olonne, arriving in La Rochelle on Friday afternoon. The three of us went out for a few beers and a kebab.
On Saturday morning, I was keen to start showing Tim what sailing is all about and we departed for Port Medoc, a charming marina on the south side of the Gironde estuary. From there, we did a 33 hour over-nighter directly to Santander in Spain, approximately 175 nautical miles. We managed to sail for about 24 hours of that time. We saw a few bait balls (large shoals of small fish) on the way, given away by the birds diving and there were large tuna and dolphins feeding. We lowered the French courtesy flag and raised the Spanish one, as we crossed into Spanish waters. We expected Santander to be a big, commercial port, with nothing much else to offer but we were very pleasantly surprised. The scenery was stunning, with many beaches, green spaces and pretty buildings. We motored the two miles downriver to the marina astonished by the beauty of the area. We spent two nights in the marina, by the airport, in order to recover from our trip.
The northern coast was beautiful, with cliffs and mountains and bays and beaches. We travelled for forty miles before settling in an anchorage at Isla re Arnielles O Borizu, between Santander and Gijon. It was sheltered from the wind but not from the Atlantic swell, so a rolling night was anticipated. We had a swim to the shore and had a walk along the beach, before swimming back for something to eat.
The following day, Thursday, we headed for Cudillero, about 54 miles away. It was another beautifully scenic motor along the coast, with no wind and an east going tidal stream. We had a virtual drinks night with Donna and Tim's wife Sarah, via Messenger.
The next day was another long one, as ports and anchorages are few and far between but we saw lots of dolphins, feeding, along the way. We made better time than expected though, so pushed on an extra 10 miles to reach Viveiro, which has a yacht marina hidden inshore. There was plenty of shelter, so we dropped anchor outside the marina instead.
On Saturday morning we departed for A Coruna, a milestone in our trip, being the next major city beyond Santander and Gijon (where we didn't stay). A Coruna is stunning, especially the old town, where the narrow alleys, streets and squares are packed with tapas bars, providing a labyrinthine beauty. Obviously we had to sample a few bars and eat some tapas. The next day we did the chores, washing, engine oil change and provisioning, before setting sail in the late afternoon to an anchorage twenty miles away. We dropped anchor south of Sisarga Grande, a small island, with the smaller island of Illa Malante just east of us. Tomorrow (Monday) will be a long trip past Finistere, on the west coast of Spain.