We headed off toward Gijon in Spain with a nice NW forecast and swells around 1m. An expected crossing of 36 hrs at 6.5 knots. All in all a fairly easy overnight sail, although still pretty tiring as Jen and I shared watches of 3 or 4 hrs each. The thing is, sailing is tiring! Not that we have to exert to much energy, but the fresh air and the gentle rolling of the swell makes you feel like a baby in a basinet and it seems the most natural thing to do is have a little nap..
Still finding our sea legs we were a little seedy at times but managed to cover each other well enough to keep a good watch at all times. The night stars where bright and shone down on us and the sea enough to make the horizon just visible, even though there wasn’t much moon.
A few pods of dolphins escorted us into Spanish waters which was a big thrill for Mami and Jack. Unfortunately we didn’t catch any fish the whole way though!
We arrived in Gijon on the Northern Spanish coast around 250M, 36 hrs later and headed into the Gijon marina in time for a wander around town and pizza and Lasagne dinner. Nice to be out of La Rochelle and on our way South. I love the Spanish people. When they talk its like they are singing, and they are very social. After Siesta they all head out to the town to meet with family and friends for dinners and drinks. Kids play in the parks till dusk (around 10pm) and parties and fireworks go long into the night.
A couple of nights in Gijon and we headed West along the coast about 10hrs to Ribedeo. We arrived around 6pm and after a quick check in and washdown for Sephina we set out to explore the town and find FOOD! There was a concert in the park and we wandered around, eventually finding a nice little restaurant with great food and service. The waiter laughed like Santa clause every time he spoke and we all had traditional Galacian meals. After dinner a complimentary coffee liqueur made by the owner was a nice digestive.
The next day after a nice sleep in we headed 5 hrs West to Viviero. Jen and I were here two years ago and we like the town and marina. One night was enough to show Mami and Jack around the town and next day we headed out to anchor just off the main beach for the night before heading toward La Coruna.
