Baiona

Baiona is also known as Bayona, it is symptomatic of the rise of regional independence that the launguage changes so much, it is a small problem for us as we struggle to get to grips with a different launguage and in a hundred miles not only spelling but pronunciation changes. We were now in the last Ria before the border with Portugal and realistically the furthest south we would get this year. It is the end of the Rias Braxas, the southern rias.

I was keen to go ashore and visit the Pinta, as was Lynne having done the same voyage herself.

The Pinta was one of only two of Columbus's small fleet to return from the new world, allegedly the fastest of the three ships it was the first to return under the command of Martin Alonzo Pinzon. His brother Vincente was captain of the Nina, which Columbus sailed back in after the Santa Maria was lost on a reef. Pinzon actually returned to Spain whereas Columbus was unfortunate to land in Lisbon ( Portugal ) there has been some controversy ever since about the true relationship between the brothers Pinzon and Columbus and whether they should be credited with joint discovery of the New World. I tend to think they should, reading the diaries and accounts of the times ( albeit heavily redacted by Columbus ) it becomes obvious that Pinzon was evidently a superior seaman to Columbus.

The Pinta is 17 metres on deck ( 56 ft ), only 20 feet longer than Dark Tarn. However with a crew of 26 I think we probably have more personal space. We had been given MP3 players so that we could have a guided audio tour in English. This proved very interesting even though we constantly seemed to be ahead of the commentary!

The ship is set up with exibits, this is Pinzon himself with the navigational instruments of the day the cross staff and astrolabe, in principle exactly the same as the sextants we have on board, used for measuring the altitude of celestial objects.

 There are also exibits of items in the hold of the ship that were brought back from the new world like potatoes, tobacco and surprisingly, peppers. Where would Spain be now we wonder......?

Just behind Lynne in this photo is a representation of Rodrigo de Triana in the rigging who is credited with having the first sight of land in the new world, he can be seen pointing enthusiastically!

Soon it was time to move on to see some more history, namely the fortress on the rather grandly named Parador national Conde de Gondomar, the fortress is known more commonly as Monterreal.

It's possible to walk around the fortress at a low or high level, initially we took the longer ( 2 km ) lower route.

It provides some stunning views out towards Islas Cies and the bay of Baiona.

Some of the remains of fortifications are a bit of a mystery which only adds to their charm.

 We came across a grotto which was elaborately decorated with the familiar shell of St James.

By the aid of strategically placed steps , rope handrails and the like it was possible to climb up and examine the different statues in various niches in the rock. A lot of effort had gone into it and continued as it was beautifully maintained.

The path carried on and was a delightful walk under the fortress walls.

Soon we were back in the harbour area, which was also one of the many beaches for the town.

Dark Tarn can be seen at anchor beyond the moored boats.

We decided to have a coffee and an ice cream before attempting the second circumnavigation of the fortress walls.

For the princely sum of 1€ we were allowed on to the battlements and could wander at will within the fortress walls, it's actually now the location of a rather posh hotel.

The views if anything got even better.

The town beaches and marinas could be seen and of course Dark Tarn out at anchor in the bay beyond.

There is as well as a hotel a rather good restaurant, but again rather rich for our blood and we contented ourselves with visual pleasures.

Of course we had to have the obligatory canon shot!

 Here is rather a nice view of Islas Cies behind a tatty herring gull, the island about half way is part of the extensive reef that protects the bay to the north. You can detect the breakers to left and right.

Once more we returned to the harbour area and one more bit of climbing was required to see a sculpture which depicted the discovery of the new world.

We weren't quite sure what it was trying to say but we imagine Columbus is the one with the posh hat.

The following day we had one more tourist thing to do and that was to climb to the statue of the virgin that could be seen on a hill just to the west of town.

 This is known as the Mirador Virxe da Roca and is a bit of a climb up a steep pine covered hill past the 12 stations of the cross.

These are arranged to the side of the path and spiral up toward the summit.

The statue herself is very impressive and is made primarily of granite with the exception of the hands and face which are white marble.

It's possible to go inside and climb a tortuous spiral staircase to a viewing platform that can be seen on the boat held in the virgins right hand.

 This is not for the claustrophobic as its a fairly tight squeeze.

Also the platform itself is rather small, however the views are the best to be had.

 Out to Islas Cies and the long line of reefs.

The bay, Ria and town below.....

And of course the virgin herself.

As you descend around the back there is a very convenient cafe where we had a reviving coffee.

We had been pleasantly surprised by Baiona and would return again before leaving the Rias.

The hotel that has been built inside the fortress of Monterreal. Looks a little like Alcatraz but it really is very posh!

Leaving the Ria

After 10 days we had decided and paid for six months of winter berthing at Cangas, this would begin in October. ,We left Jim and Megan exploring Vigo and we sailed out into the Ria heading south for Baiona. We took a long leg out towards the Islas de Cies, both because the wind dictated it and the extensive reefs off the north of Baiona insisted on it, also I wanted a closer look! It isn't possible to land or even anchor near the islands unless you have a permit to navigate, something I was in the process of doing. It can however take some time. The permit that is....

The beach behind Lynnes head was voted by the Guardian in 2008 as the best beach in the world. It's on Islas de Cies. The islands are truly beautiful and a haven for wildlife hence the tight control over visits by yachts.

We struggled a bit with the winds and I decided to try the inshore passage into Ria Baiona. This turned out to be surprisingly easy but the sight of the extenxsive reefs breaking for miles out to sea was a bit sobering. Soon we were anchored in the large bay of Baiona.

This was a lovely anchorage with extensive views out back towards the islands and the lush green hills behind white sand beaches astern. We put the dinghy in the water and went ashore.

Baiona is famous in maritime circles as being the first port of call of capitain Pinxon of the caravelle ' Pinta' who first brought news of the discovery of the new world, not Columbus, he followed on the ' Nina' having lost the Santa Maria on a reef in the Caribean. The Pinta can be seen in the above photo.

It's a replica of course but can be visited for a very reasonable 2€, we would do that later.

There is a very nice beach and park near the fortress of Monterreal. A mural shows the respective routes of Pinxon and Colon ( Columbus )

 The fortress again is open to the public but we decided to look around the old town.

The architecture is typically Galician however the prices in the cafes and restaurants were a bit eye watering, very expensive and upmarket.

The town hall is a fine old building in the oldest part of town and is near a small chapel that has a great collection of statues and a fine alter piece. The statues are all clothed as usual and to be honest some are downright creepy!

The weather was getting very hot and we only had a small window to explore, we were tired after  a week of festival and an early start. So decided an ice cream and then back to the boat for tea.

Lynne was taken by a shop that seemed to specialise in witches, they aren't actually witches, but in Galician folklore they are the next best thing.

Tomorrow we would see a bit more of this historical town in the last Ria before Portugal.......

Blogger/ apology

Blogger has ceased support of its mobile app for IOS ( iPad and iPhone ) something that has been giving me a headache for the last week. During the winter I will migrate this blog to another platform, in the meantime please don't panic if posts are a little few and far between. Hopefully I should be able to make the transition painless unlike googles total lack of support for their own product.

Gripe over

Back to Spain.......

Decisions

We have been pondering where to spend the Winter. Lynne is sold on staying in the Galician Rias. The uncertain future of an extended stay in Spain under Brexit is a factor as is the commitment of another Atlantic crossing. The prospect of staying and sailing in this fabulous cruising area, spending some time exploring inland which we have barely touched, as well as acquiring a navigation licence for the islands that make up the Atlantic National Park, all weigh heavily in favour of grabbing the opportunity now. The ability to fly home and spend time with family at Christmas is also to be considered, my father is celebrating his 90th birthday next April. We had pretty much decided, and Cangas was looking as though it would tick all our boxes.

We were lying on our favourite beach discussing these issues when our friends Jim and Megan on Magnet came in sight. I called them up on a handheld VHF ( they had texted us about their arrival the day before ) and arranged to meet up for a beer at a beach bar, they would anchor off the beach. They also were seeking a winter berth somewhere in Ria Vigo.

Magnet anchored just off the main beach at Praia Rodeira, she is centre in the above photo..

Suitably clothed we walked down the boardwalk and waited with a beer for Jim and Megan in the comfy seating area. The discussion that followed was basically a continuation of The discussion that Lynne and I had just had. Flights home, prevailing winds, how long could we sail in the Rias, how windy would the winter months be and how cold. Unfortunately Magnet was too big to fit in Cangas, being 15 metres overall so Jim and Megan decided to take bicycles over to Vigo on the ferry and look at the marinas on that side of the Ria.

Lynne and I were also doing some research, we decided to walk to the nearest LYDL supermarket, ( we rely on LYDL for decent meat) but rather than follow the road we walked along the coast beyond our favourite beach. We discovered a series of deserted beaches.

All accessible by foot or dinghy and with the added prospect of some good snorkelling.

The path leading up to the main road is hidden in the trees to the right hand end of the beach in the above photo.

We walked back along the main road very pleased with our discoveries. Stopping at the main beach again for a coffee.

Life was proving to be very hard, we still had the noisy festival to deal with so on the basis that if you can't beat em join em we stayed out and watched a couple of local bands. Helped by our Galician agenda we decided to try and watch an orchestra in the main Park de Palma. This turned out to be a great decision. The orchestra was called Son de Seu and were from Vigo. They consisted of about 40 individuals playing 4 harps, 7 Hurdey gurdeys ( barrel organs ) various violins cellos, a marvellous percussion section, bagpipes of course and a wonderful vocal section. It was a sound unlike anything I have ever heard before. At one point two of the girls singing were playing paella pans, wonderful! The whole orchestra seemed to having a wonderful time and the infectious Galician rhythms were making it impossible to stay still.

The front rows of the audience were soon dancing and one of the bagpipe players was conducting the audience in synchronised clapping. It was a brilliant evening and I wasted no time in downloading one of their records later! There are several performances on YouTube that you can watch to get a flavour of the music.

 

Lynne also got to browse some clothes shops ( we must have got up too early! ) a favourite was a little hippy shop tucked away down a side street in the old town.

We also came across a whole bunch of brides complete with wedding dresses on the beach. We were told they were shooting an item for local TV, but what that may have been we never found out. I suspect it may have had something to do with a domestic violence campaign that was current but it could have just been wedding dresses!

I was a little disappointed occasionally when I thought of the Caribean, but to be honest it sometimes felt that we had it right here.......

It was certainly too good to hurry by............