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Published: August 27th 2009
The Three Rias we visited - Muros, Pontevedra and Vigo
So many people we had spoken to told us how beautiful the Rias of north west Spain were. In all honesty, we had no idea of what to expect in real terms but essentially they are like big, long and wide areas of water, a bit like Pittwater near Sydney in some ways. They have towns and villages dotting the coastline in some of them and in others such as Ria de Vigo, the city of Vigo takes up a big chunk of the coast. Our first port of call was of course Portosin in the Ria de Muros where we sailed to from La Coruna.
Portosin is a small seaside town with a pretty active fishing fleet. The marina is not all that large and space is at a premium but we jagged a nice big section of a hammerhead pontoon with good water, electricity and free Wi-Fi. The price was no where in the same league as Marina a Coruna but of course being much smaller, they were practically full every night with visiting yachties and local permanent berth holders.
We read in the pilotage book
that a nearby town of Noia had some interesting old parts of the town (like what place have we been to that hasn’t had this feature!!) so off we headed on the bus to check it out on one of Debsy’s magical mystery tours. We met a great couple of Parisians, Roman and Ellen, at the bus stop who also had their boat in the same marina as us and as usual we struck up a conversation in double quick time, agreeing to meet up later for drinks on board.
Sure enough we found some lovely old churches and a very interesting old graveyard that had headstones dating back to the 14th centuries. It looked like they had converted the Church in the cemetery to be a museum to display the headstones and tombs while the more recently departed were taking up the space in the surrounding cemetery.
We did the usual visit to the interesting parts of the town, taking in a picnic lunch at yet another square near a very big and old church, grabbing arvo’s at a pavement café before attacking the very large and bountiful supermarket prior to getting the bus back to Portosin.
One of the lovely parts about being in Spain is the abundance of Eucalypt trees that can be found on most parts of the coast. To see them and smell the beautiful eucalyptus aroma reminded so much of home. The other parts of Spain we love so much are the people and their friendliness and helpfulness. They really, really appreciate our attempts at speaking Spanish and seem genuinely chuffed that we have come all the way from Australia to be here.
The area we are in as I have mentioned before is called Galicia and according to all reports is very much ‘traditional Spanish’ whereas areas of Spain in the south eastern part has been overrun with expat Brits and Germans who have taken up either holiday or permanent homes there or the hordes of British and German tourists who flood the country. As such, so we are informed, you see very little, if any of traditional Spain in those areas.
Anyway, back to Portosin. There was a really nice small beach just a minute or so’s walk from the marina so we spent quite a few hours there, soaking up the beautiful warm sun that we
had been missing. The water is still quite cold but we have all had a bit of a dip, mind you, not staying in for long though.
We had a great night on board with Roman and Ellen, they joined us for a couple of drinks after dinner, well it was going to be a couple of drinks but they ended up staying till 2.00am. Roman has a PHD in Physics and Ellen has a PHD in Literature so their English is rather well used and as Ellen had lived in Madrid for a couple of years, her Spanish was evidently fluent as well. Really great guys and we clicked with them so well, and we really appreciated Roman’s invitation to come and spend a few nights in his apartment in Paris anytime we like. If Ellen’s recommendation is anything to go by, Roman’s cooking takes a lot of beating.
There were signs being displayed on just about every lamp post showing that the Circus was in town so on our third night in Debs, Layni, Luke and I headed off to see the show. It wasn’t a big circus by any means and it was one of
those small family run shows where everyone gets in on the act with the girl selling tickets later turning into an acrobatic show and then later the magicians leading hand and the lady selling popcorn, chips and drinks in the van later being the lead of the little dog show. They had tigers, show horses and other acts that kept us entertained for about two and a half hours. Even though the M.C of the evening delivered everything in Spanish, as you would expect, nothing was lost in the failure of us being able to translate. We do think though that so many words in Spanish are just English words that have had the letter a or the letters so just added to them.
After another day or so we set sail again, heading down to Ria de Pontevedra with the intention of staying at a Marina at a town called Sanxenxo. Roman and Ellen told us it was a ‘plugged in’ town which we translated to mean pretty ‘wired’ or exceptionally cool. It was about 35 to 40 miles down the coast so we were not concerned about leaving all that early. Roman and Ellen left some time
before us but as their boat is somewhat smaller and with a much smaller engine, we ended up catching up with them as there was little or no wind to speak of and we were motor sailing with the benefit of tide.
The sun was still beaming and if we had to motor sail it was in pretty nice conditions I have to say. We ended up stopping off at a pretty big beach that had a caravan park at either end and was absolutely packed. We dropped the anchor and had a late lunch and the kids loosened the spinnaker halyard and used it as a makeshift swing. They would get up on the bow and launch off, swinging down the side of the boat before letting go and plunging into the rather cool ocean. They had a ball for a couple of hours until we up anchored and headed to Club Nautico Sanxenxo.
There were heaps more power boats in the marina and the marina itself was surrounded by bars and restaurants. Roman and Ellen joined us for a B.B.Q dinner on board and they spoilt us by bringing over a couple of really nice bottles
of Spanish red. We have been drinking the $5 to $6.00 jobbies but these were obviously of a different league and we really appreciated the gesture. We crashed about 1.30am hoping for a good nights sleep even though the bars and nightclubs were rocking the rooftops. We thought they would have to end soon but they didn’t, staying open till 6.00am!! The place was very upmarket and it appears the very cool thing to do is come into the marina with your nice big shiny power boat with either a boat load of gorgeous damsels on board to go partying at the nightclubs with or head to the nightclubs and come back with a load of gorgeous damsels to put on your boat to show off to everybody!!
The marina was not cheap and to have little sleep was not good value by anyone’s standards so we decided to leave there that day. Before we left, Debs and I went for a walk into town and it was chock a block full of Spanish holiday makers and the beach was packed. We have never seen so many people walking on the beach at the one time anywhere, there were
hundreds and hundreds of people walking with such determination that you really had to watch where you were going.
We did a bit of a restock at the supermarket as we planned to anchor off the village of Combarro which came with high recommendations. We headed off across the Ria to another really nice anchorage and beach and the kids had a few hours swimming, snorkelling and swinging off the boat again. We anchored up behind a small island not far from Combarro and had a really nice relaxed night, making the most of the protection the island afforded us and enjoying not having to pay marina fees. There are heaps of dolphins in this Ria and the pods regularly passed the boat, both during the last of the daylight and into the night. The place was so quiet compared to Sanxenxo and you just heard the puffs of air as they slid past the hull of the boat searching for their dinner.
Another beautiful sunrise, bright sunshine and dozens and dozens and kayaks, and oarsome foursome boats going past at ten to the dozen. There must have been some type of rowing regatta on with the finish
line further up the Ria and they seemed to be going past for hours.
We headed into the marina that day with the intention of taking in (yes you guessed it) the old town of Pontevedra and the restored old fishing village of Combarro. We berthed up at what must be the shortest pontoon that Sunboy could possibly fit into at the brand new Combarro marina. We could not work out why, having built such a flash new marina that they did not cater for what is now about the standard cruising boat length. The whole marina was made up of these ridiculously small pontoons.
We grabbed a cab into Pontevedra and explored the not so new part of town which was beautiful. When we came back, I headed over to Combarro to check it out and was fascinated by this little gem of a place. The whole place is made up of small buildings made out of sandstone and 99 percent of them have been restored and modernised with the addition of new timber doors, window frames and shutters. Whilst a few of these buildings are homes for a select lucky few, a large number of them
Portosin Marina
Jumping from this height only broke one fin doh!!are now bars, restaurants and shops.
The place is totally fascinating and the kids were very kind in suggesting that Debs and I go out for dinner so off we went and had a great Spanish meal at a waterside taverna. The food was simple but really nice and it was great to sit and watch the grill chef cook plate after plate of char grilled sardines over the open fire. We found a small shop front that sold a local young white wine called Alborina among other liqueurs and their own version of Spanish Grappa. We ended up buying a bottle of white wine, a bottle of grappa, a bottle of coffee liquor and another one which is a bit like a Baileys. All of them were quite cheap compared to bottle shop prices and all tasted fantastic, so much so that we went back the next day to buy some more grappa. The beautiful little old lady who made and sold it was very taken with the family from Australia and she gave the kids ice creams and she gave Debs and I some home made empanadas made with fresh mussels. Her English was about as good
as our Spanish but we got by and her big kisses on our cheeks as she said farewell were full of feeling and appreciation for our visit to her store.
We stopped at a small bar near the end of the village and had a coffee under the grape vines and were fortunate enough to meet some Brits who were also on a boat in the marina. Tristan and Nadine had been sailing in the Portuguese / Spanish area for 6 months and were on their way home to return to work in London. They had a friend with them, Louise who is a retired school teacher who has lived in Spain for the past 8 years. They were quickly invited to the boat for drinks and they quickly accepted so they joined us later in the afternoon for a few beers and machine gun chatter about where they had been and where we should go and where we should avoid.
We took the kids out for dinner that night and thought it appropriate they try Paella at least once while we were in Spain. We went to a different restaurant to the one that Debs and I
went to and whilst it was good, it wasn’t the taste sensation that we perhaps were hoping for. At least the couple of plates of calamari were right up there as far as flavour and tenderness were concerned so that balanced things out well.
The town was getting ready for a rather large Fiesta and all through the day and night, skyrockets were being set off. These skyrockets don’t explode into bright coloured lights or anything like that; they set of a series of explosions, a bit like stun grenades being launched into the sky. They make a hell of a racket and whilst are good fun to watch and listen to during the day, tend to be a bit of a pain in the @#%$ when they are set off during the middle of the night, especially when they seem to be let off just above our boat.
We provisioned up the next morning before heading south for the Islands of Ceis which came highly recommended by Tristan and Nadine along with a heap of locals we had spoken to. These islands are just off the coast of the Ria de Vigo, where we had to go
to drop Debs and Layni off to catch a bus to Oporto in Portugal where they then had to catch a plane to London to catch up with Jacqui, Wayne and Sasha Holden for a few days.
The two islands are part of a National Park and we were told that you are supposed to have permits to visit and anchor off. There were rumours that the fines ranged from 3000 Euros per boat to 100000 Euros per boat depending on the length thereof. Tristan and Nadine also told us that if asked, we had to act dumb (not hard for me I hear you say) and say that the guide book mentioned nothing of the sort.
We had a brilliant sail down to the Islands and it was a shame they were relatively close and we were reaching along at over 9 knots most of the way, basking in yet more sunshine. We came across Le Yes also anchored up in the bay and chatted to them for a while before heading to the southern end of the island to get a bit of protection from the prevailing northerlies. They bays and anchorages are full of power
boats and yachts
Had a beautiful evening on board and Debs and Layni are starting to get very excited indeed about their little break away. We woke the next morning to be surrounded by fog, not an uncommon occurrence in this part of the world but one that we had not encountered before. We set off with my eyes fixed to the plotter and radar and Debs and Luke sitting up forward keeping a watch and listening out for ships and fishing nets and pots.
Fortunately the radar worked very well and we were able to avoid some small and not so small ships in the Ria as well as some rather speedy craft heading out to the island, hoping to get a good spot before all the other day trippers made their way out there. We tied up in the very small Vigo Yacht Harbour and the harbourmaster very kindly let us stay there while we arranged for Debs and Layni to get packed and organised to catch a cab to the bus station and then onwards to Oporto, about an hour and 45 minute trip away.
They got away about 2.30pm and Nikki and Luke
and I set sail back to Isle de Ceis. We hoisted the main and headsail and had a brilliant windward sail back toward the island. We had about 15 knots of true over the bow and Nikki had a ball tacking in toward and out of the way of oncoming race fleet that was heading into the Ria. There had to be at least 100 yachts all with their spinnakers hoisted making their way to the finishing line some where deep inside the Ria. They made a brilliant spectacle to enjoy as we were having a ball sailing back to our island hideaway.
We anchored up for the afternoon in a nice sheltered bay on the northern side of the southern island as there were southerly winds forecast for the night. They might have eventuated but they certainly didn’t disturb us at all.
The next morning we moved anchorages to be over at the main beach of the Island called Rodas Beach which according to ‘The Guardian” (The brochure we have refers to the Guardian as a Prestigious British Newspaper) has crystal clear turquoise water, fine grained sand and woodlands reaching down to the beach, referring to it
as ‘the best beach in the world’ Well it is beautiful there is no doubt but I wouldn’t put Korora Bay Beach or Diggers Beach out of the competition for best beaches in the world if Rodas Beach is the benchmark.
The three of us went ashore in the dinghy and I headed up to the campground supermarket for some bread and milk. The campground is packed with holidaymaker’s tents, some quite large, others small enough to put a loaf of bread in and be crowded at that.
Every three or four hours, huge catamaran ferries come from the mainland disgorging hundreds of people onto the island and after they have disembarked, others leaving this bit of paradise embark to head home, back to work or wherever. There are lots of walking tracks around the island, other beaches including Figueiras Beach or Germans Beach, and according to the Brochure is ‘one of the most attractive nudist’s beaches in Galicia’. Well it would appear that nudism is not confined to Figueiras Beach as naked bods seem to dot the rocks all around the place. Some of the walks lead up to the majestic Ceis light house at the top
of the island which Nikki and Luke intend to climb up to at some stage.
We were able to get some fresh bread and some UHT milk and some bacon so after spending a couple of hours on Rodos Beach we headed back to the boat for some bacon and egg rolls for lunch and a spot of relaxing, reading and sunbaking on board. That afternoon a very thick sea fog enveloped the island and it was fascinating sitting on the boat watching it roll in, slowly but surely covering all the landmarks in our immediate surroundings and blotting out the coastline completely. Bloody glad we weren’t out sailing in that one. We treated ourselves to a very nice lamb roast for dinner, having enough left over’s to make the old family favourite, lamb fritters for tomorrow nights dinner we hope.
We woke up to a very foggy, cloudy, rainy miserable morning so we hummed and ahhed about what we were going to do but in the end we just stayed put and later in the day the weather broke and out came the sun again. The winds were starting to shift so we moved anchorages to the
southern end to get a bit more protection and feasted on lamb, left over veg and corn fritters with potato mash - yum. Ivo, our new best Dutch friend told us of a trick with the leftover bread that tends to go stale very quickly. He told us to rub water all over it and put it in the oven for a while so we tried that and lo and behold we had bread that was just as fresh as if it had come out of the bakers oven, thanks mate for the tip.
Well we ended up staying at Ceis until Monday morning when we had planned to head over to Bayona, clean the boat up and get some water, reprovision the larder box and get ready for the return of Debs and Layni. Every day we stayed there was basked in sunshine and we had the best time ever lazing around completely relaxed and enjoying ourselves immensely. It was a good lesson in water conservation as there was no where really to get more unless we headed off to the Island under the cover of darkness like some special forces mission to fill up some containers
under the noses of the campground guards. Don’t think there were any guards at all actually but the idea of lugging water containers all that way didn’t appeal at all.
Most days saw the comings and goings of power and sail boats either those flying Spanish flags or the usual smattering of international flagged boats either heading south as we were or the unfortunate ones who were heading north, back home for their winter months. The idea of bashing into headwinds all the way back to the UK and further north has no appeal for me whatsoever.
It was only about 6 miles back to Bayona and we had the boat all prepped the night before so it was simply a matter of getting up and getting going. There was no wind so we motored over toward Bayona. We were about two miles off the marina when we got a call over the radio from a British yachtsman calling for assistance. We motored over to this incredibly small yacht with a heavily reefed mainsail. It was only about 6 metres long at best. He had left Poole in England TWO weeks ago and had such light winds he
had only been making about 40 to 45 miles a day. He had run out of water and had run out of tobacco and his outboard motor had conked out about 24 hours previously. Get this, Spanish customs had come out to him during the night and he asked for a tow back in and when he told them he was British, they said, sorry, too busy and left him there bobbing around in the middle of the night with no wind to help him get to an anchorage.
We gave him a tow to an anchorage and he was one very happy camper I can tell you. We were all gobsmacked at how small his yacht was and call him courageous or foolish; we could not help but admire his commitment to his cause. We got into Monte Real Yacht Club at Bayona mid morning and set about getting ourselves organised for the return to the other crew members. Will report more on Bayona in the next blog.
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Patrick
non-member comment
A little behind
I have to be honest, I was a little behind. Now that I've read your family stories it keeps getting better and better. And it's so great to read thath you meet new people who travel along for a few days of more. As 'experienced' traveller I can say we always did the same. Specially when there's a click (and offcourse for Al someone to have a beer with on the front deck. Enjoy the time you still have and we'll talk over a beer in the beginning of novembre when IAMSTERDAM meets OZZIE. Have fun!!!