IrelandMunsterCorkEast GroveEast Ferry51°51’56” N 8°12’49” W
July 22, 2016 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
Instead of being able to relax, my family decided to have a party eleven days after our arrival home.
Maeve's niece Laura made up t-shirts with "The voyage of the happy ship Eureka" for the crew. My daughter Emma organised the food. We discovered what Norma had planned for the Sangria and my friend Fionnghuala organised a slideshow of the trip.
Many others assisted and we had as many of the crew who were able to attend at our house for the whooley.
We had a great night and at some stage I fell into the bed and thought. The things we had to do to just to have a party!
A sincere thanks to those who helped me sail Eureka home:
Michael Punch, Paul Fitzpatrick, Laura Fitzpatrick, Máirín O'Donovan, Chris Browne, Dave Morey, Mary Healy, Mary Peelo, Maeve O'Donovan, Norma Hayes, Tony McCarthy & Paddy Meehan.
Not forgetting all those who helped in many other ways to fulfil my dream.Read more
IrelandMunsterCorkEast GroveEast Ferry51°51’56” N 8°12’49” W
July 11, 2016 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
The wind continued during the night and still stubbornly refused to go to the NW.
As the sky began to brighten at dawn, the wind slowly began to ease and at the same time slowly went at last towards the NW. Tony was on watch and passed the happy news down to me.
We were now able to safely change course towards the Old Head of Kinsale and unfurl more of the genny as the wind eased.
We didn’t want our speed to drop as we were now looking forward to getting ashore before lunch.
The wind continued to ease and the seas were rapidly dying down as we closed on the Irish coast. We were all on deck knowing we in the last hours of the voyage and the excitement was too much to be able to stay down below or sleep.
Paddy was first to sight land, the Old Head at 07.01 on Monday the 11th of July after four days at sea.
Tony and I couldn’t see a thing and didn’t believe him but then we hadn’t gone to Specsavers. We were still slagging him when we too saw it about thirty minutes later.
The wind now was only blowing twenty to twenty four knots, Force Five to Six. We were able at last to turn into the wind and hoist the main and then unfurl the rest of the genny.
We changed course on a broad reach for Roches Point and to enter Cork Harbour.
As soon as we had the hint of a signal we texted our wives ashore to give them our eta at East Ferry marina. I can’t remember if Tony and Paddy got replies but I didn’t get a reply from Maeve. She was still tucked up warm in bed.
It was dry and bright if not quite sunny after the last few days of misty grey skies. Morale was great as the lighthouse was sighted on Roches Point and we turned off the autopilot and were steering by hand as I had no intention of entering harbour with the autopilot on.
Paddy had taken over the helm and we had to harden on the sheets going almost on a beat as we passed Ringabella just to the west of the harbour enterance.
I had to prise Paddy’s steely grip from the wheel so that I could take Eureka into Cork Harbour for the first time. The skipper / owner has to have some rights.
As we passed Weavers Point, just inside the harbour, I suddenly saw something red appear under the genny in front of Eureka, I swung the wheel to starboard and just missed a head on collision with a port hand buoy.
We had relaxed and were too busy chatting with the excitement of being nearly home to keep a proper lookout.
Imagine the embarrassment of having to explain that we had travelled over two thousand miles safely only to sink Eureka within sight of home.
I was determined to sail as far as Marlogue but as we approached the forts at the narrow part of the harbour we almost didn't make it as we were on a beat with little room to manoeuvre and the wind had gone light. I didn’t want to tack but neither did I want to turn on the engine.
Luckily we were able to slowly edge past the forts and then turned north east towards East Ferry and were able to ease sheets again.
I then thought it would be a good idea to contact George Butler, the owner of East Ferry Marina for a berth as I would need a few days alongside to tidy Eureka before I brought her up to my mooring just north of the marina.
The conversation went like this; “Hi George, would you have a berth for a couple of days?”
George; “When?”
Me; “Now!”
George; “sus Pat! It’s Ford Week, we’re full……………………..I think there’s one on the outside at the very end.”
What more could one ask for?
We dropped the sails off Marlogue Point before entering the ferry and slowly motored up to the marina.
As we neared the marina, we could see Mary, Paddy’s wife and Ringo, his dog, who we could hear as well as see as he went mad barking at Paddy.
Dave Morey ‘The Bosun’ was also on the marina but there was no sign of Maeve. I was disappointed but had to first concentrate on bringing Eureka alongside before phoning her.
Then as we slowly approached the marina I saw a figure running down the gangway and there was Maeve arriving just in time to take a mooring line.
It turned out that Maeve had been down in West Cork sound asleep not expecting us back till tomorrow.
Máirín, Tony’s wife and Maeve’s sister was about to go to work and saw the text Tony had sent and woke Maeve to tell her we were arriving a day early.
Maeve tore back the road and arrived just in time as we tied up at 11.00.
A lot of hugging and kissing went on before everyone calmed down but Ringo never did!
I thought it would be a good idea for all to go for breakfast in the ‘Coffee Cove’ in Cobh so we did a quick tidy of Eureka and headed into Cobh where Sonya put a couple of tables together and we had the ‘Full Irish’ all round.
It was a great way to finish the trip.
Leg 17 - 584 mls. Total 2249 mls.Read more
Celtic Sea 50°1’31” N 9°51’45” W July 10, 2016, Celtic Sea ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
The wind continued to increase during the night. We reefed the genny further at 03.00 and by this stage had everything battened down. We were in full oil skins tied in with our safety harnesses and didn’t dare leave the cockpit. The hatch was kept closed at all times when not in use.
Most of the time we just sheltered under the sprayhood while the autopilot steered Eureka towards the Irish coast.
Once during the night while I was on watch the boat stopped dead in the water as if it had hit something solid.
At the same time I heard a noise like a train heading straight for me. A sixth sense made me throw myself forward under the sprayhood on top of the companionway hatch.
What seemed like a ton of water rushed down the deck and over the sprayhood and filled the cockpit to a depth of about a foot before the drains began to drain it away again. I even lifted my feet in case the water came in over the top of my boots!
I think that as we were climbing a wave, the bow caught the top of it, throwing the rest of the wave over the boat. Luckily except for this one, we only took the odd small wave aboard and nothing like this happened again.
I thought it was rough yesterday but it was worse today and by 10.00 they wind was blowing thirty one knots and an hour later it had gone up to thirty three knots before eventually increasing to thirty five knots, a Force Eight which is gale force with over forty knots in the gusts.
Eureka continued to ride the waves and behaved herself like a purebred but my heart was in my mouth when I’d come on deck and see that one minute I’d be looking at a wall of water rushing towards our stern and the next minute I’d be sitting on top of a mountain of water half afraid of falling off.
After about five minutes of watching this, I’d realise that Eureka was like a cork bobbing on top of the water and was handling the weather better than her crew.
We steered the boat so that its port quarter was always to the swell and the only time the engine was turned on was when we needed to charge the batteries.
It seems the gale that was to pass over Ireland had tracked further south than forecast and at the same time we were about one hundred miles further north than we expected to be. The end result is we were both in the wrong place at the same time.
I also tested out the strength of the furniture today. I was sitting on the end of my berth in the aft cabin trying to put on my leggings when Eureka took a lurch. I was thrown about five feet against the lockers on the far side and used my head to stop myself. I sat on the floor where I landed holding my head as I waited for the stars to clear.
Once I got up the courage to take my hand away I found that while I had a nice lump, my skull wasn’t falling apart and the skin wasn’t even broken and there wasn't a mark left on the locker!
By 15.00 we were due west of Lands End and had only about a hundred and twenty miles to go before we reached Roches Point.
It now looked like we’ll be tied up in East Ferry about noon tomorrow, all going well. Almost a whole day ahead of schedule.
I had done my planning with an average speed of 4.8 knots, instead we were powering through the water at 6 to 7 knots and had already averaged 5.8 knots since we left Muros.
We would have to try to contact people ashore once we were within reach of a phone signal if we didn’t want to be walking home from the marina as nobody was expecting us a day early.
We held our course for Galley Head still waiting for the wind to go around to the NW so that we’d have a reach into Cork Harbour.
We began our last night with the rest of Paddy’s ‘chicken’ curry knowing that we'd by tied up by lunchtime tomorrow and we began the watches soon after.Read more
North Atlantic Ocean 48°29’57” N 10°36’33” W July 9, 2016, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
We were starting our third day at sea with a good steady breeze from the south west and were eating up the miles.
The routine was well established by now and it was usually only at the change of watch or dinner that any two or more of us would be up long enough to have a chat. It became the practice that we’d put on the kettle as we were ready to come on deck and would pass a cup up to whoever we were about to relieve.
At 06.00 we changed course for the Fasnet. We were now level with the Ille de Noirmoutier, just south of Nantes and in a good position if the wind changed direction from the north west as forecast.
The wind had strengthened a bit during the night from a Force Four to a Five, which is considered a fresh breeze, by dawn and I had reefed the main during my watch.
We were now about eight hours ahead of schedule after almost fifty hours at sea.
It was now looking like that we will get home late on Monday night instead of Tuesday morning. I am hoping that we can keep up our speed and get tied up in time on Monday to have dinner ashore and a few pints to celebrate our arrival.
At 09.00 the strengthening wind meant that I had to go on deck to help Paddy drop the main which was already reefed and furl the genoa to the shrouds.
The wind was now blowing twenty two knots plus, a Force Six, coming in off our port quarter and we had a big swell coming in from the west.
Having reduced sail, the boat was now much more manageable. Paddy had his hands full before we reefed and we should have done it earlier but I think Paddy had stayed quite as he was in a rush to get home.
Tony stuck his head up through the hatch just at the right time to check if he was needed, when all the work was done.
Although we didn’t know it at the time, this was the beginning of the gale that had been forecast to hit Ireland but what was it going south, down here with us?
Winds were twenty five knots until 15.30 when the wind died a little and we unfurled the genny a little but the main stayed down. We had a big lumpy sea but Eureka was still powering along at over seven knots under the reduced sail.
Four hours later we were due west of Brest and changed course a bit further to the east towards Glandore.
We had a lovely hot dinner at 20.00. Tony reheated the last of his stew which tasted even better the second time around. Dinner always made us feel better for the night ahead.
We furled the genny a bit more again before darkness as the wind increased again and Eureka kept powering along at seven plus knots towards home.
By 23.00 we were due west of Quessant with two hundred miles to go and now about fifteen hours ahead of schedule. I am now updating our arrival to Monday afternoon.Read more
North Atlantic Ocean 44°9’42” N 10°32’11” W July 8, 2016, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
We had very little shipping so far but at 02.30 we had a close encounter.
There was a large cargo ship to the west of us. We changed course to the north and the ship changed its course to the west and we passed each other at a distance of about three miles, which out here in the wide ocean is close.
During the night the wind was light, about seven knots from the west and we had to motor sail under mainsail with the genny furled.
A second weather front was approaching and we could feel the wind slowly building. By 10.30 the wind was strong enough to unfurl the genny and we were soon sailing along at 6.5 – 7.3 knots and began eating up the miles.
The wind still hasn’t gone around to the SW and is stubbornly stuck in the NW but at least we have been heading on a course what wound take us just west of Ireland since midnight.
In the early afternoon fin whales were spotted blowing off to starboard.
One crossed about fifteen meters off our stern while Paddy and Tony were in the cockpit. While this was much too close for comfort it must have been spectacular to see but unfortunally the skipper was down below asleep.
It is possible that the snores coming from the aft cabin had made the whale curious.
Fin whales are the second largest species of whale and can grow up to twenty seven meters and one hundred and fourteen tons. That’s about two and a half times the length of ‘Eureka’ and fourteen times the weight. Just imagine if it hit us!
Paddy prepared a lovely salad for lunch but he took so long in preparing it that we thought it was dinner and didn't hold back from letting him know our thoughts.
Tony reckons that with all the green stuff, that his scurvy is cured.
About 16.15 the clouds disappeared and the sun came out for the first time today but at the same time the wind began to die and we were back to motoring till midnight. We were now west of the entrance of the Gironde, France.
There was a long ocean swell all day but we soon got used to it.
It helped when the wind came back up again at midnight and steadied the boat and had at last gone around to the SW.Read more
North Atlantic Ocean 43°40’7” N 10°10’8” W
July 7, 2016, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
We had an early start getting up in the dark. I had to drop back the marina key to the office. Unfortunally there was still no sign of Pedro who said he'd be there at 07.00 so instead I tied the key onto his door handle and headed back to Eureka. The result was we left the marina at 07.14, fourteen minutes late, not bad!
It was chilly when we left and there was little or no wind so we had to motor.
Two hours and ten minutes later, we had Finisterre on our beam, the ‘End of the Earth’.
It must have been scary leaving land behind and wondering when are you going to fall off the edge in the days when people believed the earth was flat.
I had plotted a course to take us north of the traffic separation zone off the north west of Spain. The wind was still light and from the north east for the first few hours. If we had tied to sail, we’d have crossed the separation zone and to do it legally we’d have to cross it at right angles which would have taken us too far west out into the Atlantic. This would only add to our journey so instead we continued to motor but had hoisted the mainsail in case we got a breeze from the right direction and headed towards the edge of the zone.
The wind was up and down during the day. At times going up to 20 knots and causing a swell to start and at other times hardly a breath .
At 15.30 we had lots of dolphins around us but they didn’t pay us much attention. I presume they were feeding and had more important things of their minds rather than playing with boats.
After nearly ten hours we reached the northern edge of the traffic separation at 17.00 and were able to unfurl the genny and turn off the engine. The silence except for the noise of the water slipping past the hull was lovely and peaceful and we began to sail on a beat on a starboard tack making 4.3 knots.
Ireland was due north of us but due to the wind direction we were at first heading NNE towards Greenland.
The forecast was for the winds to be from NE, force 2-4 today. Tomorrow afternoon it was to go round to the SW and pick up a little to force 3-4 before going to the NW as we closed on the Irish coast.
As a yacht can’t sail directly into the wind but can only sail about 35 degrees each side of it. The closest we could sail towards Ireland was the course we were sailing today which averaged out at 330 degrees which was nearly NNW.
One advantage of this course was that it was keeping us out of the Bay of Biscay which has a very bad reputation in bad weather. If we had changed direction to have the wind on the other side of the sails, we would have been heading NE into the bay towards Brest in France and we didn’t want that!
So the plan was to keep out of Biscay and keep slightly west of a line direct to Cork.
Today we could only head towards Greenland, a bit further west than we wanted. Then as the wind changed tomorrow we'd be able to change course towards the Fasnet.
Later, about the time when we'd be due west of Brest we'd change course bit by bit toward Cork as the wind changed to the NW which would allow us to continue sailing despite the wind shift straight for Cork Harbour.
Basically our course, all going well, would look like a slight curve to the west between the north west of Spain and Cork. Hope you're still with me?
The forecast had also showed a compact gale crossing over Ireland on Sunday but we didn’t have to worry about that as it would be well north of us and gone by the time we got anywhere near it. At that stage I expected we would be about 250 miles south of Cork and about 260 miles west of the port of Lorient in France, in other words, about half way home and much too far south to be affected by the strong winds.
We had our dinner as the sun was going down on our first night at sea. With full stomachs we began the watches with Paddy taking the first one.
As before, we set our watches for three hours each and I allowed the crew to pick whatever one they wanted with me taking what was left over. A happy crew means a happy skipper or so I hoped.
Paddy had the first watch from 21.00-24.00, I did 00.00-03.00 and Tony 03.00 -06.00 as he like to see the dawn. Paddy took over again and so it continued.
But shortly after the wind began to die and we had the engine on but left up the main as we were joined by a few pods of dolphins and had a lovely sunset as we cut through the water as we shortened to home.
We quickly got into a routine. During the day we were relaxed about watches and sometimes one of us would appear on deck for short periods to keep the watch keeper company and to make the tea or coffee. The only time we were all guaranteed to be on deck was for dinner and we'd have a good chat as we ate. During the night we stuck to the watch system and got as much sleep as we could.
So far so good.Read more
SpainGaliciaMurosCampo das CortesPunta de Rebordiño42°46’32” N 9°3’26” W July 6, 2016 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
It was a lovely day when we surfaced. If it wasn’t for the forecast, we could have left today but instead we will get everything ship shape for the great voyage tomorrow.
The ass licking continued. I was now keeping score between the two boyos.
I got tea served up to me by Paddy while still in my berth in the aft cabin. I might have given Paddy an extra score if he had known that it's coffee I have in the morning.
Tony and Paddy later headed ashore to do the shopping still giving out to each other about who was the sucking up to the skipper more while I went for diesel.
I decided it was easier to bring diesel to the boat instead of the boat to the diesel. We hadn’t used much since we filled up in Vigo but it still took two trips with a jerry-can in each hand over to the end of the pier before I had the tank full to the brim. I think my arms have stretched a bit.
We now had enough to get us to Roches Point even if we have to motor all the way but just to be sure I also refilled the jerry cans.
The crew brought back an ice cream to me after they had finished the shopping.
Are they no lengths that this crew will go to keep the skipper happy?
Long may it continue is all I can say!
We decided to add to the alcohol store that Norma had started.
No, nothing was missing from Norma's stock. We had resisted the temptation of even going looking for it, we just wanted some for ourselves.
While we saved a bit on the wine compared to Irish prices, it was the spirits that had the biggest difference in price.
Dave Morey had asked me to get him some Jameson Whiskey as he is a bit partial to it but it appeared that the Spanish also like it as I could only find two bottles in the whole town.
Many of the lockers were now full and the waterline was beginning to disappear.
Seriously officer; they're for our own use!
The lads took over the galley to cook dinners for the voyage home.
We didn’t want to do much cooking on the journey so the lads prepared the meals and we put them in containers before freezing them in the bottom of the fridge.
Tony made a stew with chilli while Paddy did a chicken curry but it didn’t taste like chicken!
Paddy had told us all he was going to make a chicken curry but when he went to find some chicken, he couldn’t get any and had to make do with beef.
The slagging lasted the rest of the voyage about the chicken curry that tasted like beef.
Once we were satisfied that Eureka was ship shape with everything stowed and water tanks full, we headed for the showers and then in search of another restaurant for our last supper.
We found one on one of the back streets but the staff had no English and the menus were strangely enough, also in Spanish. We ate outside and some of the owners family sat at another table eating their own dinner. It was all very informal. We had a nice meal more by luck of our choosing than by skill in translation and it was very cheap too.
The Welsh were playing in the Euros on a tv inside. The family noticed that we were half following it, so once we were finished dinner we were invited in to have a better view. We left a nice tip and as a result the lady of the house insisted in topping up our beers before we were allowed to leave. We went happily back to the boat to sleep it off.Read more
SpainGaliciaMurosCampo das CortesPunta de Rebordiño42°46’32” N 9°3’26” W July 5, 2016 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
We had our alarms set for 06.30 for a 07.00 start to make an early start to get up to Camarinas, about forty miles to the north of us.
I was looking forward to rounding Cape Finisterre and getting to Camarinas where we’ll be spending two nights as we get the boat ready for the last leg of the voyage home. Finisterre means ‘The end of the earth’. Imagine being able to say you sailed around the end of the earth?
However I was awake long before the alarm and was gloomily listening to the wind whistling in the rigging in between Paddy’s snores. Tony like me had a broken night’s sleep and I later discovered that he too had been listened to the wind.
It had been windy yesterday but as it's usual for the wind to die down during the night, we had been hoping to take advantage of the lull and get half the journey done before the wind came up again about 11.00. Unfortunally the wind doesn't seem to have eased this time.
Soon after, Paddy's alarm went off and I stuck my head out of the hatch to check the wind both on my face and on the wind instrument. It was in the low twentys and gusty.
I had been checking forecasts on the iPad while lying in my berth and the new forecast had increased the wind speeds for today and tomorrow. If we didn’t leave now we were stuck till Thursday but could we leave?
It was looking like Cascais all over again.
Following a short crew conference we decided it would be safer to stay put and instead leave for Ireland from Muros when the wind died down on Thursday.
There was no dissenting voices so we went back to bed and slept for another few hours.
Even though we were now in Spain, the Portuguese Trades just will not let go!
When we did get up, the crew were back to their usual good form.
When they were not bitching about each other, they were bitching about me!
There were even murmurings about Captain Bligh not being a fictional character and that he mightn't be the last skipper to be set adrift.
We had a lazy morning preparing for the voyage home and made a list of jobs that had to be done before leaving. Basically, Tony and Paddy were going to do the jobs ashore while I did the ones aboard. Most of the provisioning we were leaving till tomorrow.
One of the crew made a lovely salad for lunch which we ate in sun in the cockpit.
Sometime during the day I discovered that Tony had done Spanish to leaving certificate standard while I, with a failed intermediate cert, was the one that was trying to translate as we went along.
The crew must have being having a good laugh about that! We now have a new translator whether he likes it or not.
We spent the afternoon wandered around Muros sussing out where we'd be getting things tomorrow.
After showering we headed to last night’s restaurant for dinner but as often happens a second visit is never as good as the first.
We chilled out over a few pints and as we were going nowhere tomorrow there were no alarms set.Read more
SpainGaliciaMurosCampo das CortesPunta de Rebordiño42°46’32” N 9°3’26” W
July 4, 2016 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
We woke to a warm calm morning. Leaving Tony in his berth, Paddy and I headed ashore in the search of a supermarket to stock up with some provisions for today's breakfast and lunch.
When we arrived at the supermarket it was still closed so we wandered around and saw people coming down a narrow street carrying bread. We followed the trail until we came to what looked like an ordinary house but turned out to be the bakery. We got ourselves a few ‘Spanish’ sticks, fresh from the oven and for little or nothing, less than a euro each. We wandered back to the supermarket which was now open and got the provisions before heading back to the boat.
We left the marina at 09.40 and there was little or no wind so we motored slowly down the ria enjoying the scenery which reminded me of West Cork with the rocky outcrops and green fields.
At the mouth of the ria we hoisted the main and began motorsailing and once out in the open sea we unfurled the genny and with the engine off, peace reigned.
We first went north between Illa Ons and the mainland before heading north west to pass outside another island, Illa Salvora.
Unfortunally soon after, the wind changed direction and went on the nose so we had to furl the genny and motorsail.
At first we kept the main up until it became impossible to keep the sail full so we had to drop it and motor the remainder.
The wind began to increase but stayed on the nose so we weren’t able to use it. It was blowing 20 knots and increased to 25 knots as we had turned into the Ria de Muros e Noia. Unfortunally the wind also veered around and was blowing straight down the ria against us so we had to keep motoring.
We followed the north shore of the ria until we reached Muros, just around the first corner..
Paddy had been there a number of weeks before on his own boat and told us that we needed to call the harbourmaster, Pedro, on the vhf before entering.
Pedro was waiting for us and directed us to a berth before standing by to take our ropes.
We were all tied up at 18.15 after a fairly pleasant day even if we didn’t get to sail for long but we didn’t have much time to relax as the Spanish Customs arrived and ‘requested’ an inspection....and if we refused??
They were polite and professional and two went down below to search while one stayed with me in the cockpit and went through the yacht’s paperwork.
They seemed more interested in the paperwork than the search but then this was our third port in Spain since re-entering from Portugal and if we were carrying something dodgy, we wouldn’t be hanging around, would we?
Before they left they gave me a form to show to any other custom personnel that might wish to inspect us a second time.
I then had to visit Pedro in the harbour office to complete booking in as the customs had pulled rank, getting in first.
It turned out that the high season rates not surprisingly, began on the 1st of July and while they were reasonable, I would have thought that they would have been lower in order to attract more yachts in. The local authority have built the marina to increase tourism but it was only about 40% full while we were there. A pity as lower rates might improve things. Hopefully in the future more people will discover this part of Galicia as the local economy certainly looked as if it could do boost.
Paddy led us ashore on a tour of Muros (pop 8,700) which is a fairly small town stretching along the shore with high hills behind. A bit like Cobh but unlike Cobh the town doesn't climb up the hills and finishes just as they begin. It’s an old harbour town whose traditional economy is based on fishing and it looked as if it had fallen on hard times.
Paddy led us up and down every street and lane and I began to think that we'd be drawing maps for him and having an exam at the end of it. We eventually were allowed to think about food and went in search of a restaurant.
Normally we would look for the ones that locals go to but this time that didn’t work. We were left sitting for at least 10 minutes without anyone coming near us. I know they were busy but they seemed to be ignoring us and we were too hungry to wait any longer and left.
We headed a bit further along the shore where we found a restaurant that actually wanted customers and we ended up having a nice meal. The only downside is that they had the highlights of the F1 Austrian Grand Prix on a silent tv and the result was not what I wanted. Hamilton won.
While we were eating, Rohan an ex colleague of Tony and mine, rang to tell me he wouldn’t be joining us on the last leg across Biscay. His son had fallen off a garage roof and was in hospital. Thankfully his son has made a complete recovery in the meantime.
Rohan Murphy had arrived at my station a short time after me and we pounded the beat many times together. I remember talking to him about my plans to buy a yacht when I retired and of hoping to sail around the world.
Strange that over thirty years later that Rohan is now the more experienced sailor having a couple of transatlantic's to his credit.
We were late getting back aboard Eureka. We’re supposed to have an early start for Camarinas, which will be our last port before setting off for Ireland. Great preparation?
We wind is still blowing twenty two knots according to the instruments at the top of the mast but it's nice and sheltered fifteen meters lower down in the cockpit. Right, better get the head down and the zzzz’s started before tomorrow.
Leg 16 - 49 mls. Total 1665.Read more
SpainGaliciaPoioCombarroPorto de Combarro42°25’42” N 8°42’15” W
July 3, 2016 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
We woke to another lovely sunny morning and had a leisurely breakfast sitting in the cockpit. We were in no hurry today, our next destination was wherever we were going to be by tea time. The rush to get north was over and I had allowed a few days in my planning to explore the rias of Galicia. We were going sailing!
We prepared the boat to leave, filling the water tanks and moving things around down below to allow room for Paddy to move in.
We slowly motored down the ria to where Paddy’s boat ‘Blauwe Reiger’ was berthed and we motored up alongside and tied on.
The reason we had not berthed there ourselves was not because of Paddy's snoring but because the berths are a bit tight, really meant for yachts under 30 feet and it's full with local or long term boats with no visitors berths.
Tony went onboard with Paddy and passed over whatever gear Paddy wanted to bring home with him and we passed the folding bicycle back in the opposite direction. We fitted the hatch and winch covers, checked the mooring lines etc. before Paddy closed up the boat until the next time he'd returned and then they returned to Eureka.
We reversed out and headed out towards the entrance to the ria hoisting the main on the way.
By 13.00 we reached the open sea and motorsailed out past the Cíes Islands that protect the entrance. The ‘Islas Cíes’ are a nature reserve and you need a permit to visit them which Paddy had done a few weeks ago and was able to tell us about them as we past by. Now! If we had another week or two……………….
Once we were north of the islands we unfurled the genny and turned off the engine. At last! We were sailing again, for the first time since the Algarve, nearly four hundred miles ago.
It was great to be sailing a boat which is meant to sail. I was fed up with all the rushing and motoring since Alicante, so it was nice to be heading somewhere that we could reach by teatime and under sail too.
I left off the autopilot as I was enjoying steering Eureka along the coast. Once I satisfied, I handed the helm to Paddy for a spell to get a feel for the boat and later Tony took over.
I was planning to head to Sanxenxo in the Ria de Pontevedra but as we sailed along I was reading the cruising guide and I decided that Combarro seemed a nicer place so we continued on up the ria and rounded the Isla de Tambo.
The island has a lighthouse with a spiral staircase wrapped around its tower.
We tied up outside the marina at 17.00 and I went ashore to book in.
The staff had little or no English and even less Irish but the wife of one of the staff who happened to be visiting her husband translated and we soon had the paperwork done. We headed for the showers and then got ready to go ashore and have a look around.
The marina is a large modern one with good facilities and a bar / restaurant.
There are many premises built in a row along the breakwater leading ashore but about two thirds of them were empty and seem never to have been occupied. Hopefully in years to come the marina will prosper and marine businesses will come to this area of Spain to service both local and visitors boats.
Once ashore proper it was easy to see the new and old towns of Combarro.
We turned right towards the old town which is built of rough granite stone with narrow streets and little or no cars. They'd be too wide to get around.
Down by the shore were strange looking buildings what turned out to be grain stores. There were like small chapels standing on stone legs about 2 meters off the ground. Most of them were about 3 meters in width, 6 meters in length and about 2 meters in height with slits in the wooden or stone walls which allow the air to pass through.
They also seem to have a thing about witches in the town as many of the shops had models of witches for sale and some were also hanging from the balconies of houses.
We found a restaurant down by the shore and had a nice meal. While we were eating we could see along the shore that many people were fishing for shell fish or crabs on the sand. The tide was out and as it's almost flat, the was plenty of shore exposed.
We wandered back to the marina and stopped to have a drink at the small bar on the marina before returning to Eureka for a good night’s sleep.
Leg 15 - 30 mls. Total 1616 mls.Read more
