Grand Slam

Thursday 28th August, Bayona

It's now Thursday and we are nearing the end of our stay in Spain. Sue arrives this evening and we are then off down to Portugal bright and early tomorrow (WHAT? - how early?). It has been a very relaxing six weeks in the Rias with us rarely getting up before 10am. Tomorrow it's going to be a 7.30am alarm!

We've now done the tourist bit in Bayona. A really nice town - as always in this part of the world. Lot's of good places to eat and drink and it's not Fiesta time! We met up with Rick and Connie off Calaloo a couple of times (an American couple who sailed over to the UK to winter the boat last year and are following the same track down as us).

Ronautica (the make of our boat) is big in Bayona. The smaller 340's are made just round the corner north of Vigo and Ronautica certainly make their presence felt. There are at least half a dozen of the 30 footers around and one 400. They also have a sales office.

There are probably still more Bavarias than anything else but the Ro's are a close second.

For a tourist spot there is quite a lot to see. We went around the obligatory "Pinta".

This is a replica of one of the boats that Columbus sailed. One Euro to get on and have a look around. Probably just about worth it.

There are two marinas here. The newer one which we are in and the "posh" one. The guys on the forum had warned me about not trying to get a drink there. We walked around to have a look at the Parador (the big hotel in the fort) and went passed the MRCN clubhouse. The security guards were very keen that we walked on past. I'm not sure whether they would have let us in if we had tried hard - or even showed our PEYC club cards. The pilot book does talk of a "dress code" so probably a good job we kept out.

(The MRCN club house - red roof- with Parador hotel behind)

The walk up around the Parador is certainly worth doing with some great views all around. It had been very hot and sunny for the first few days here but today when we walked around it was clouding up ready for a thunderstorm so visibility wasn't quite as good as it had been. The photo below was taken looking down over the harbour area with the new marina in the background.

So that is almost about it for Northern Spain. We have stocked up on Estrella (well a few more days supply at least) which should keep me going until I can find the equivalent in Portugal. There is not a lot of wind forecast for tomorrow - and what there is may be on the nose - so possibly a long motor sail. It is 30 miles to Viana and 50 miles to Porvoa. The wind for Saturday and Sunday is to be southerly and a bit stronger (and some rain) so the better option is to try and get to Povoa so we can spend the weekend looking around Porto. That's the plan anyway hence an early start. Sue arrives after 10pm so it's likely we will have a late night as well.

Monday 25th August, Bayona

Once again it was wall to wall blue sky. We left Cangas around 11 ish and motored for the first hour as there was no wind. We had hoped to go over to Isla de Cies and anchor but we had heard from 3 sources that a permit was now required to anchor there and it would take a few days minimum to get one. One source was a couple from Portugal who were insistent that you could get fined and then on reading a mid year update to the RCCPF pilot book, we saw that the need for a permit was required with "aggressive attitude from the Guadia Civil" if you didn't have one.

Instead then we headed direct for Baiona (as they say in these parts). The wind appeared around noon and we had a very pleasant 2 hour sail into the harbour. We moored up in the Baiona sport marina with the help of the marinier. Very substantial pontoons and a chandlers. Showers and toilets are a bit basic (in portacabins). The office speak good english and they have wi-fi (via a login name and password). Easy to get fuel. Price with the passport is just under 30 Euros per night.

For the first time in 6 weeks, there were a number of British boats. We had seen the odd one since leaving La Coruna but it seems very few venture up into the Rias. Nice to have a chat to someone in English for a change.

Rick and Connie on Calaloo were anchored just off the marina so mid afternoon they joined us for a wee drink in the rather hot sunshine (it has been warming up significantly). We had last seen them in Seaport marina in Inverness at the start of the Cally canal. They had stayed in the canal for a few weeks and so we ended up ahead of them for our sail down to Spain. Looks like our timing was easier for the Biscay crossing as it took them 9 days in some very bad weather. We have also heard the same story from other boats. In the evening we had a wander round to get or bearings. Looks a nice place if a little full of tourists.

One very funny incident was along the main street along the sea front. Blue flashing lights everywhere. Traffic at a standstill. Council electricians buzzing (oh no!) around.

(how many galician council workers does it take to change a light bulb?)

It turns out it was a large electric cable that had fallen down into the road and hence only small cars could get past - hence the chaos. These four guys were using a ladder to hold the cable up to let the traffic clear. God knows how they are going to sort this one out. I only hope this isn't the cable that supplies power to the marina.

Saturday 23rd August, Pontevedra

Still moored up in the marina in Cangas, Saturday was the day to catch the bus up to Pontevedra, the capital city of the area. It took about an hour on the bus (6 Euros return). The bus dropped us off at the bus station (next to the train station) in Pontevedra which is about 20 minutes walk away from the town centre. We had managed to get a map earlier in the week when we visited Combarro so we knew which way to go!

The old town is very extensive and almost rivals that of Santiago. In fact both Pam and I agreed it was probably just as nice as Santiago yet doesn't seem to get the tourist ratings.

There are a number of old churches. This was an interesting one. Basically it was round and hence not very big in floor area. We arrived around 1pm when most of the places were shutting down for siesta and not opening again until 4.30pm.

Dotted all around were various objects such as old cannons and this interesting sculpture. As we saw in Combarro (which is less than 10 miles away) there were a number of stone crosses in the various squares.

This particular square was one of a couple with number of restaurants so it was time again to stop for lunch.

Even I am now starting to eat the seafood. This was what was left of a tapas of small fried fish.

It was a warm day with the temperature showing at 30 C on some of the street signs. We wandered around the gardens in the newer part of town, stopped for an orange juice and then walked back up the hill to the bus station.

Tomorrow, Sunday, the plan is to relax for the day - after two "hectic" days of sight seeing and then sail down to Bayona on Monday. We have heard from Rick and Connie on Calaloo (not seen since Muirton Locks on the Cally canal in May) that they have finally caught us up and will be getting into Bayona on Sunday so we should be able to meet up. Sue is joining us Thursday night for 10 days and then we will be off southwards into Portugal. Also, it looks like things are getting busier here in Cangas with a fun fair setting up in the main car park right next to the marina. Next weekend is Fiesta time here so looks like a noisy week. We are probably leaving at exactly the right time!

Friday 22nd August, Vigo

Friday morning (late) we caught the ferry over to Vigo. They leave every 30 mins (on the hour and half hour) and cost 4 Euros return. After a 20 minute trip we arrived at the ferry terminal which is right next to the RCN Vigo marina and a very short walk to the old town.

We had equipped ourselves with a map of the town - begged from the Tourist dis-information office (it was this time!) in Cangas. The girl explained they could only give out maps of the Cangas district and were not allowed to give out the any of the huge pack of Vigo maps! I wonder what they were for then?

I had done a bit of research on the internet on what to do in Vigo and it had come up with sights to see in the old town. The info basically said Vigo is underrated as a tourist venue but we found the old town really nice to walk around.

It was another hot day so strolling round the narrow shaded streets was very relaxing. One of the popular places was the "street of Oysters". Here there are many restaurants with Oyster sellers lining the middle of the street.

Given Pam's need to eat another dozen, the outcome was very predictable.

There was an interesting display of shells on the wall behind the table. If they had given me some super glue I could have put a few more on! The menu looked so good that we decide to stay and share a large plate of paella which was excellent.

Carrying on walking round the old town after lunch we came across another restaurant specialising in Pulpo (that's octopus for the linguistically challenged). Pam had been trying to find out the best way to cook pulpo - as she actually likes the stuff. This was the way the locals do it.

...with a big tub of boiling water. That's now put me off even more.

Later in the afternoon we found the contemporary art museum - half way up the main shopping street. We had a good hour looking around (free). Some of it was great with other parts not so good. Overall though well worth a visit.

We had a look in the RCN marina on the way back to the ferry and I am glad we chose Cangas to stop. It was very busy, hardly any room to turn a boat and although very near town, did not seem as welcoming as Cangas. We caught the ferry back over and prepared for a night on the town (again).

Thursday 21st August, Cangas

After a number of very noisy nights in Sanxenxo marina, Cangas was a welcome relief. We had a late night in the club bar then retired to bed. Thursday's forecast was cloud and rain in the afternoon but the day started bright and had warmed up nicely by lunchtime (er...when we got up!).

We had a wander round the town and a couple of hours cleaning and polishing the boat before the rain hit us. The town is small and compact - about the size of South Queensferry. There are no "big" shops but plenty of butchers, bakers and the odd supermercado, all very close to the marina. As it is only 15 minutes on the ferry over to Vigo, people must rely on the shops over there. There is an old part of the town with many examples of the old houses used by the fishermen.

Above is the church in the centre of the old part of town.

 

....and the best photo I could get of the inside! Not quite as big and ornate as the cathedral in Santiago but still quite stunning. In one corner on the outside of the church walls was this piece of ...."rock"!

Unfortunately there was no plaque next to it so we have no idea of its significance - other than it looked rather old.

There were also some nice gardens and tree-lined pavements along with a large variety of street cafes to stop at.

....and yes, they do have pigeons here in Spain.

By five O'clock the rain arrived. First it was a fine mist accompanied by very low clouds descending over the hills and cutting visibility across the Ria to Vigo (2 miles away). Then it increased to vertical stair-rod type rain for the rest of the night. We had planned to spend the night looking at some bars in town but made do instead with the club again - as it was about 30 yards from the boat! As I write this blog (Thursday) it is bright sunshine again. The rain was yet the tail end of another front that you poor lot are getting in the UK. At least we get the 20C+ weather between them. I can see though why this part of Spain is quite green. Overall the climate is probably like the south coast of England in a reasonable summer but it sounds like the UK is not getting one of those this year. I've not mentioned it since Ireland but we keep getting these reminders of why we are heading south for the winter. The weather forecasts are showing at least another 5 degrees more heat by the time we get to Lisbon. We are still doing very well on the sun-tan.

In the previous blog entry, I had talked a bit about the variety of wine that you can get served in the bars here, making the "cheapest round in the world contest" a bit difficult to judge. The local wines are Ribero (red or white) and Albarino (white). Both are very cheap and taste very nice. The alternative is 157 varieties of Rioja which we will all know well. What we were not prepared for was the way some of the wines are served. Ice cold red wine is a new one on Pam. Our translation skills are getting quite proficient but not good enough to work out what that was. Also last week in Combarro, Pam got the following when asking for a local Ribero.

We had seen others drinking out of these white bowls before - we were always puzzled why people were drinking their finger bowl water! Fair sized coupa de vino though which I think was less than 2 Euros. Pam's first reaction was - how do I pick it up?

Anyway, that's all for today. Hope office life is not too much of a drag for you over there. Tomorrow is Friday and we are off to Vigo for the day to have a look round.

Wednesday 20th August, Cangas (Ria de Vigo)

Before we left Sanxenxo, Pam went for a quick para-sail.

No, only joking....but it was a nice photo! So on Wednesday morning we paid up and headed down for the Ria de Vigo. The forecast for the swell the previous day was 4-5M rather than the usual 1-2M so we had postponed our departure as part of the trip down took us outside the protection of the islands that give protection to the Rias themselves. Even today though the forecast was 3-4M.

We left around noon (never any wind in the morning) but unfortunately the wind still hadn't built up so we ended up motoring for the first hour and a half. The plan was to have a look at the anchorage by the Isla de Cies (another recommended "must see"). The swell was considerable but the wind started to build behind us allowing us to sail the last bit down to the island.

(the northern tip of the Isla de Cies)

We motored around the anchorage and although it was wall to wall blue sky, the swell was finding it's way in and the couple of boats in there were rolling about a bit too much. Rather than hope it would subside, we decided to head into the Ria and try this one on the way down to Bayona next week. Again the forecast was for another cold front to pass on Thursday afternoon so we planned on a marina stop for a few nights so we could go and have a look around Vigo and Pontevedra (now that we have managed to get a map of the place!). Lot's of marinas to choose from including 3 in Vigo itself. Again from a YBW forum recommendation we decided on the small club marina on the north side of the Ria in Cangas.

I called on channel 9 as normal but this time all I got was music played back to me each time I called. Great use of the airwaves. Once again a marinier came out, directed us to a berth and insisted on tying us up. One thing we have learnt here is that our preferred way of berthing with just Pam and I on board will not work. We normally set a spring from the midships cleat that gets thrown over the cleat at the end of the pontoon and then pull tight and drive the boat forward. This pins you to the pontoon and you can set the rest of the ropes at your leisure. In Spain, forget it! They just don't understand. There are always mariniers to take your ropes so they only use a bow and a stern. You watch - the first time we don't set up the spring - there will be no one to take the ropes.

The marinier spoke no English at all but we were surprised the girl in the office did - and they have a washing machine. The first since Portosin.

Above is a view of the marina with Grand Slam in the foreground. The showers were reasonable - clean and high pressure and there is a choice of free wi-fi!! (not in the showers - Silly). Cost for berthing is 30 Euros per night (12M) which seems par for the course in this Ria. 

There is the usual sailing club with an upstairs bar but this is a bit more downmarket than we have seen. One of the guys running the bar speaks a little English and it looks like there may be a little more craic here. The bar prices are low and hence I can now announce a winner - the lowest bar price yet was a bottle of Estrella for 1.40 Euros. I was trying to do the lowest price of a round but that was getting awfully complicated. The snag is there are two variables over which one has little control. Firstly the wine served. This can vary in price and size of glass. Secondly the type of "nibbles" that are served. These can range from a dish of crisps to a tapas size dish of some interesting food. In La Coruna, such a tapas dish may set you back 1.50 Euro so a cost of a round at 4 Euros is actually very cheap. Anyway this is far too complicated. The winner of the cheapest Estrella is the club nautico de Rodeira. Nice little bar which does a mean coffee for breakfast.

All in all this marina has a nice feel to it. Not too busy and shops and bars within easy reach. The bus station (with buses to Pontevedra) is less than 100 yards away and there is a ferry every half hour over to Vigo about 150 yards away.

Here is the ferry on it's way with another load of passengers. Our plan is to have a look around Cangas tomorrow and then visit Vigo and Pontevedra on Friday and Saturday. We did however have a walk around the old part of Cangas today - I will post some pictures tomorrow. One place that did catch our eye was a Chinese Restaurant on the waterfront. Now this is the first Chinese we have seen and we were surprised what they were serving.

Have a look at numbers 94 to 98. Hope they don't burn up too many trays! 101 looks interesting but the favorite has to be number 106 "Ant goes up a tree" - what the heck is that!! It's obviously very cheap. If anyone can enlighten us, post a comment.

Monday 18th August, Combarro

Combarro had been strongly recommended on the YBW forum as a “must see place” in this Ria so we chose to go there by bus while Grand Slam was in the marina in Sanxenxo. Just a 15minute bus ride (but a likely 30+ mins wait for the bus – sometimes but not always on time!). Only 2.60 Euros return each.

The old town of Combarro is a mixture of narrow paved streets with stone crosses and “granaries”

The houses border right on the shore line in what once an active fishing port and agricultural town. Unique to this area are the “granaries”. The photo below shows a typical granary.

We had seen a lot of these buildings on our travels around Galicia, usually in the gardens of older houses and had wondered what they were for! We were starting to think they were burial crypts!!!!Luckily the guy in the tourist dis-information office spoke good English so we found the answer. Very simply (that's what I need) they are storage sheds for potatoes and vegetables etc, built on stilts to stop rodents getting in (note the big disks sitting on top of the columns). Combarro has the biggest concentration of these structures in the area.

This is another shot of the houses right on the shore line. We did wonder what happens on a high spring tide with a storm surge!!

Combarro also has a number of really nice restaurants serving great seafood. This is the place to eat. We had a meal on Sunday afternoon and hence decided to visit again on Monday for another seafood meal. Prices were considerably cheaper than the seafood restaurants in Sanxenxo and the food and service so much better. If you like sea food, this is the place to go. Pam now can interpret the menu fluently.

Another feature of Combarro is the number of stone crosses at the intersection of many streets. The photo below shows a typical one.

There was lots of tourist “tat” on sale with replicas of the crosses and the granaries and bottled sets of the local red and white wines. Surprising also were all sizes of stuffed witches. We almost bought one for the boat. To get an idea of what I am talking about – you can see one in the photo below (on the left or right?).

A final interesting feature we came across was the communal washing area. We had come across this stone structure on our visit on Sunday but couldn’t work out what it was. On Monday three local women were out using it. See the photo below.

Water flowed in from a stream and they used the stone edges of the “bath” to scrub the clothes. I know it's been difficult finding washing machines in the marinas here (even Port Edgar has a washing machine!) but difficult to believe the locals are still washing clothes this way. They must be getting a European subsidy. When the clothes were washed, they were hung to dry on the top level of the “launderette”.

So that’s it from Combarro. Well worth a visit. Interestingly there is now a marina in the harbour area in addition to the anchorage. This has been built this year and has all the pontoons in place but the service buildings are still under construction and not likely to be ready until next season. The buildings look quite extensive. The marina office is in portocabins at the top of the pontoons with good security gates – but no keys – there is a marinere on duty 24 hours a day to open gates etc. The marina staff didn't speak much English - well actually they spoke no English. I couldn’t get any wifi reception in the area. The marina looks a bit exposed to northerly winds and some swell may get in – but that’s just from looking at it from a distance (when the wind was in the south west) so I may be totally wrong. Nevertheless, a great setting and a great place to visit. One of the highlights of our trip to date.

Tuesday 19th August, Sanxenxo

 “I can’t believe it” to quote Victor Meldrew again. Our first Christmas carol heard on the 18^th August. Yes, it’s true. Up in the bar of the Real Club Nautica Sanxenxo they were playing a CD that had carols on it. I suppose to the non-English speaking audience the tunes were just in keeping with the up market ambience of the place (ie it’s a bit posh!).

Anyway back to the plot. We have spent 4 days here in Sanxenxo doing the tourist bit and chilling out. The town is a centre for tourism with a big beach and lots of people around. The weekend was the fiesta weekend which made it even more busy but the number of bars and restaurants almost match the number of people! Festivities have gone on late into the night ever since we got here and look to continue – especially with a couple of disco’s on the marina which stay open until almost 5 in the morning.

(looks like Blackpool on a good day!)

It’s a big marina with a lot of very big motor yachts – lots of money around. Services are good but there has been no internet on site since we arrived – supplied by the yacht club. It broke on Friday and with the fiesta, who knows when it will be fixed. The office staff were kind enough to let me plug into theirs this morning to get on the internet. Cost here is 30 Euros per night (with the discount passport) and diesel was 1.26 Euro – easy to fill up. As I said in the last blog, the showers are very good.

(the marina from the club – Grand Slam is on visitors pontoon on right)

On Sunday we caught a local bus up to Pontevedra, the main town in the area. The bus station seemed a long way from the centre of town so we caught the next bus half way back to Combarro, one of the places that had been highly recommended on the YBW forum. The old town of Combarro has retained all it’s character from a couple of hundred years ago with narrow streets and old buildings. We were so impressed we went back for a second day on Monday. Rather than describe it here, I will put a separate blog entry up with a bit more detail on the place and the great food! (once we eventually find a decent internet connection).

One reason for staying in the marina in Sanxenxo for 4 days was the weather forecast for the weekend was not too promising. … and it proved correct. Saturday started of wet and cold and then turned back to heavy rain and strong wind in the evening after a brief spell of sun in the afternoon (almost like back home). Sunday again had sun in the afternoon but also wind and rain later. By Tuesday it was warming up – back to what we had experience the first week in the Rias. The marina was very sheltered from the westerly winds but the high swell from a passing storm in Biscay meant that Monday and Tuesday nights were a bit “lumpy”.

It is worth mentioning the yacht club (RCN Sanxenxo). This is probably the most imposing of the yacht club buildings seen in Spain to date, comprising 4 floors in a modern building housing a bar, a restaurant, a sauna and a gym. The restaurant opens for evening meals at 10.30pm and closes at 2am. It’s a bit pricey so we have passed on that one.

 

(the luxury of the RCN Sanxenxo)

The bar however (see above) is very reasonable priced and one of the cheapest. Great views across the marina and very comfy sofas to sit on. We have been in most evenings and it’s not exactly busy. It is difficult to see how it can survive financially unless the membership fees are as big as some of the motor yachts here! It is a very quiet place to spend an hour as the sun goes down sipping a cold Estrella.

(the view out to sea from the bar)

Our original plan was to leave Tuesday to head down to the final Ria, (Ria de Vigo) but the forecast 4-5m swell put us off. It is due to die down to 3m for Wednesday so we will leave tomorrow. We will decide where we are headed once we see what the weather is like but there are lots of choices of anchorages or marinas. One major concern is that we are now not far from the Spanish border which may mean a distinct lack of Estrella. What do we (I) do then?

....and those of you with a keen eye will have seen that our internet access has been a bit difficult. That has to be an understatement. Nothing in the marina and despite loads of wifi signals, all were encrypted in Sanxenxo. Everywhere we have been in Spain has had lots of free ones to chose from except this place. We are now in the Ria de Vigo and back to normal with a good connection. I will post a blog about Combarro later today and then back onto our story as it unfolds.

Friday 15th August, San Vicente to Sanxenxo

A pretty typical start to the day getting up around 10 ish and wandering up to the club for a café con leche before setting of for Sanxenxo (pronounced Sangenjo). Something however wasn’t quite normal. There were throngs of people all over the place and a number of what looked like large rowing boats with people in team shirts doing warm up exercises.  This was regatta day – rowing style! We also noticed four large orange marks strategically placed across the exit of the marina (the start line actually) which was going to present a challenge getting out.

We finished our coffee and went up on the sea wall along with a couple of hundred other spectators to watch the race. In addition however to the rowing boats, there was a regatta for what looked like Cornish crabbers. There must have been twenty or so of them.

They tacked slowly out of the harbour in about 2-3 knts of wind and off to the bay for their race. There were 8 rowing boats and split into two heats of 4 boats. The first race started at noon. The photo below shows the start.

These were big machines with a lot of power on board. The race was out to buoys about a mile offshore and back and then this repeated for a second lap. Of course at the time we didn’t have a clue what was going on. You got the impression this was all about brute force and it probably was for a lot of it but the mark roundings were very skillful. The following photo shows them coming up the half way stage and about to round their individual marks.

The blue boat (far left) was first to cross the line but was a little wide of the mark. The yellow boat (2^nd from right) was a bit behind but just right on the mark (with each port oar hitting the mark!!). Notice the guy on the front (on the green boat – right) using his oar to help steer round the mark. As can be seen in the next shot, the green boat didn’t quite make it and almost hit the mark head on slowing it down a lot.

 

End result, the yellow boat took a boat length out of the other two. It eventually went on to win the race by about 2 boat lengths. We watched the second heat and then everyone walked off. Obviously lunch time then. Time then for us to make our exit so we went back to the marina to get the boat ready while the start line was quiet.

The sail up to Sanxenxo was very quiet apart from the drone of the engine as the wind was almost none existent. As you can see from the photos, the weather had at last warmed up with blue sky, pods of dolphins and a very flat sea. There was a major sailing regatta taking place in the Ria de Pontevedra when we motored in – probably up to 100 boats racing down to Ria de Vigo (we had been warned hence timed our arrival for Friday). Snag was – they were not going anywhere with no wind. We motored to the marina and after hanging around for an hour or so on one of the big motor boat berths we were shown to the visitor’s pontoon which was now empty with the 100 regatta boats having left.

The mariniers spoke a little English but were not too helpful with sorting out registration. It was a public holiday so the office was closed (but then it did open). There were no keys to the access gate but we were assured someone would be there all the time to let us in. The showers however looked to be the best we had seen since Dunstaffnage so Pam was happy. I’ll give you a more detailed run down on the place in the next post.  

Thursday 14th August, San Vicente

Thursday, at the unusual early hour of 11am, we left the anchorage at Ribeira and got buzzed by the fire fighting plane (see previous blog). Within 5 minutes I had put a fleece on as 3 brass monkeys jet skied past the back of the boat – tea shirts and shorts were a little chilly. Looks like we are in for a cold spell of weather despite the sun and blue sky.

The swell from the previous day was forecast to have subsided so it definitely was time to get out this Ria. Plan A today was yesterdays Plan B. Yesterday’s plan C was still stuck to the map of the world (need to read yesterdays blog –see). We had no plan Z. Loosely translating that lot for those of you who are not in first gear yet was we were heading for San Vicente (or Pedras Negras – as it is also called). The pilot book describes it as a small club marina with a good anchorage nearby. The YBW forum had come up with a number of recommendations for the place but with the advice that there was not a lot there – a place to chill.

We picked our way through the rocks, between red and green cans but no sign of a south cardinal that was meant to be marking a strategically placed set of rocks. Piece of p…. with our E120. Given the swell we decided for an easy life and headed for the small marina.

I did the usual of calling on channel 9 expecting no response but not only did someone come back to me but also asked the length of the boat in English. The marinier came out in his boat, directed us in and helped tie us up. Now I like to tie it up my way so thanked him and off he went. Later on we saw him help 2 boats in which must have been permanent residents and not only did he help them in but also did all of their ropes while the crew sipped their G+Ts.

One thing that struck us was this is the first time we have seen the mariniers wearing life jackets – and when we went to the office to register, the one who had brought us in appeared, soaking wet from head to foot – trying to dry out his mobile phone (no chance) and radio. Surely too early for a late afternoon swim.

The showers/toilets are pretty limited but a really nice club bar / restaurant (but only on the ground floor). One nice thing about these short mid-day sails and the local custom of the big meal of the day between 2-4pm is that it’s perfect timing for a nice meal. This one didn’t disappoint. The service was the best we have had in Spain. Well done guys. After eating we had a good explore – as described only a small supermercado and a few bars but the best beaches we have seen yet. Lots of Sulidae but Pam wouldn’t let me photograph them for Rob.

 We had an hour back on the boat doing more cleaning as we had reverse parked the boat (unusually) and could see just how dirty the back end was. While carrying out this chore, I managed to squash my little finger and Pam stubbed her little toe. Our first major injuries of the trip. I will let you know if they were fatal tomorrow. They both seemed so at the time.

Critically wounded we had to retreat to the club bar fro the evening (any excuse). By the way, an Estrella and a Rioja here is 3 Euros equaling the club nautico Vilagarcia (no, I am not starting the cheapest round of drinks in the world ….. I already have). So no clear winner yet. It certainly will not be an Irish bar.

 This place is definitely up with the best – but Kilmore Quay don’t get worried yet – your craic was the best (as we can’t understand it here). If you are passing here it is a “must stop” place.

Tomorrow (Friday) we are off to complete our trip into the Ria de Pontevedra and as rain is forecast for the weekend we are heading for the marina in Sanxenxo. I think it is a hard 10 mile sail so that’s about a five hour drift them.