2024 Sailing Galicia

Having enjoyed our second breakfast on arrival, courtesy of Sam and Rose, our first day in Coruna turned out to be quite busy. Our first formality was to say hello to Lorena at the marina office.   We’d been in contact by email for several weeks, and Lorena is the lady who makes dealing with Coruna marina a simple pleasure.   She’s efficient, communicates well, and seems always to be looking for the best option for the visiting sailor.   We booked in and paid in advance for a week, and Lorena took more interest in our papers than any marina we’ve visited.   She also directed us to the police station to get our passports stamped. After showering (and skipping lunch) Sam took us on a brief tour of downtown Coruna to the police station.     We were asked to return an hour later and as sailors do, we found a bar.   The passport process couldn’t have been more straightforward, we completed one form for all four crew, an officer checked it and stamped ou...

Tuesday was our easiest day of sailing.  First the sense that we were on the home straight, secondly the fine sunny weather, the calm winds from behind and relatively slight seas. I also spotted the most extraordinary aquatic gymnastics I’ve ever seen. My attention was drawn to a splash more than a hundred yards away, aft of our port beam.   I stared at the point, hoping I might see something more and was not disappointed.   A dolphin jumped completely out of the water, heading north. And then a few seconds later it repeated the feat.   And again and again, until I watched in awe at the sheer physical energy being expended as this magnificent creature propelled itself clear of the water no less than seventeen times in succession.   It then turned and cleared the surface in the opposite direction, before turning again and performing one more acrobatic leap northwards. Why would any sea mammal do this?   I could only assume for fun, just for the sheer...

 During the morning we ran the engine for an hour, in part to top up the batteries and keep them happy, but also to generate some warm water for the crew to take a shower.  The weather was so pleasant that I was able to peg out my washing on the guard rail to dry.  We also reached the half way point, a full 12 hours earlier than expected.  The forecast suggested that helpful Northerlies would end by Thursday, so better to arrive early than late. Before lunchtime we were surrounded by dolphins, possibly as many as six. We also spotted two other sailing boats at different times, Calypso and Dalliance, both within a couple of miles of us.  Each seemed to be tracking our course for several hours and we were surprised not to see them again much later as we homed in on Coruna.  The rest of Monday was calm and uneventful as the waves eased and the wind veered to NW in the evening. Anna downloaded another forecast using their Iridium Go, and used a rout...

  Sunday was a day of continuing good progress, seas still lumpy, but we felt we wanted to eat as normally as possible, albeit out of bowls rather than plates, which we held onto whilst eating.     We passed Lands End at noon and Wolf Rock an hour later.   Liz was now getting into the passage, and had overcome earlier feelings of seasickness, and prepared a wonderful lunch.   Rice salad, salmon, tomatoes, and beans remaining from the previous evening’s Ox cheek casserole.  All washed down with the finest mineral water on board. As we saw Lands End disappear behind us, we studied the several alternative weather forecasts we’d downloaded before losing mobile coverage.  The forecasts all pointed the same way, that in the early hours of Monday morning we could expect stronger winds again. During my sunset watch, 9pm to midnight, the wind strengthened from 3 /4 to 5/6 , always from the direction WNW.   We gradually reefed until we had two reefs ...

As we left the marina and rounded Battery Point, it quickly became clear that the initial winds were far from favourable.  Force 6 WSW set against a fast ebbing Severn Estuary tide, made the sea bouncy, and determined that we would need to motor-sail for probably the next 12 hours, as we first tacked into the wind, and later in the afternoon we would fight the incoming tide.  We quickly deployed safety harnesses in the cockpit, and each strapped on. Bones noticed that the pin on the shackle holding the mainsail outhaul block to the boom traveller had worked loose.   Clearly this was one I’d forgotten to seize (lock) with wire.   Thankfully, he was able to tighten it with pliers without leaving the cockpit, whilst the boat was bouncing around. As we passed Flat Holm at noon, we realised we would need to reef the mainsail at some point, but noticed that a kink had appeared in the mainsail luff near the foot of the sail, a feature that may well prevent the sail from...

Biscay has a somewhat fearful reputation, and as the crossing from Portishead to La Coruna is almost twice the longest non-stop voyage we’ve achieved with Eas Mhor, and nearly three times the distance we’ve ever sailed as just a couple , we were glad to have Anna and Bones on board, a decade younger, and with some five times our experience, including many Atlantic crossings.  A strong, well-maintained boat, and an experienced crew were important.  And so also was the weather.  A ridge of high pressure was extending from the Azores to near Ireland and a low pressure zone sitting over Norway, which together promised settled favourable winds in the arc from West through to North for up to five days, our planned minimum journey time.    To our surprise and delight, Martin and Lyn met us as we locked out of Portishead.   It was great to be waved off by friends, and as we packed away fenders and mooring lines, not expected to be needed until Thursday, our frien...

  Welcome to our blog about sailing around Galicia in our boat Eas Mhor in Summer 2024. Liz and I (Richard) have sailed together for 35 years on five different boats, with destinations including Scotland,   Ireland,   West, South & East coasts of the UK, NL, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal and the Western Mediterranean. Our Mediterranean voyage, during a two year career break 21 years ago, took us briefly around Galicia, North West Spain, with rugged coastlines,   wild Atlantic seas, and large calm protected Rias (Spanish sea-lochs).   We loved it.   For twenty years we’ve promised we’d return.     And this year we’re going, direct across Biscay, nearly 600 miles non-stop from Portishead to La Coruna, with very experienced and professional delivery crew Anna and Bones. Our preparations have been extensive, including “polishing” (filtering) the diesel in our tank, cleaning the tank and topping up at Portishead Fuel berth. Our insurer req...