Royal Air Force Yacht Club

A Second Postcard from Ione

 Our last postcard was sent some three weeks ago from Vilagarcia in the Ría Arosa. Well here we are back again in Vilagarcia, preparing to leave the boat tomorrow to fly back to UK for Simon & Aurélie’s wedding.

 

 

The first couple of days in Vilagarcia were spent hibernating and doing domestic chores whilst the rain came down before we finally got out in a dry spell and had a chance to explore the town. Finally after three nights – and in danger of getting harbour bound – we made the short passage to Vilanova where there is a modern small marina, but some distance from the village. Not inspiring, but at least we were underway again.

Vilagarcia Former Convent

 

Thence a decent sail out of the Ría Arosa to Ría Vigo and to a marina on the north shore at Cangas. This passage took us across the mouth of Ría Pontevedra and inside Isla Ons and Islas Cíes, both of these being National Parks which we planned to explore later.

 

Cangas is a pleasant little town which at one time had a major sardine canning factory employing hundreds of women on the production line, hand filling the tins and soldering them shut. Sadly this has now closed and all that remains is the shell of the huge factory.

 Fishing Boat – Ría de Vigo

 From Cangas we sailed up to the head of the ría, under the high motorway bridge, to San Adrian de Cobres where we moored with bateas - mussel rafts - around us and wonderful views. Here we had our first (and to date only) problem: the heads jammed. With visions of a deeply unpleasant task ahead, dismantling commenced. However luckily the only blockage was at the inlet due to long thin strands of weed which we were able to siphon out without too much mess.

 Returning again to Cangas for another night, socialising again with Irish OCC friends, we then crossed the ría in a stiff breeze to moor in the Real Club Nautico in Vigo.

We spent a couple of days exploring Vigo, which is the largest town in the area, despite Pontevedra being the regional capital. There are a number of attractive spots in the old town, but also development of poor standard and the recession has clearly struck with many closed shops. Much is geared to tourists from cruise ships; in particular there was a street of oyster stalls at €8 for 6 oysters, despite June not being a good month for oysters and there being none for sale in the fish market!

Vigo Basket Weavers 

 With it remaining windy, we decided that it was not the weather for anchoring, so moved a couple of miles north to Moaña, a pleasant little fishing town with a new marina. Here we spent a couple of nights for only €14 / night, socialising with French friends and strolling along the water front. Here also we found out on the internet that Andrew’s autopilot had failed 200 miles out from the Azores on his way solo to A Coruña!

 A sunny, gentle sail took us south to the bottom of the ría and the Monte Real Club de Yates in Baiona. Here we spent three nights having a very social time, including an interesting evening with Irish who spoke no French and French who spoke no English!

 

Baiona – View from Mount Silleiro

 Baiona is well worth visiting. The setting is magnificent with views up to the Islas Cíes and the town is full of historic and architectural interest. We also visited a replica of the Pinta, the first vessel home from Columbus’ trip to America.

We left Baiona on 21^st June to start working our way back towards Vilagarcia. With warm sunshine and lighter winds, this was ideal anchoring weather and our first lunch stop was at the southernmost of the Islas Cíes. The group of islands – Cíes, Ons, Sálvora – protecting the mouths of the rías are national parks and one needs not only a permit to navigate but specific permission to anchor or go ashore. However this system does not seem to be policed and our permit has so far never been checked; indeed hundreds of tourists flock onto the islands daily by ferry, so it would be difficult to do so.

 

That night we found what is probably our favourite anchoring spot in all the rías at Ensenada de Barra just inside the entrance to Ría de Vigo. With a great sweep of sandy beach to the north, a thickly wooded hill to the west and not a house for miles it is well sheltered from west through to north east. By day there were a few other boats at anchor and quite a number of bodies – all unclothed – spread along the beach or paddling in the water. However by nightfall the beach was deserted and all other boats had left, leaving us in glorious isolation.

 Ensenada de Barra

 Eucalyptus forest path

The next day we took the dinghy ashore to walk along the steep track up towards the lighthouse on the headland. This path took us up through plantations of eucalyptus and with stunning views over the ría.

Back on the beach, we enjoyed the sunshine and Sarah decided that the water was just warm enough to swim – which she then repeated three more times!

 

 

Our anchorage that night off Cíes was attractive, but more crowded. Thence back to Vigo to meet Andrew and go for a day sail to Barra again. Andrew had got into A Coruña a couple of days previously, having taken 6 days solo from the Azores, most of the time without autopilot and with strong adverse winds at the end. Quite an achievement!

 Having bypassed Ría Pontevedra on our way south, we decided to spend a couple of days there in the new marina at Combarro. This is a beautifully preserved little town with a series of horreos – grain, fruit and vegetable stores on stilts – on the front. Being so well preserved, inevitably this is a tourist destination and many of the old houses are now tapas bars or selling tatty souvenirs. However it remains attractive, particularly around the back street gardens with vines, lemons, corn and vegetables being grown.

Combarro front with horreos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pontevedra, the regional capital, is only a short bus ride from Combarro and well worth exploring. The old town has been well restored and any modern building has been done in sympathy with the old.

  Pontevedra – Praza das Cinco Rúas

Since Combarro life has slipped into a gentle pattern. Awake swinging gently at anchor in the sunshine, lazy morning then sail to another anchorage for lunch. Sarah swims if water is warm enough, lazy afternoon reading and painting, then sail again to a new anchorage for the night. We have found that whilst the beaches are populated by day and there are often a number of boats at anchor, most leave before night and then we have the place to ourselves. Overall there are remarkably few boats sailing, even at weekends. One might have expected many more, particularly given the nature of these sheltered waters with such wonderful scenery.

 

Ría de Arosa – Anchorage near Palmeira

 So now we are back in the marina at Vilagarcia, spending the day tidying up the boat and doing the laundry. Tomorrow we take the train to A Coruña and fly home to prepare for the wedding on 7^th August. We shall return as soon as possible thereafter!

 Love & best wishes to all

Tony & Sarah

29^th June 2010