PORTUGAL

16 September 2009

Poava de Varzim

It is blowing a hoolie today. We moved the boat into the marina yesterday evening after she had dragged her anchor and we felt safer as it is such a small harbour.


PORTO

Yesterday we took the metro into Porto which took around 50 minutes. Grapes are grown to produce the port some way up the river Douro and have been grown there since pre-Roman times. They would have the tourist believe that after the wine is produced (the finest vintage being tread by foot) it is transported 100 miles down the river on the boats pictured to cool lodges at Oporto where it is put in casks to age. We did find out that it is actually transported by lorry these days, a 2½ hr journey. Although they said the finest vintage was still tread by foot.

The boats that carry the casks containing the Port down the river. They have a Viking appearance as the Vikings were in Porto long ago.

View across the river to the distilleries



Steep hills to walk up to get there so thirsty work

We walked up some very steep hills to go get to Taylors est. 1692 (Taylors, Yeatman and Fladgate these days as recommended in the pilot book) and learned all about the different types of Port, Chip dry, LBV, Tawny and Vintage and got to taste a couple of ample sized samples. On top of that the tour was free! So we bought a glass of 10 yr old and 20 yr old to try after the tour and I would like to say I could really tell the difference.....but I might be lying! Keith thinks he could detect some difference, so we just bought a couple of bottles of reserve (cheap one).

Taylors aging premises




They had 3 million litres in these barrels in this one room!

Keith continuing 'the education'

We then thought we would try Crofts (just for market research of course), so we had to walk further up the hill to try their tour and free tasting (glasses nothing like as full as Taylors if you ever go there!) Apparently the higher up the hill they are the longer established they are as the prime spots are high up the hill. For you Port buffs Taylors was the 4th, above them were Croft, then Sandeman,s then can’t remember the highest, never walked that far! (I told you we only went for the education).

Crofts tasters

One or two barrels of Crofts (can't get one of them in your handbag!)

PORTUGAL

PORTUGAL

We stayed in Baiona a couple of days longer than we planned. First we found an electrician to have a look at the Solar panel and do a temporary repair on it (still in our quest to find ways to put power into the batteries especially as with no fridge we have warm beer/wine and the long life milk goes off after a day or two). Then the day we got up to leave there was thick fog which didn’t clear until after lunch so it was a little late to leave by then so we had to postpone till the following day. The fog was thick the following morning also but we managed to get away at 12 noon.

The boat next to us in the fog! We delayed leaving!


12 September 09
Viana Do Castelo

We motored all the way down the coast as the wind (what there was of it) was on the nose, this is an expensive business so we hope the wind will come back from the North as it is supposed to do round here! It took 8 hours to motor down to Viana do Castelo in Portugal and we raised the Portuguese flat on crossing the border, and celebrated our crossing with a beer.

Raising the Portuguese Flag

The problem with these Portuguese places is most places don’t allow you to anchor. We have gotten used to the 3 D’s, Destination arrival, Drop anchor, Drink beer, so having to mess around with fenders and warps and tie up, then take official papers to the marina office, wait around, then possibly get a beer and the worse thing of all ........they then make you pay! Hence we just stayed overnight so didn’t get to see much of the place but it looked like a nice town and we are told it is lovely if you like looking at churches. So we took a walk around the town that evening and looked at a few bars and very nice they were to (we did see some churches also looking nice in the dark).

Viana de Castelo (you can just make out 3 churches just in this picture).

An old hospital ship on display (Gil Eannes) which would have been interesting to look around if we had stayed.

The wind was very light again the next morning, so more motoring. Although we have seen very little traffic along this route, the bain of our life is the pot buoys. They litter the whole coast and we have to keep a fairly sharp look out to make sure we don’t run into one and get caught up in it. Even when we were in 40m of water fairly well off the coast they were still turning up

Pot buoys everywhere!

Povoa de Varzim

Next stop Povoa de Varzim, a little harbour about 6 hours down the coast were we found a spot to anchor, the marina lads were madly waving at us as we were anchorning and so we pretended we did'nt see them as they clearly did'nt want us to anchor were we did. Anyway they eventually gave up and went away. The town is listed in the pilot book as being a seaside town but apart from the sea front it has a lovely old part and an interesting fishing history. We also can get a metro straight into Porto from here to see the Port distilleries, only for education you understand.

Rapau anchored in Povoa Varzim harbour

The pretty streets of Povoa de Varzim

A wall which depicts the history of the fishing town

Ria de Vigo

After waiting all day on the visitors waiting pontoon in Baiona for the electrician to come and check out the wind vane we finally went out on the anchor after it was obvious he wasn’t turning up at 8pm. The next day we went up to Vigo and waiting 5 hours on the waiting pontoon to then be told that the electrician was not coming and couldn’t come till Mon (it was Thursday!) Keith finally worked out the problem with phone calls to the people who make it in UK and we ordered a replacement regulator to be delivered to us at Baiona.

Moana

Moana sea front

We left for Moana that evening as there is no anchoring in Vigo and we have become adverse to paying for marinas. In Moana the outboard decided to break down. We found a man who fixes everything from motorbikes to lawnmowers and he mended it. The nice thing about this part of Spain is that next to nobody speaks English, so it is usually fun trying to get what is needed with our ‘phrase book’ Spanish! Keith is really upset that we will soon be leaving for Portugal just as ‘he is getting to grips with Spanish’ (as he put it), don’t think the Spaniards would agree with that though!

Rapau at anchor in Moana

San Adrian

At anchor in San Adrian

Next stop was the top of the Ria. We sailed under the Rande suspension bridge, which carries the Atlantic highway, into an almost lake type-setting and anchored of San Adrian. It was beautifully quiet and ashore was just a sailing club hut, and slightly posher type sailing club (guess which one we frequented). I went for a walk to the shop (over an hour away) while Keith played with his nuts, and bolts. A Dutch guy called Bart came over to the boat for a chat telling us he has lived on his 74 year old wooden boat at this village for the last 4 years, he told us about the place, his life, everybody else’s life, but there was method in his m

adness as he accosted us in the sailing hut that evening and managed to relieve us of a few beers!

They keep their cement mixers in funny places here!

View from up the hill in San Adrian

Baiona

View to breakwater in Baiona

At the castle in Baiona

We motored the 3 ½ hours down the Ria to Baiona which was going to be our final destination in Spain, and where we were to pick up the regulator for the wind vane. Baiona is a beautiful place at the entrance to Ria Vigo. It is a tourist town very clean and well kept with lovely beaches. We went for a walk to the castle which used to be one of the Spanish Royal Family’s summer residences apparently. Seaya was also at anchor in Baiona so we took this opportunity for Keith and Bob to get me up the mast to put the flag up the backstay as it keeps getting tangled withthe Old Harry in its present position.

From the top of the mast in Baiona

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!)

Corme, Camerinas and Muros

Muros

Another beautiful place, free anchoring and not at all crowded. The weather is at last very hot although we had a cold wind on the 9 hour sail down here. We have been so pleased with Old Harry the wind vane and 3rd crew member (just a note for Pete there really, he did really well on down wind sail goose winged which we thought he would struggle with). Explored the old town with lovely old traditional buildings, many of which are undergoing renovation at the moment.

Muros typicial old street

Got up the first morning to find ouselves surrounded by little local boats full of snorklers appantly collecting razor shell fish which are a delicacy here. We have an outboard motor on the tender we use to get us to the shore but I have been trying to improve my rowing skills in an attempt to also do more excercise so killing two birds with one stone.

Local Galician fishing boat Snorklers collecting razor shellfish

Met up with Bob and Arlene and it was Bobs 'Heinz' birthday on Monday so we had to go out and celebrate.

Arlene and I with Galicia 'bowls' of wine!



Bob's 'Heinz' birthday

The next day took a bus (after much too'ing and fro'ing to find out were the bus went from and what time it came....which appeared to be anytime at all within a given hour!) to Ezos were there was reported to be a fantistic famous waterfall. Well when we got there we discovered it was near a big hydro electric power station and they switched the water off during the week only allowing to flow down the high granite rocks at weekends. Still we had a nice picnic and managed to find a bus back to Muros eventually!

The waterless waterfall!

There are other lovely small towns within this Ria which we are planning to explore before moving on to the next Ria.

14 August 2009 (Corme and Camerinas)

Had a downwind rather rolley sail down from La Coruna to Corme in the Ria Corme y Laxe. There was a strong North easterly during the 7 hour trip and it blew us into Corme in the late afternoon. Corme is a quiet fishing village with lots of mussel rafts in the harbour were they farm mussels. While we where anchored behind the breakwater it became evident there was a large fire going on behind one of the hills. A helicopter appeared with a large red bucket underneath it and proceeded to fly over us and quite near it would dip the bucket into the sea and fly off with the collected to water to pour over the fire.

He did this many times and the smoke eventually died down. It looked as if it was a forest fire. That was about as exciting as it got in Corme and we left the next morning in a light north easterly and made for Camarinas in the Ria de Camarinas. We had a lovely sail over around 4 hours but had to resort to the engine when the wind died altogether during the last 3 miles, it was very hot.

Camerinas is a beautiful Ria with idyllic white sandy beaches and forests all around. We anchored off one of the beaches and just chilled in the cockpit and looking at the scenery, it was amazing. We plan to try to take a long walk here. Bob and Arlene were in the Ria ahead of us so we had a little Cava in their cockpit to celebrate our arrival (any excuse!)Awoke the next morning to the thickest fog you have ever seen. You could hardly see the end of the boat, good job we hadn’t planned to go anywhere this morning. These fogs are quite common on this coast, would be quite scary if it happens out at sea.

Camerinos with Rapau anchored in the background

La Coruna

bet you all think we have been lost at sea by now.

Well we finally left Falmouth after being beset with engine problems electrical then engineering, then a third attempt to leave we had a gas regulator problem and had to wait 4 days for a new one to be delivered or cross Biscay without any way of cooking or making hot drinks. Other times Southerly gales in Biscay and Plymouth, so finally left for La Coruna on the morning of Sat 1 August.

Waiting for weather....... and washing!

Typical rainy Falmouth day

It took us 6 days to get down here. The first day we had favourable winds blowing us as far as Ushsant. Then the winds turned against us and we spent a couple of days tacking around the wind trying to go south but mostly going east and west of our intended destination. It starts to get a bit depressing when the next day’s plot sees you having moved quite a long way but it is only almost parallel to were you were 12 hours ago!

We should have left in summer......oh we did. Sunset in Biscay

We were very pleased with our 3rd crew member Old Harry once we got the measure of him. He is our wind vane steering device. He steers by the wind and we treat him with a lot respect as he is on watch a lot and saves us steering all of the time. We cannot get him to keep look out though and he doesn’t join in with sundowners either!

Then finally we got a northerly wind, but it was so light that we wallowed along for 2 days at one point only covering 17 miles (of our 439 miles) in 12 hours (Keith said it would have been quicker to walk, but even He can’t walk on water....although he may be able to float on water now as he has chilled considerably since he lost all the stress of the weight on his poor shoulders before we left home!!) Not the usual fearsome reputation of Biscay (I broke my ribs sailing in Biscay in 1989). Then the final day the wind picked up still from the North and we steamed on down into Coruna finally! Didn’t see much of the sunshine on the way down here, but hopefully the weather changes from here on! (Wore our thermals all the way down and this is supposed to be August!) Good old yacht Rapau, she did well Pete and Jacquie!

Raising the Spanish courtesy flag on arriving in Spain

(can I claim advertising fees for wearing HWTMA fleece in Spain Garry?)

We met up with Bob and Arlene on their boat Seaya (used to be called Magic for those who know them) when we came into the marine, they awaited us with a hola! and a 5ltr box of 6 euro wine! (must seek this out!)

Wednesday 12 August

We have just about done all the sight seeing in Coruna, here are some of the sights. for those who like to look at travel writer books!

Hercules Lighthouse.

Maria Pita Square

And for the archaeological interest of the Trust:



A roman excavation in Coruna


And for the social interest of them and the rest!

I didn't really want another one.................

Had a trip on the train to Santiago de Compostella which has lots of lovely architecture. 8 euros and a nice day out, though a little commercialised. The weather has warmed up considerably now, even hot at last. Been for a few runs and only got lost once (oh and nearly run over several times as you know what it is like trying to cross the road when the cars come from the wrong direction!)

Leaving to hop round the coast further tomorrow.