Tranquil Anchorage in Ria de Arousa

The Rias have been the most beautiful cruising grounds, full of empty sandy beaches, deserted anchorages and playful dolphins. Arousa was amazing, especially Palmeira and the bay just east of it. There was so much to watch, with the daily activity on the fish farms and local people collecting shellfish from the rocks as they uncovered at low tide.

Shellfish Harvesting in Palmeira

Almost all of the beaches have swimming areas cordoned off with yellow buoys, plus a channel for motorised craft and have lifeguards, toilets, recycling and normal bins, showers and ice-cream kiosks. We also saw them being raked first thing in the morning. In one or two bays, the proximity of the shellfish beds or fish farms to the buoyed off beach area meant there was little room to anchor, so we avoided those.

Glorious Beach in Galicia

We explored a couple of towns, but spent a lot of time on the boat, messing about in the dinghy, fishing and trying out our new inflatable kayak which wasn’t as unstable as it looked! On one occasion we decided to anchor off a very busy tourist resort beach and it was one of the most entertaining afternoons we have had.

Sea School Dinghies

There were jet-skis, pedaloes, little sailing school dinghies, people rowing out to say hello and a local fishing boat which had caught a 20 foot power boat in its nets just off the beach. It was hauled in against the fishing boat as they continued to try to get their nets onboard. At the same time the powerboat skipper was trying to untangle the net from his prop. As this was all going on, another 2 powerboats tried to motor across the nets only just being turned away at the last minute by the frantic waving of the fishermen.

Ooops!

The weather has been good, as only 4 days in the past 5 weeks were foggy. One day it rained but almost all of the nights it was very calm without a breath of wind so we slept soundly firmly anchored in the sand. The majority of days have been hot and sunny with just endless blue skies. Again we have been impressed with the spade anchor, which has held brilliantly in some strong winds when others around us have dragged.

Dolphins Playing by the Viveros (Fish Farm Floats)

The 98 foot British yacht ‘Ameena’ which we first saw in A Coruna was also anchored near us in Ria de Pontevedra before she headed for Bayona as we left for Vigo but we couldn’t keep pace with her, despite doing up to 8 knots! As we approached Vigo, in the fog, ‘Independence of the Seas’ appeared doing 17 knots coming towards us on her way to Southampton.

One day we decided to motor up under a huge bridge to check the anchorage at the top of the Ria de Vigo and even though we knew we could easily get under the bridge we still held our breath as we went under as we have never sailed under a bridge before! The anchorage was disappointing though, very windy with poor holding so we returned to Moana and spent 4 nights there in total. On Saturday night there was a free concert in the bandstand just by the anchorage.

Approaching the Bridge - Ria de Vigo

We made it!

Room to Spare!

The solar Christmas lights we bought last year have seen plenty of use decorating the cockpit and hanging underneath the bimini. Once a week we dress for dinner, cook a nice meal and sit outside under the party lights.

Sunset and a Calm Night Ahead

We have seen lots of British yachts and in one bay there were only 3 yachts, all British but none made the effort to contact the others. In another anchorage the only other British people came over to chat straight away and told us they had done the ARC in 2000. In marinas people tend to be more sociable as we are in closer proximity and meet straight away helping new arrivals with their lines.

Some more maintenance was necessary as we found the cone clutch on the anchor windlass was slipping so Rob had to pull up 20 metres of chain by hand, which wasn’t his favourite task of the trip, so he got his homemade workbench out, which fixes to the cockpit table and stripped down the clutch to make a temporary modification. This works well at the moment but we need to find a very large washer to complete the job so will be hunting around Bayona today.

Workbench in Action

Yesterday we had a good sail here in 16 knots of wind and sunshine, berthing in the Sports Harbour marina in strong wind and being blown off the short pontoon. There aren’t any pick up lines to contend with though. Now Beyzano is safely tied up, with visiting boats from various countries including 3 British yachts nearby and another ARC yacht anchored in the bay outside. We may dinghy over to see them later as they are the first ARC yacht we have encountered so far. We may stay here an extra day or two to await the arrival of another ARC yacht, Salila, as we met her skipper on a course in February.

The marina charge was 83 euros for 2 nights including electricity and water but the Wi-Fi doesn’t reach the visitor’s berths and there are only 3 showers in a portacabin a long walk away, no laundry nor restaurant. The latter doesn’t matter as there are countless restaurants nearby and a couple of supermarkets within walking distance. Everyone is very friendly and we have found all the Spanish really helpful and sociable throughout our time here.

Evening Row in Evening Dress!

The pre-ARC SSB net has started but we have only tuned in twice since 1 August and not heard anyone else. Also on the subject of the ARC, we have just picked up an email from our crew to find they can no longer make the crossing, so whilst we have a couple of days with Wi-Fi, we need to try to find one or two experienced sailors to join us. They will need to fit into the crew polo shirts we had made back in January as well! As we will all be living in close quarters for about a month, it is essential to meet up beforehand and now we are already half way to the Canaries, it isn’t as easy as it would have been back in the UK. Fortunately our son James has managed to get time off from his new job and will be with us, so we already have the 3 required for our insurer.

From here we intend to sail longer passages south with just a few stops in Portugal before heading for Madeira, then the Canary Islands. I need to return to the UK in September for a few weeks to help my parents, so we need to get Beyzano somewhere safe for a while.

The adventure continues to be a great experience and we are settling very happily into our new way of life.

Breakfast in the Sun

The Offending Article!

The problem was as in the photo but we have a new part and tested it this morning with Alfredo and Oscar onboard to make sure it all worked. What an amazing sound a running engine is – I will never take it for granted again! One thing to note, was that the bill needed to be settled in cash as they don’t have a card machine. Later in the evening Oscar brought us a huge bag of pears from his grandmother’s garden – really kind. We also had drinks with our neighbours on ‘Streetcar’, also on their way to sunnier shores.

So we should be on our way tomorrow morning, after filling up the water tanks, charging up the laptop and phones and getting some fresh provisions. We just got a gas bottle refilled and this was only 14 euros compared with about 20 pounds in the UK. It has been a lovely place to stay, the marina staff couldn’t be nicer but we will be glad to do some sailing again and get further south.

Wooded Backdrop at Portosin Marina

We will be anchoring again for the next few days, so won’t have internet for a while.

One of the Town's Squares

It is our second day in Portosin Marina, a very friendly place to stay and fortunately with helpful engineers on site. Alfredo thinks the problem lies with the valves and/or head gasket so the head is off the engine and it looks like it was leaking between 2 cylinders. They are currently checking the valves and hopefully will also check the injectors as they may also be part of the problem.

In the meantime, Rob and I got the local bus into Noia which is about 8 kms away and spent the day visiting the town, walking the narrow streets and finding the fish market. An amazing array of fish, many of which we had never seen before, were expertly de-scaled and gutted for the purchasers, fascinating to watch.

Noia Fish Market

For centuries a canal was used which enabled craft to access the town itself but this is now badly silted up, although still visible and some boats can still use it at high water.

Canal To Noia

Town Centre

Just before catching the bus back we stocked up at the supermarket opposite the bus station with all we could carry in our backpacks. The mistake of using a trolley has not been repeated – we have to remember we don’t have a car anymore! There is a good sized supermarket in Portosin at the end of the town towards Noia, basically just above the marina but you need to walk up to the road one higher and turn left. There is a shortcut through the houses opposite the first large building you come to on the right after leaving the marina heading towards the town and fishing harbour.

The marina has fast wi-fi, laundry room with 2 washing machines needing 5×1 euro coins and a dryer. You need a 10 euro deposit for the security gate pass which is returned when you leave. The showers are clean with plenty of changing space in a separate area and there is a hairdryer in the female block. In the 10 days we were at the marina, I had the choice of all 7 showers, even at weekends! A restaurant is located in the office building overlooking the marina and is said to serve good food at reasonable cost. All the staff are friendly and helpful.

Nearly There!

We discovered that there was some corrosion on the SSB dynaplate bolts and it was also coming away from the hull. The generator had been installed over the top of the bolt heads, so in order to replace the 2 bolts we had the generator removed by Endeavour Yacht Services. We decided to have the dynaplate repositioned to make future maintenance easier. We also had a galvanic isolator fitted to reduce the risk of corrosion from stray electrical currents which we may encounter whilst berthed in marinas.

Due to the corrosion we also had all the stopcocks checked, which were all OK for now but we will keep a close eye on their condition.

Re-organisation Underway!

We are now focussing on getting everything put back to normal as everything was filthy inside and out due to the 7 weeks in a busy boatyard, so we have had to clean every inch of the interior and will be doing the same on deck.

Inside Finished

New turning blocks have been fitted at the base of the mast for the extra reef we have had sewn into the main and the replaced rigging has been tuned up by XW Rigging at Haslar. We haven’t been able to test our new prop yet so will need to find time to motor out soon to monitor the performance and if it needs adjusting she will have to come out of the water again.

Featherstream Propellor

We will be collecting our sails this weekend and hope the wind drops so we can get them back up and fit the new lazyjacks! Finally we have a large quantity of chandlery goods to collect from You Boat in Gosport and the unenviable task of paying for them.

Having done everything we can think of Beyzano is as well prepared for her journey as possible so the only unknown is us

Thanks go to Sam Cassell, the Project Manager at Endeavour Yacht Services for keeping everything on track, liaising with suppliers and providing an excellent service.

As the mast is back up we are finally able to fly our ARC flag.

Beyzano - 1 of 4 ARC 2011 Yachts in Haslar Marina

For extra safety for the longer voyages ahead this year, we have also done the following: 3rd reef on the main led back to the cockpit; jackstay from the companionway to the helm; replaced the pushpit rail with stainless steel tubing (also for attaching equipment); topping lift line brought back to the cockpit and extra clutches on the coachroof for all the additional lines.

The decks now need a really good clean, having been well used over during the past month and the boatyard is likely to pressure wash the non-teak sections for us as she goes back into the water. The teak rubbing strakes have been treated and have come up a really lovely colour, so we need to treat the decks once she is cleaned up.

I haven’t done much work on her this year – again! Rob is tanned from being outside and I am pale, having been in the office, but only 12 more days for me and I can get back and start getting to grips with cleaning the lockers, provisioning, storing it all and getting the checklists marked off. It will be good to be home again although I have enjoyed working and living in Edinburgh very much and will be sad to drive away from the stunning skyline.

Time to focus on the ARC now though and Rob, who I have only seen for 32 out of the past 201 days – not that I’m counting

We still have to get the genoa down but are waiting for the wind to come round to the south so it will be more manageable.

Next will be to get the boom off and disconnect the electrics in the mast, so that when she gets to the boatyard they can unstep the mast before lifting her out of the water.

XW Rigging then have a few days to replace all the standing rigging, lifelines and some new dyneema halyards before the mast goes back up.

We have 8 weeks in total to finish the rest of the tasks relying on the boat being ashore. A friend of ours, Sam, has kindly offered us an ensuite room in her flat whilst we work on the boat, so we will be spoilt for while. It overlooks the boatyard so we can check Rob is working hard!

A Flare Which Worked!

They were the most productive 3 days we have spent in a long time and we picked up facts which were not only the opposite of what we believed we should do but which will remain embedded in our brains for good! Some of the photos were a little gory but the practical experience of letting off flares, cutting through rigging and using fire extinguishers was very useful. Using the device for getting a man-overboard back on deck horizontal was interesting too as with a 6 block and pulley I could easily lift someone several stones heavier than me without needing a winch. We will definitely be making up one of those and purchasing the sling for getting the casualty into.

The pool session was a real eye-opener and very tiring. I actually liked being in the raft but it was in a flat calm pool and we were only inside for a few minutes. We learnt to right an upturned raft and the drill for surviving inside it in the hope we will never need to.

A few of the main points:
Flares – always have flares from different batches as the first 6 we let off all failed. Perhaps swop half your batch with a friend so you both have different batches. Advised not to look at the burning flare as your vision may be damaged.
Powder Fire Extinguishers make a real mess, so a foam one would be cleaner. Also having a CO2 one is yet another option depending on the type of fire.
Crotch straps – absolutely vital. The lifejackets supplied for the pool session rode up constantly, throughout the swimming exercises we were pulling them down so we could breathe. Nightmare.
It is impossible to get into a liferaft on your own. Even the stongest, fittest man had to be shoved by his behind to get in and then struggled to pull the rest in over the inflated chambers. Again the lifejackets got in the way. Hauling people up with the lifejacket straps again pulled it up over their heads, so crotch straps are vital.
Fish and Turtles – unless you have plenty of water, do not eat flesh as it takes too much water to digest it. Stick to cereals and sugars.
First Aid – most injuries and ailments needed hospital care afterwards, so prevention has to be paramount as there won’t be any hospitals for some time.
Bodies – on that subject only a Dr or paramedic can certify someone is dead so you can’t throw someone out of the raft if you think they are dead. Have to wait until it becomes obvious (ie the smell).
CPR has changed again since I last did my First Aid course and the 2 rescue breaths followed by 15 chest compressions and so on has gone. Now go straight into 30 compressions at 100 per minute, followed by 2 breaths.

Rob and Keith worked on polishing, the yard changed the rudder bearings and our generator work was completed. We put on new genoa sheets, traveller lines and the prop anode and she was back in the water on the following Monday. We figured as it seems to be rudders dropping off all over the place, that we would have that checked and the helm had become very stiff anyway.

So that is that for another year and for the first time I didn’t even touch a paint roller or polishing cloth. Didn’t even put on my blue overalls, aka the Smurf Suit. I was at work and then in Aberdeen for the weekend.

We had all our navigation equipment replaced with Raymarine as we were used to the make and functionality. An E120 Plotter at the helm with a repeater on our TV which swings on a specially made bracket was installed and makes a big difference to passage making. The AIS is also a godsend.

I know sailors didn’t have this kind of equipment in years gone by and managed well enough but nor did early cars have headlights. Would you still have a man walking in front of your car with a lamp for the sake of ‘we used to do without’? No, didn’t think so!