Category: Blog

Originally we had planned on stopping off at the marina in Porto but, when they emailed us to say it was €44 a night, we went to Póvoa de Varzim just up the coast. Here it costs less than half the price and the train to Porto is €2.80. Additionally the staff are extremely efficient and very friendly and there is a Honda dealer to service our outboard after we dropped it in the sea.

Yesterday we caught the train to Porto for a day of “big town” tourism. The journey was through miles and miles of corn fields and past the huge aquaduct we had cycled past the day before. The aquaduct is 4km long and was built to carry water from a spring to a priory. Any one caught stealing water from it was excommunicated. There was no messing with the church back then.

In Porto we visited churches, the town hall, a monstrous bridge, the old town and a station. It was a bit of a shock to suddenly be surrounded by busloads of tourists feom all over the world and people trying to extract money from the tourists. The station we visited had tiled frescoes showing the history of the city and waves of tourists. In the cathedral a baby was being baptised amongst a river of tourists. Do the locals get annoyed or do the just stop noticing us?

The bridge was sixty meters high and offered stunning views of the surrounding city. It is a tram bridge and regularly trams would pass ringing their bells and hoping every one got out of their way in time.

We ate in a cafe on a street one back from the riverside but still paid a lot for a little. Living in small harbours and fishing villages, we had forgotten what happens to prices when tourism occurs.

By mid afternoon we had all had enough of city life and took the train back to the “real world”, peace and quiet. We al three agreed that citys are not for us.

Finally we have left Portugal – on the second attempt. The first time there was no wind so we gave up just before the border and spent the night behind the harbour wall at the spanish border town of La Guardia. The next day there was still no wind so we gave our motor a day out and motored south over the border and in to the town of Viana do Castello.

To enter the marina they have to swing an elegant cantilevered footbridge so we agreed to stay the night on the “reception pontoon” out in the river under the shadow of a railway bridge designed by Gustav Eifel (of parisian tower fame). We immediately swung in to action and aired all our cushions and bedding, cleaned the dinghy and went shopping to restock our supplies. As more and more boats arrived we were asked to move in to the marina. By now it was getting dark, windy and we wanted to go and eat. I was unhappy but we agreed and thus had our first attempt at bow to, mediterranen mooring. Cleverly, we had Max waiting on land so it wasn’t too dramatic.

Once again Max did a great job of finding a superb restaurant at a reasonable price. We celebrated our arrival in Portugal with Caipirinha, Tapas and a portuguese lesson from the waiter. The building that houses the restaurant is built of absolutely massive stone. The walls are over a meter thick and the ceilings are stone beams on stone lintels. No wonder they don’t need air conditioning here.

As we were sailing south, we saw the imposing Saint Lucia Basilica set on a hill behind the city. This temple was built at the beginning of the twentieth century and can be seen from far out at sea. Obviously in the morning Heidi and Neill climbed the never ending staircase to reach it and, because the 200 meters of climbing was such fun, they then climbed to the very top of the temple as well. The view, despite the haze, was amazing.

Once back down in town, we wandered the old town, drank a Cappuccino (paid for with the money we saved by not using the funicular railway to reach the temple) and then went back to the supermarket to stock up on wine.

Back at the boat, we gave the decks and sides a wash and then left through the swinging bridge and headed back off down river and south using the afternoon wind.

Galacia is an autonomous region of Spain in the north west corner. We arrived here after crossing the Bay of Biscay and have now been in the region for twenty days. The sea is blue, the weather is sunny, the surroundings are beautiful and we are in “holiday mode”.

Every few days we sail a little further along the coast. Sometimes we anchor off long sandy beaches and other days off small fishing villages. Once we stayed a few days in the middle of “the big city”. The beaches all have fresh water showers which aren’t heated but free. The villages have shops and cafes that sell a lot for a little. It is great fun to be able to decide from day to day if you want to live in the country or “in town”. Yesterday we anchored just off a harbour across from the supermarket and restocked our fridge and larder before going to the dockside cafe for our evening meal. Right now we are floating just off the beach.

We have been out cycling four times since arriving which has given us a chance to see a little further inland than the harbour and surrounding village. The decision to bring mountain bikes with us was definitely a good one. Without them we wouldn’t have seen half what we have experienced. We would have also missed a lot of exercise and be a few kilograms heavier. Heidi’s bike developed a strange “clank” and we visited three workshops trying to get it repaired. The third guy had it easiest as, by then, the derailer had committed suicide amongst the back spikes. All our routes are in Neill’s diary.

The area is strewn with islands, islets and rocks so navigation is challenging. Just sailing one village down the coast can involve ten changes of course with six tacks. Sailing is fun and rewarding paticularly when you sail from anchorage to anchorage with no engine except to lift the anchor as you leave. We are permanently being overtaken or passed by sailing boats in “motor boat mode”. Just now our neighbour motored straight to the beach and anchored. We took three tacks to get there but used no diesel 🙂 Time and patience are great attributes for sailors.

We continue to eat in the best resturant where ever we are. This is invariably on the sailing boat Artemis of Lleyn. Home made cheeseburgers, home made pizza, home made scones or brownies. The menu is variable and the food amazing. We also ate out in La Coruna where Max discovered a great restaurant with stunning service and good food. Sometimes, during a long hard bike climb, there is nothing better than water straight from a roadside spring.

In the morning we raised anchor, set the genoa, sailed out of the harbour and in to the Atlantic. The sail very slowly pulled us out to sea and we were busy searching for the bit of wind that the surrounding wind parks promised. Our sail flapped as did that of a more adventurous sailor who had his genoa poled out and his mainsail set to the other side. He completely lost interest when we jibed and overtook him at which point he switched his motor on.

Slowly the wind increased. We were heading well out in to the Atlantic and as the swell increased we were repeatedly rolling in the Genoa but still retaining a speed of six knots. Some waves started breaking over the stern so Neill donned the full sailing kit, Heidi occupied the relatively dry navigation station and Max used the excess wind power to play a computer game. We were tanking south along the Costa da Morte (coast of death) watching the distant hills fly by and being visited by dolphins who were jumping from wave to wave and swimming under the boat.

At some point a coastguard ship approached and I imgined the captain suggesting some one take a dinghy over to check who we were and the salty answer. Whatever! They turned away north.

So here we were running before a force six wind and surfing two meter waves out in the Atlantic and what does Heidi do? Hopes for bigger, more impressive waves, makes an “action video” to send to Jon and prepares food

Ahead we saw Cape Finisterre and turned inland to slip under it and in to shelter. Within five minutes we were throwing clothes off and sailing up a Spanish Ria in shorts and T-shirts. We sailed across the bay and then motored to anchor off Corcubion. On the third attempt the anchor held after Max found a patch of sand amongst the weed.

A spectacular day of downwind sailing.

After a few nights at anchor in Cadeira we motored back out into the Atlantic, switched the engine off and waited for wind. And waited. And waited. A little further out another boat also sat rocking in the swell. A few boats motored past and Max was concerned they would consider us abandoned – bobbing on the ocean and gently rotating. A few hours later we had achieved 0.8 miles in the wrong direction. Just as we were despairing, the wind appeared exactly from the right direction, quickly picked up and pushed us along the coast to La Coruna.
The first thing you notice is a huge lighthouse in front of the backdrop of a big city. The lighthouse was originally built by the Romans and is, in its modern form, impossible to miss. We avoided a fishing boat and tanker and then anchored off a beach opposite the city hidden from wind and swell by a headland.

The next day we contacted the marina on the VHF radio and asked if they had a berth for us. “No problem! Go to pontoon 2 and I’ll meet you there.” We navigated to pontoon 2 and there was no one to be seen so we slotted in to an empty berth and got back on the radio. “Yes. Berth 232 is good.” The crew tied up, laid the electrics and got everything set for the marina while the skipper went to the office. “What? You are in berth 232 on pontoon 2? Why? That is not good!” I explained that we had followed his instructions and he explained that he doesn’t understand English.
In the afternoon we discovered that today was Saturday and everything would be open on Monday so we had a good excuse to stay two nights and cycle on Sunday. In the evening Max found a brilliant restaurant in TripAdvisor with great food and a fantastic waitress. We enjoyed a fantastic meal.
Despite the overcast skies and on and off drizzle on Sunday, Heidi and Neill cycled over 50 kilometers through the surrounding countryside. We were never higher than 250 meters above sea level but still managed 1000 meters of climbing. And a lot of the route was trails, forest roads or cycle paths. A brilliant route – thanks GPSies. We were attacked by brambles and gorse, rained on and felt like we were in a tropical rainforest. It was great fun but eventually we just took the road straight back to the boat and a much needed warm shower. One thing we now no for sure – nothing is open on Sunday. Even the motorway was carless. The track is at https://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=ozpgmmuamxnvnhgs

On Monday Spain reopened so we bought a new reefing line, food, diesel and gas. We charged up everything that we own and filled up with water and then returned to our beach across the bay and back to anchor. Coffee with Baileys, homemade cheeseburgers and potato salad were the perfect end to the day.