Coruna to Ria de Arosa – Thursday 11th June 2009

After an overcast day in Coruna when all we did was move the boat to refuel and pop into town for lunch, we were pleased to wake this morning to peace and calm…no wind. Tim went to get bread for breakfast and was promptly abducted by aliens. Actually, that’s not strictly true, but he certainly took his time and as soon as he was back, we were ready to depart.

It was still overcast as we slipped out of the marina at 9,30am but the best thing was that the surface of the water was unruffled, although there was a residual swell from the winds a couple of nights earlier. As we headed west, the swell increased but otherwise the sea remained calm and the skies started to clear. The nearby hillsides were peppered with wind turbines, some moving, some still; they obviously don’t need planning permission for them around here!

Having steadily headed west since we hit Spain, today we finally had a change of direction as we turned the corner at the notorious Cape Finistere, and it’s all downhill from now on! We celebrated this tremendous landmark with a bottle of champagne, and celebrated some more when the swell suddenly decreased, the remaining cloud cleared away and we motored into some great boating conditions. There are loads of Rias, or inlets, around here so we nosed into the Ria de Arosa and dropped anchor in a sheltered bay where we had a late lunch and spent the remainder of the afternoon sunbathing.

As I write, the sun is starting its descent towards the headland, the chicken is roasting in the oven and the ice is melting in the pineau. Don’t think we’ll be moving tonight -unless the anchor drags!