Still going down the Spanish Coast!

Camerinas, Muros and Portosin

1 September 09

Isle Cies

Left Combarro and the ‘horrios’ and motored down Ria de Pontivedera as there was not much wind.

Unusual lighthouse on the little Isle of Tamba in the middle of Ria Pontivedera, a ladder goes round the outside so it looks like a helter skelter.

A ‘muscle boat’ full of muscles, coming back from the viveros (muscle farm rafts) which are all along these rias.

Anchored in a beautiful bay on the island of Cies at the entrance to Ria de Vigo which is a nature reserve with just a camp site and restaurant. We took the dinghy ashore to land on the beach. Now when we get to the Caribbean there is an art to landing your dinghy on the beach in the surf without being flipped over, this we will have to learn.....but not on the quiet lapping surf on the white sands of this Northern Spanish nature reserve. As we were carried in on the surf I stood up to step out of the boat but another wave came and I promptly fell over the back of the dinghy into the water. I was desperately trying to hand the ruc sac to Keith so we didn’t wet the butties but he was so busy laughing that I got hit by the next wave! We did manage to have our picnic (which had not got too soggy) on a rock while my clothes were drying, and as the camera was also in the ruc sac I then remembered that THIS was the reason I sensibly bought a waterproof camera (down to 10m even) when choosing one for this trip. (Despite this sensibly precaution I cannot show you any photo’s of this lovely place as I erased the pictures by mistake.....should have also bought an idiot proof one!)

Coming up to the anchorage at Isla Cies

After a nice walk to the top of the rocks (had to persuade Keith that he wanted to do this) we left Cies and headed up Ria de Vigo, our main aim (after Keith spending endless hour tinkering with it) being to find an electrician to have a look at the wind vane as it does not seem to be putting power into the batteries (this is bad as apart from anything else we have to keep turning the fridge off and beer gets warm!!)

29 August 2009

Combarro

Combarro

A lovely old village at the top of the ria. The pilot book says to watch out for the tourist and the 'horrios'. We did'nt know what the 'horrios was and thought that perhaps it was theives or something. Anyway we finally found out that it was grain stores that stand on stilts, we still don't know why we had to look out for them!

'Horrios'


Rapau at anchor in Combarro

21 August 2009

Portosin

Took a lovely leisurely sail across Ria de Muros from Muros to Portosin (only just over an hour). We anchored just outside the marina wall and dinghied into the marina. We made a killing because we could pick up the internet from the marina at anchor which happened to have no password, and there was a sardine extravaganza going on at the marina that evening and all the sardines and BEER were free! Still had to visit the club restaurant for other food though as Keith and Arlene don’t like sardines (as if that matters when it is free!).

At anchor in Portosin, looking towards the marina

Club Nautico at Portosin which had a beautiful view of the sea

I decided to go for a run the next morning so dinghed into the marina only to find I needed a card to get out of the gate and there was not a soul around going out (I knew this was too good to be true). So I had to do a commando style raid to break out of the marina, climbing down the slippery rocks to a beach, running across the beach and climbing up the rocks on the other side to get to the road. Anyway I survived and when I got back the world had woken up (they don’t get up early in Spain and this was already 10.15) and there were people going in through the gate so I was able to get in looking legit!
23 August 09Had a 9 hour sail starting out sunny and getting a bit windy and cold as we approached Ria de Arosa (had some dolphins with us as one point though).



Dolphins playing round the boat from Ria Muros to ria de Arosa

We anchored off the beach in Ria de Arosa at Sta Uxia de Riveria and quite close to a marina were we could get ashore. A bit of a boring looking town, Keith managed to get the anchor winch control fixed though for a mere 12 euros which really impressed him (and that’s not easy!)