Cangas

It was a beautiful calm day as we left Punta Lagoa and motored the short 5 miles or so to Cangas across the Ria. Lynne had been in email contact with the Club Nautico de Rodeira and we assumed that we had been booked in for that night. We were surprised when we raised them on the VHF to be told they had no room for a vessel our length until Sunday. We quickly anchored in the bay just outside the harbour ( luckily we are getting pretty slick at this ) Lynne again sent a quick email and the confusion was resolved, they hadn't realised who we were. Once we went into the marina and berthed in the small pontoons we were again profusely apologised to for the confusion by Bea, the very helpful office person. We also were surprised when a fellow club ( OCC ) member Peter came into the office to introduce himself. The Ocean cruising club is a very helpful and friendly organisation, Peter went out of his way to introduce us to everyone and make us welcome. He keeps his yacht Papageno in Cangas for the summer, another sailor who has been seduced by the Galician Rias, Peter has been based here for several years. His homeland surprisingly was the Republic of Ireland. The Irish had discovered Galicia long before anyone else and there were three Irish yachts in the small marina at Cangas. Once more we were the only boat flying a red ensign. Once formalities had been done we retired for refreshment and a chat with Peter.

We were taken the the small cafe/bar that was actually directly opposite our pontoon. Dark Tarn can be seen in the above photo hiding behind the motorboat in the centre of the photo.

The cafe was  very nice and we enjoyed some great tapas, Peter also introduced us to the manager who turned out to be called Alex. This was beginning to look like a lot of boxes being ticked.

The situation was looking good but we needed to stay at least overnight before we committed to stay for six months. I walked along the pontoons and noticed a lot of the boats were moored with shock absorbers, either springs or rubber. This told me there was swell or surge that got into the marina and disturbed the moored boats. The adjacent ferry terminal was a source of some disturbance when a ferry docked, not necessarily a problem we had been in a similar situation in Getxo. Surge is basically a short period when waves and swell rock and disturb the boat, not necessarily a massive problem, however you do need to be aware and prepare for it otherwise it is possible to abrade and break mooring lines if the boat is unattended for any length of time. We wandered into town to continue our recce.

It turned out to be quite charming in a very Galician granite kind of a way, the old town was the usual rabbit warren of narrow streets, the local church was preparing for a four day fiesta, and we had arrived in the afternoon when most things were shut. No change there!

The town had a comfortable and charming feel, a world away from the cheerless concrete suberb of Vigo that was Punta Lagoa. Cangas is a holiday resort for Spanish people and is very busy in the summer. The beach is superb, with great views across the Ria to the city of Vigo.

There were several boats at anchor who obviously hadn't had the foresight to book into the marina in advance!

The marina is also a sailing club and is the centre for the local traineras rowing boats. I was pleased to see small kids in Optomist dinghys ( Oppys ) out sailing in the bay. The kids got access to the water by means of a sloping pontoon by the harbour wall that sheltered the marina from the Ria.

It was all looking very positive and we decided to stay until Sunday to watch the procession of the religious statues and of course the fireworks we were getting very accustomed to. We left the boat that evening to walk around and look at the festivities.

There were many stalls and a fair in the palm tree park, we wandered through making our way to a bar by the beach. Well several actually! 

Just by looking at Lynnes face I guessed that all the boxes had been ticked and we could safely book in to Cangas for the winter. We could explore the Rias for another month or two and we could take up our berth in Cangas in October, continuing to sail and enjoy Galicia. It was a very relaxed evening and we knew the noise would continue until the wee small hours so we were in no particular hurry to return to the boat and It was 1.30am or so before we returned to find the gate to the pontoon was locked luckily one of the mariñeros was On duty to let us in. Another box, this one the security box was ticked. 

Vamos a Vigo

I 

The Spring tides as well as giving cars drivers large repair bills were also giving us some mild concerns. Over breakfast one morning I was listening to a sandy scraping noise coming through the hull which on inspection turned out to be our rudder hitting the bottom. There was very little swell luckily and Dark Tarn is very strongly built however on looking over the side I could clearly see the bottom and even some brave flatfish swimming under the keel.

It was clearly time to move. As the tide was rising we still had some time especially as the night tides tend to be smaller, we could afford to stay another day. The rest of the day we spent swimming and chatting with our neighbours. We had to rescue Jim and Megan's dinghy as we went into the beach we noticed them swimming strongly after it as it drifted out to sea! We went to pick it up and as Jim walked back into the beach he stood on the grapnel anchor it had been moored to, so he arrived back on the beach with all his bits intact.

Magnet had already moved out to deeper water due to touching the bottom.

The same quay that had seen the unfortunate incident with the car now had some suspiciously pyrotechnical stuff being loaded onto two rafts that were later floated out into the bay

That night the tide was slightly higher at low water so we didn't touch and at midnight as the fiesta officially came to an end the fireworks began.

It was a spectacular display and we had the beat seats in the house. We went to bed and talked about going down the coast about 30 miles to Vigo to check out some of the marinas for a winter berth.

Tuesday morning at high water saw us leaving the bay at Pobra in a misty pale sun.

It was a bit chilly in the sea fret and later on as we left the Ria it started to rain a little. As we passed the Isle de Ons opposite the Ria of Pontevedra the wind went north and we were sailing " goose winged " that is to say with the main on one side and Genoa on the other.

It's a twitchy point of sailing demanding a great deal of concentration from the helmsperson, in this case Lynne who did a great job of avoiding a gybe.

 Soon we were approaching the quite stunning islands called the Isles de Cies that protect the Ria de Vigo. 

One of the reasons for staying in the Rias was to explore these offshore islands which are part of a national park and the navigation to and anchoring at them, is very strictly controlled, requiring a special licence to navigate. Which takes a while to arrange.

We past the lighthouse at Cabo de Home the northernmost headland of the Ria and the sun came out lighting the approaches to Vigo and the fantastic beaches at the Ensenada de Barra.

 

We sailed into the very busy Ria heading for the first marina we had chosen at Cangas. We only had time for a glimpse as we sailed in and out of the harbour as we were headed initially further up the Ria past Vigo to a marina at Punta  Lagoa.

It is visible in the above photo, it's below the small wooded hill on our port bow.

The sun was now surprisingly hot and as we dropped sails and got unfamiliar fenders and lines ready. Unfamiliar as we had been at anchor for nearly a month. Lynne radioed ahead and we were met at the entrance by a marinero who directed us to a huge berth, well 15 metres.

This marina was the cheapest we had found for a winter stay and initial impressions were good. It certainly was sheltered and the berths were large and easy to manoeuvre in.

It had been built for a major sailing event for maxi yachts, hence the large scale of the berthing however at the end of the event the fascilities were demolished by the local council. A very shortsighted move that is the basis of an ongoing dispute to replace them between the new owners and the council. A dispute that unfortunately has still not been resolved. The portacabins on the sea wall were not particularly impressive especially as they are shared with a sailing school and a diving school. Also the showers were tiny even Lynne could barely turn around without knocking the taps off.

Also the marina is a bit isolated shops being in a pretty unsympathetic concrete satellite town up a steep hill. A 20 minute walk through some drab and cheerless architecture. Lacking the Galician charm we had come to expect.

We  two days to explore and while the situation and small walks around the headland were attractive we decided it wasn't suitable for a winter base. The transport links were not great and we decided to look elsewhere.

Celebrations

We had been invited aboard Modus Vivende to celebrate Bobs 60th birthday. This was a curry night so our popadoms that we had carefully smuggled in came in handy! Jim and Megan had done nan bread and Megan had even baked a cake. Splendid.

L-R Maureen, Bob, Jim and Megan

We had a lovely time and it was such a change to enjoy a good curry, thanks to Maureen.

The booze flowed freely and it was very late before we departed to our respective boats.

Of course the day after had to be cancelled and Lynne and I could do no more than lie on the beach and swim. The beach got progressively more crowded as the tide came in. One visitor parked his car on the slip not realising that the tide would come up nearly three metres ( it was springs )

Dark Tarn is in the background in the picture above......

Soon a rescue committee had been formed and a crowd of local lads were determined to save the car from the encroaching waters.

Eventually after a great deal of pushing , shoving and robbing a fishing boat of a warp to tow the car , which still had its handbrake on, it was retrieved.

We had decided to stay in Pobra as there was a four day festival on. The Carme de Pincheiros. As usual this was signalled at ten in the morning and evening by 21 bombas de patenque, the very loud fireworks we were beginning to get used to. Around six we wandered up toward the church to see the preparations for the evening parade.

There was the usual ' gigantes ' or giants This time accompanied for no apparent reason by a clutch of Disney characters and Asterix. 

These were accompanied by traditional bands which in Galicia means bagpipes.

There were also dancers in traditional costume As the mass in the church finished the decorated statue of Carmen was brought out to join the parade initially carried by an all female group.

 We moved towards the front to catch the full effect. There were quite large crowds gathered along the route.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the music and dancing.

The last part of the ceremonial involved a religious service on the quay to invoke the protection of Carmen for all the men of the sea, which we appreciate.

By this time it was 9 o'clock at night and we returned to Dark Tarn as the fishing vessel carrying the good wishes of Carmen visited the fish farms in the bay and returned to the sound of the 21 bombas reverberating from the surrounding hillsides in the pink evening light.

Of course as this was only the second day it would all happen again tomorrow with fireworks!

Pobra

The dawn broke with the children in the 'oppys' being rather subdued, I cracked the hatch to see them flapping about in what amounted to a flat calm.  After coffee and weetabix for me we raised the anchor and set off for the short hop of just over 6 miles to Pobra do Caramiñal to meet up with Bob and Maureen from 'Modus Vivendi' and Jim and Megan from 'Magnet'.

We raised the mainsail but to be honest it was a token gesture, the wind was a force 1-2 meaning less than 5 knots most of the time.

Of course it would be churlish to complain as the day was beautiful, we got to take a leisurely look at the Ria de Arousa, a fabulous archipelago of rocky islands and white sand beaches. When I first heard of the Galician Rias this was exactly what I had imagined. Today, it didn't disappoint....

Lynne took charge of the boat as we threaded our way through the many mussel farms and isolated rocks, not to mention the very many fishing and workboats. Good practise for 'colregs' ( collision regulations ) and eyeball navigation.

 The day was building into a hot one and to be honest looking around at the small inland sea that the Ria represented with its seemingly unlimited anchorages, fishing villages and beaches along with many islands of all sizes, I wouldn't have swopped places with anyone. Not for the first time I was wondering why rush past, there is so much to explore and that doesn't include the places that we had barely touched inland.

Quite soon as we sailed along in the barely perceptible breeze the approach to Pobra came into view.

We slid around the floating mussel platforms ' bateas' and carefully checking The depths anchored in 3 metres alongside Magnet and Modus Vivendi.

We were the only yacht flying a red ensign, the other three boats at anchor were all Irish!

We joined our friends for afternoon drinks and caught up on 'gossip', lovely to get together and we all seemingly had come to the conclusion that this would be a great place to spend the winter.

After a convivial afternoon  concluding with Bob towing us back to Dark Tarn after our dinghy mysteriously lost an oar, which we retrieved thanks to Bob, Lynne and I went ashore for supplies and to explore a little.

We found the tourist information and an extremely helpful young lady gave us a huge amount of information including, when she discovered we were staying around, a beautiful book about the Camino that was created in the 60s that traced St James last journey with his two disciples Theodorus and Athlanasius up the Ria de Arousa and then the river Ulla to Santiago. Maybe a winter project?

We found a cafe and sat down for a think surrounded by cool tiles and running water. Incidental ley This café has an impressive art collection on display inside.

Drinking coffee we began to realise that we had made the right decision and it would be wrong to rush past this fabulous coastline without exploring it properly and preferably before Brexit made a stay in the EU of more than 180 days if not impossible at least expensive.

We wandered along the seafront to the fantastic supermarkets that Pobra is blessed with to buy essential supplies, we planned to stay for a while as there was a four day festival happening from Friday. Not to mention Bobs birthday. The weather was forecast to be rainy tomorrow but after that the sun would return. In the photo above DT is just under the young lady with the basket on her heads arm.

That evening after a Spanish dinner of Zorza ( spicy pork ) and pimentos de padron with bread we sat in the cockpit to watch the sunset and the moon rise, as it got dark we noticed a wildfire developing on the mainland past the island of Arousa opposite us, I'm afraid this isn't a very good photo.

 After a few hours it seemed to die down and after midnight the rain began and for once I was quite grateful as it would be sorely needed across the water. 

Friends

We had arranged with JB ( Jean Baptiste Richard ) to meet up with him and his Spanish girlfriend Anna. Anna is from Santiago de la Compostella and her family has a holiday home on the Ria de Arousa. JBs parents also holiday on the Ria. We went ashore to have a look around, the anchorage had proven to be quite noisy being close to the fishing harbour and the wash from the constant flow of fishing boats rocked us about all night!

 

To be honest we were so tired it didn't really really bother our sleep and we were woken by children in Optomist dinghys ( oppys ) having a great time sailing around Dark Tarn using her it seemed as a mark!

Undeterred we rowed ashore and walked along the front past the industrial Lonxa and its many cold storage warehouses and open areas full of nets. We found the older part of town and as usual we had arrived in the middle of ' lunch afternoon' we found a small cafe on the front and ordered a portion of the mussels that the Ria is famous for.

These are huge, very meaty and to be honest, not a lot of money.

Did I mention they are delicious, possibly the best I have ever eaten.

Lynne and I made the mistake of ordering a Tortilla along with the usual fries and salsa sauce, to be honest we were a bit over faced and took half the tortilla away with us. It is very easy to eat good seafood in Galicia.

JB was having issues with affecting a rendezvous with us and Anna at the same time, not really surprising as Anna was pregnant and due tomorrow!  It gave us time to look around the town a little as we wandered through the streets decorated with fish nets we got constant updates by text as to JBs progress, or lack of it. It mattered not a jot as we had already decided that our plan to nip along to see our friends in Pobra du Caramiñal  about 6 miles along the coast could wait until tomorrow so we were in no rush.

However eventually we got together and it was a real pleasure to see them both. We had last seen each other in Newry where we had spent a winter, JB aboard Soteria, the classic schooner that we had shared a quay with.

We stopped at a bar for tapas but JB insisted we accompany them to meet their families who were having a last meal together as JBs family were returning to France the following day. We walked along to where JB and Anna had a car and the huge family group was waiting. Possibly 20+ people mainly on JBs side. We were made to feel very welcome and drove to a small fishing village along the coast called Castiñeira. The moon was full And it made a splendid sight as it rose over the opposite shore.

We all eventually found a seat in the restaurant, and we were treated to sardines and pulpo, done in the typical Galician style and eaten in the same being shared between everyone at the table. Anna's father was slightly concerned that we may not like octopus but I reassured him we were adopting a Galician attitude to seafood only avoiding persebes ( goose barnacles ) I think he was pleased about this as they are very expensive! JBs family being French were also unfamiliar with pulpo, it made for an interesting conversation regarding the surprisingly involved preparations needed to tenderise the tentacles ,luckily, Frenchmen are never loth to discuss food! I never quite figured out everyone's relationships but it didn't seem to matter. There was a lot of kissing and hugs which we English really should do more of......and talk about food more.

Everyone in the photo below is family.

We had a fantastic evening and were put to shame by the multi lingual nature of the conversation both Anna's family and JBs taking pity on us and speaking English along with French and Spanish.
Anna's father paid the bill and I can't thank everyone enough for allowing us into a family occasion and being made to feel so welcome, we came as strangers and left as friends. 

We even got serenaded by some local guys who may have had a little too much wine but were nonetheless very tuneful singing traditional Galician songs ( at least I like to think so )

A fantastic night and JB dropped us at the beach and Anna promised to send us pictures of her new daughter as soon as she was born, we know her name but I can't tell,l it's bad luck in Spain.