Tag Archives: Bayona

Nazare to Cascais via Peniche

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Party aboard SY Apodis

It was a “for one night only” stop at each of the ports south of Bayona and on to Cascais, where I planned to take stock, buy provisions and make any last minute repairs.

Captain Hadley

In Nazare, I met (not for the first time) with the crew of a German registered yacht called SY Apodis, (for their blog see www.sy-apodis.de), the Swedish ARC rally vessel “Wind” (with six young male crew members), the previously mentioned ARC rally vessel “Summer Song” and an English / Brazilian couple aboard “Angel of Rio”, in an American built catamaran on route to Thailand.

The renown (among many cruisers) Captain Michael Hadley (pictured here) was on hand to keep us all in check and ensure we berthed where we should (hint hint Angel of Rio…), and all but the Swedes gathered for drinks aboard Apodis where despite quantum elevations in our blood alcohol levels, the mosquitoes had a field day feasting on us. Actually, the mosquitoes had a field day with everyone but me, which makes me wonder if I should have put on a cleaner shirt before wandering off to socialize. 🙂

A lazy afternoon

Upon checking out the following morning (which is just a case of returning the shower key), I paid most of the 8.03 Euro owing before setting off for Peniche.

Apparently I must pay the 3 cents outstanding upon my next visit, either that, or I am to supply one pretty Brazilian girl as collateral. Hmmm, there is only one currently in port, and I don’t think Nigel is willing to let her go, and it’s quite a lot to expect I’ll bring one all the way from Brazil for a measly 3 cents! 😉

Sleepy dogs in sleepy Peniche

The marina at Peniche is still officially closed but there was no problem picking up a buoy in the well sheltered harbour. Having traveled just 24 miles there was plenty of time to play afternoon tourist and it is during my perambulations with Nigel and Martha from “Angel of Rio” (www.nigebyrne.com) that I rediscovered the ‘Fellini movie’ atmosphere of this wonderful fishing village.

La Dolce Vita in Peniche Portugal

The final 44 NM leg to Cascais was uneventful, but what a sense of relief to have arrived at my Atalntic crossing jump-off point without too many mishaps!

The one pressing concern, dealing with a broken rope clutch handle, was generously resolved by the previous owner of Louisa (Yarmouth23 No.8). Responding to my message on the Yarmouth23 owners user group on Yahoo, Steve volunteered to check with his local chandler for a replacement and having found the required parts, promptly purchased and sent them via courier to Cascais.

I am extremely grateful Steve, as all my attempts to source Spinlock gear in Portugal met with dismal failure. Thanks to your help Eileen of Avoca will be more than ready for the next leg to Madeira.

More amazing sailors!

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Viana do Castelo

I am blog writing while sailing! A real novelty for me because reading or writing below deck is usually a recipe for instant nausea. But today the sea is calm and I am motoring toward Aveiro at a brisk 5kts. So if you were ever wondering why my posts are delayed by several days, it is either because I need to be on steady ground before I find the incentive to write, or I’m having difficulty finding Internet access (which happens rather frequently).

It has been an interesting couple of days as I travel south from Bayona via Viana do Castelo and on to Leixoes (near Porto). I’ve seen some beautiful boats and some rather scruffy but functional ones all migrating south with Madeira or the Canaries in their sights.

Just to highlight this, what follows are a couple of photos taken on route:

Swiss tall ship in Bayona

I didn’t expect to see the Swiss out and about sailing in this fine vessel.  Pictured here anchored off Bayona, it made quite an impressive sight.

The not so glorious Gloria

Not so fine but certainly impressive, is Gloria, an English registered ferro-concrete yacht (you don’t see many of them these days), that perhaps has seen better days. Never mind, it hasn’t stopped the crew from patching her up and setting sail from the UK for warmer climes. Having paid just 1500 pounds to buy her, it goes to show that even on a boat budget considerably smaller than mine it’s possible to go cruising. I wish them well.

Cavok 5 and her Japanese crew

Even the Japanese have made an appearance in this years southerly yacht migration! I am pleased to say that I have made friends with the crew of Cavok 5, sailing their French built yacht to the Mediterranean, but returning each winter to Japan.. We had a short but enjoyable stay as marina neighbors in Viana do Castelo, conversing over espresso coffee and a glass of fine port. I do hope to see them again in the future… who knows, perhaps it will be in Japan!

The control center of Voya

I finally had a chance to look inside Rowland’s yacht ‘Voya’. Very nice! Though I think he has enough instruments to control the next space shuttle mission. Makes me think of the David Bowie song with the lyrics “Ground control to Major Tom….”

Saying goodbye 🙁

In Viana do Castelo I said goodbye to my “3-week friends”, and set sail alone for Leixoes. Frederic and Vivien on Avel Vat will stay near Porto for a week and the crew of Voya and Cavok 5 have decided to take a short break.

I hope to make the most of a patch of fair weather to reach Lisbon within a week.

Attempted repair of jammer handle

While I’m making good progress since leaving Spain, I have had the occasional hiccup. I now need to source a replacement part for a rope clutch that broke on route, and this is proving difficult. I’ve put the word out with the Yarmouth23 user group and perhaps they will be able to assist me with tracking down and sending me a replacement.

Fingers crossed!

The infamous Cape Finisterre and on to Bayona

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Cape Finisterre in October

Camarinas was a just a ‘sleep stop’ but it was here that we said our tentative goodbyes to the crew of ‘Yayou’ as they pushed on towards Porto at an unsavory hour. I state “tentative goodbyes”, because we may yet catch up with Andre further south.

Another Bonito for supper

The rest of us rugged up for a 9am departure and set off in a chilly Force 5. As luck would have it, upon reaching the infamous Cape Finisterre, Aeolus let up on his puffing. The sea rapidly calmed, and we were able to motor to within a cable of the headland. What followed was a once in a life-time ‘hey mum, look at me’ photo-shoot, sailing between the mainland and Finisterre’s little island. The local fishermen must have thought we’d gone completely loco.

Fish feast (German family centre)

On route I managed to catch another whopper of a bonito, so after anchoring off a lovely beach in Muros, I set about preparing the catch of the day. Much too much fish for one person, so the usual crowd gathered on ‘Avel Vat’ and we invited everyone else at the anchorage (just one German registered vessel) to join us for a fish feast.

Force 6 with gusts of Force 7 the following morning had me scrambling to put in one reef after another. It took quite a while to find a sail combination Eileen appreciated, but when we’d reached three reefs for the mainsail and set a whisker pole on the stay-sail she settled down. Eileen of Avoca managed to glide effortlessly at 6 knots under this sail arrangement! Not too shabby for a little 23ft boat.

Life vest inflates!

Unfortunately the wind did not last, and now that we have reached Bayona the forecast is for more dead calms. Looks like I will be using the motor generously over the next few days.

Despite the novel easy-going conditions I’ve still managed to get into all sorts of trouble. The latest incident involved getting the inflation cord of my life vest stuck while lowering the mainsail.

Now that it has been unexpectedly inflated, the vest is almost useless until I can find a replacement CO2 cartridge and have the zippers reset. Naturally the type of cartridge I need is about as common as 23ft boats crossing the Atlantic!

Bayona to Piedras Negras Marina, San Vicente del Mar

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The beach at Piedras Negras

The mornings downpour was relatively short lived and by early afternoon I made the most of the improved conditions and set out to explore the anchorages off Isla del Faro. I liked the beaches here so much, I went for a swim!

In truth, I managed to collect an unwanted souvenir around Eileens’ propeller and was forced to take a dip to remove the culprit. Otherwise I’d never have ventured into the water, especially after what I’d seen floating in it yesterday!

The anchorages off Isla del Faro are fine for a day-time stopover, but I didn’t feel comfortable remaining there for the night, so, having had my 30 second swim, I set off to investigate what Isla Ons (10 miles further north) had to offer.

Helicopter surveillance in Spanish Rias

On route, I was intercepted by the ‘big brother’ chopper for a photo shoot (see marked white bulbous protrusion in accompanying image).

Your guess is as good as mine as to why the helicopter crew found it necessary to take aerial shots of Eileen, (is she really that pretty?), but not wanting to be outdone, I quickly fetched my own camera and after a brief wave (for good measure), set about starting my own collection of helicopter photos.

The anchorages off Isla Ons were much worse than those I’d visited earlier in the day, leaving me no option but to push on for San Vicente del Mar, just 3 nautical miles to the north.

Sunset in Spanish Galicia

I was treated to a spectacular sunset and arrived at the little marina of Piedras Negras just as the last of the light faded.

If the surge within the marina was anything to go by, I made the right decision not to anchor for the night. At one point I wondered whether the entire pontoon would break loose, but even the jarring, creaking marina cacophony was not up to the task of keeping me from my sleep, and by morning everything had settled.

Sailing from Leixoes to Bayona, Spain

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Polluted waters in Spanish Rias

Leixoes turned out to be my last port of call in Portugal. I had originally intended to stop in Viana do Castelo but changed my mind on route as the weather was so enjoyable.

Not so pleasant was the amount of pollution in the water. Large patches of sea along the coast here, can only be described as truly repulsive. I was beginning to wonder whether my cooling system might clog motoring through this soup of effluent discharge!

What is this odd vessel?

I passed the time trimming sails that didn’t need trimming, rigging a boom keeper just for the practice and watching odd ships pass by. The one pictured here wins the prize for “oddest vessel of the day”. Goodness knows what sort of ship it is. If anyone knows, feel free to enlighten me. Fortunately there was little in the way of swell, because it certainly didn’t look very seaworthy.

Arriving in Bayona at dusk, I thought to anchor for the night. Unfortunately the anchorages marked on my charts turned out to be occupied by private moorings. I only discovered the next day that picking up a buoy for the night would have been fine. As it was, I took the advice (shouted by an English crew) that “this marina is cheap”, and took an outer berth at the Monterreal Club de Yates (at the foot of Bayona’s castle) for the night.

View from marina, Bayona Spain

The following morning, as I sat at the marina cafe admiring the view from the fortifications which included the replica of Columbus’ ship the Pinta berthed nearby, I satisfied myself that English dry humour and the 16 Euro a night fee were not so acerbic. 😉