9/17/2022 Cedeira, Spain
Up early waiting for the crew and the sun to come up so we
can leave the wind tunnel. Motored out into a calm ocean and a mild breeze.
Motored along the coast with not much wind taking in the cliffs and green hills
behind. The mountains were not as high as we made our way west and a little
south.
Arriving in A Coruna we took a slip at Real Nautico Marina.
First observation was that this marina was full of cruisers that had crossed
Biscay Bay from England and beyond, a 3-to-5-day trip. I could tell because
they had all their laundry hung from one end of the boat to the other drying
out. Also, the boats were well equipped; solar, wind generators, jerry cans of
fuel and water on deck, self-steering wind vanes…
There were lots of flags from Denmark as well as UK. Lots of
boats crewed by just a young couple out for the adventure of cruising. Next to
us was a Danish boat that the couple had pain stakingly restored and equipped
for a 6-year cruise. As it turns out the women was from the same part of
Michigan that Suzette grew up in.
We found ourselves confused as to what day it was. We were
convinced that it was Friday, but it was Saturday. This meant limited stores
today and very limited stores tomorrow. It was already late in the day so we went
exploring in the town. On the Marina Quay there was yet another carnival set up
and a band playing. We wondered into the old part of town and found ourselves
in a court yard of a beautiful 16th century castle.
There were lots of people wondering the streets and crowding
into the restaurants. We indulged in an Ice Cream that was really delicious.
Back at the dock the talked turned to the Orca attacks that had been occurring
in the area. The Orcas have been attacking mostly sail boats, damaging their
rudder. Part of the unsanctioned (illegal) counter measures were to drop a
firecracker overboard when being attacked. Supposedly this will scare them off.
The neighbor showed me a box of what looked like small sticks of dynamite, but
he was not sure where to buy them.
We tried to visit the Yacht Club, but we were booted out for
being under dressed, shorts and flip flops were not going to cut it.
9/18/2022
Lazy start to the morning. Don and Diane set off for a walk
and Suzette and I headed off in a different direction. We found a place to get
butane, but not until tomorrow. We walked along the coast out to Terre de Hercules
light house. This is the site of the oldest light house in the world from Roman
times. The grounds were a fabulous network of walking paths, sculptures and
views of the sea. We passed back through the old town and returned to the boat.
Finally sorted out my plug in for the dock and was able to
charge batteries using shore power. Lots of conversation on the dock as there
were more recent Orca attacks. We did find a place to buy fireworks, but they
did not open until Tuesday and we were leaving in the morning. There was a
group of boats leaving at 0800 hoping for safety in numbers.
In the evening we went tapas bar hoping to sample the delicious
food and wine. Capped the evening with another ice cream treat.
9/19/2022 A Coruna, Spain
I got up early to talk with the departing crews hoping that
someone might feel sorry for us and share some fireworks with us. My plan
worked, I was given 2 firecrackers! Three boats left together, but one was
towed back an hour later with a bad impeller. We slipped a bottle of champagne
onto Athena, the boat that gave us the fireworks.
Suzette and I walked to the store for Butane and Diane went
for fresh Baguets. We departed with much trepidation at 1100. We decided to
simply motor fast and stay close to shore. We rounded the point, passing Terra
de Hercules, we were already hearing mayday calls from the boat we spoke to
that morning. They had been hit by Orca and lost steerage. Shortly after that a
second mayday from another boat. We continued on at 8 to 9 knots and stayed
close to shore. We could hear the drama unfold on the radio, see the boats with
AIS on the chart plotter and eventually see the rescue with our own eyes. We
were happy to round the point and get into our anchorage in Comme, safe for
now.
This was one of the most beautiful coves so far; well protected,
white sand beach, naked girls on the beach and beautiful blue water. We settled in for the evening enjoying a swim, cocktails and a fabulous pasta dinner. The skies
were clear and it was calm all night long.
9/20/2022 Comme, Spain
We were now truly making the turn south and in the Atlantic Ocean. The weather was calm and we enjoyed a great down wind sail. Our best information on the Orcas said that they were moving north, we were feeling safer.
9/21/2022 Fisterra, Spain
Over coffee in the morning, we planned our voyage and Orca
strategy for the day. We agreed that if attacked we would stop engines and
gently reverse, dowse sails if up and keep quiet. It was a 35-mile run into the
Galicia National Park Islands, a protected area. I had procured a permit to
transit the area before we left home, but I needed a permit to anchor. On the
way we filled out the permit request on line and had our permits immediately.
The winds were lite, the seas calm and the skies clear. When we finally had 8 knots of breeze on our beam, we unfurled the main and code 0. This only lasted about an hour before we were back to motoring. We came around the south end of Isla Salvora and anchored on the east side in a very small cove. On the island was a light house with a huge building associated with it. We speculated that maybe it was a prison, like Alcatraz. In the cove was a building that looked like a small castle, evidently it was a sardine packing plant at one time.
9/22/2022 Isla Salvora
Slept in after a sleepless night. The fishing boats were all
around us plying their trade. We went to shore for a hike out to the
lighthouse. The land was made up of large well worn granite boulders, scrub and
small trees. We saw only signs of wild life, but no wild life.
We motored onto the next Island in the National Park, Isla Ons. We anchored off the nudist beach with two cruisers. It was a dinghy ride to the small town where we wondered the main street. We settled into a restaurant high on the bluff overlooking the bay. Cocktails, tortilla and empanadas as we lingered over the view.
Back at the boat it was a lazy afternoon, nap, sun and a swim.
9/23/22 Isla Ons, Spain
It was a very calm night and great sleep. Motored across the Ria to Cambarra and
dropped the hook in 5 m of water just west of the marina. The book said this
was a must sea old fishing village. We wondered the narrow streets, alleys and
walkways. It was a labyrinth of ancient buildings dating back to the 17th
century. There were these unusual structures built on a series of pedestals at
every turn. The cross on top made them look like crypts, but the venting on
the sides made that not very practical. It turned out that they stored
potatoes, corn and onions in them to preserve their harvest.
There were grotto like bars and restaurants lining the area
along the shore road. Stone ramps between the houses and down to the sea were
where they pulled the fishing nets in the mend and store them. This was listed
as the place in the world for seafood. We picked up a bag of mussels and
grilled them back on the boat for an appetizer.
As with so many places there was live music and fireworks in
the next town over. A huge display of fireworks and the music played all night
long.
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