Royal Air Force Yacht Club

By Tony Fiske

The Bayona-Finisterre rally is a cruise through the Rías Baixas in Galicia, NW Spain - one of the most attractive cruising areas in Europe, and personally my favourite part of Spain.  Participation is by invitation only, to members of the Royal Cruising Club, the Cruising Club of America, the Ocean Cruising Club, and individual friends from the Royal Yacht Squadron, the New York Yacht Club and local Spanish clubs.  Rally organiser, Alfredo Lagos, head of Astilleros Lagos (a family-run boatyard in Vigo), RCC Honorary Foreign Representative and OCC Port Officer (Bayona) is well known to the many clients of the boatyard and members of these clubs who pass through Bayona. It was first run some years ago and due to its popularity has been repeated from time to time and is usually heavily oversubscribed.

Ría de Arosa panorama from Monte Lobeira, with Vilagarcia to the right

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chala and I first met Alfredo five years ago when he came aboard to welcome us as OCC members to Bayona, and to enquire about our RAFYC burgee and ensign - what club was it and did we need a local Port Officer (sadly the response was that we did not)?  He also invited us to join him and his wife Margarita the following day for a superb Sunday lunch of local cuisine at a small farmhouse restaurant way up in the hills close to the Portuguese border. So when, early this year, the invitation to participate arrived with the OCC newsletter Chala and I decided this was too good an opportunity to miss and Nyord was signed up immediately. This year’s sailing plans, already disrupted due to my still recovering from a hand injury, were thrown out of the door and we set about planning a trip to Galicia as soon as we could get away. When Mark Breton proposed a RAFYC rally to La Coruña it seemed a good opportunity to combine the two events so that became our plan.

Unfortunately we were unable to get away from our home base at Lymington until June 20, by which time the club rally to La Coruña (as has been reported elsewhere) had already been completed: Chantrel (John and Cilla Mitchell) was in La Coruña, but waiting to cross Biscay back to France, and Ione (Tony and Sarah Boas) was in Vilagarcia already enjoying the Rías Baixas. We therefore decided to skip La Coruna and after a one-night stop in Camaret set off across Biscay directly to Bayona, our favourite destination in Galicia, at the southern end of the Rías Baixas.

As usual Biscay offered variety and surprises. The first night out we passed a school of several hundred dolphins rounding up a shoal of fish - an activity which also brought hundreds of sea birds to the scene. That night, still without wind, we caught a net round the prop and drifted till daybreak when I had to dig out the emergency diving kit which had lain unused for eight years and dive under the boat to clear it. Fortunately it was all in working order, and I was still able to get into the wet suit! 

On board again after the Dive

       

Visitor in Biscay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later that day we were joined for a couple of hours by a small bird. On the second evening the wind built up from the quarter and we had an exciting sail till early morning, just south of Cabo Vilano, when the wind ceased and was replaced by thick fog.  The fog fortunately cleared that afternoon a few miles out from Bayona, so we arrived in sunshine, 75 hours after leaving Camaret.

Nyord moored in the MRCY marina, Bayona

We later discovered Chantrel had left La Coruna on the day we passed by, so our paths must have crossed but how close we do not know.  After a few days enjoying Bayona and the hospitality of the Monte Real Club de Yates (MRCY) we sailed south to Povoa de Vazim in Portugal where we left Nyord and returned home via Porto airport.

We returned on 4 August, and on 6 August sailed back up the coast to Bayona to join the rally. We’d been told before that rally participation would be capped at 12 yachts so it was a surprise to find 20 yachts arriving in Bayona! They’d come from all over - Scotland, Ireland, England, Germany, USA and Spain. With 20 yachts and over 80 people to accommodate for rally events and shore trips, organisation would have been a challenge for anyone, but Alfredo, despite being an octogenarian, was up to the task. As in previous years he volunteered his family (three generations worth) to help, but this year decided his sea going days were over and followed by land, with family members manning the lead yacht.  The MRYC welcomed all rally participants as honorary members for the duration of our stay, with member-discounted rates!

   MRCY Bayona

The rally commenced on Tuesday 10 August with a coach trip to Monte de Santa Tecla overlooking the Río Miño estuary (the border with Portugal) from where the views are spectacular, and to a restored Celtic village and museum. We forewent this trip as Alfredo had taken us here on our previous meeting. There followed an evening cocktail reception and dinner at Alfedo’s home where we met all the family and enjoyed the local lamb speciality cooked on open fires.

  Cocktail reception

Dinner     

   Warming the augadente

The next day, when the sailing started, the omens were bad: rolling banks of fog arrived. These tend to last for a couple of days followed by about five days of strong northerlies which would mean headwinds throughout the rally and possible disruption to the itinerary. The first leg took us to Isla St Martin (part of the Islas Cíes national park) where we had privileged access and could walk ashore through private land to see the remains of an ancient water mill.

   Fog banks over Isla St Martin

The fog banks continued to roll through all night but by mid morning clear skies had returned and with them the increasing wind. This forced the cancellation of a daytime visit to Isla del Faro (also in the National Park) so we sailed direct to a safe anchorage off Aldán, a small fishing village in Ría de Aldán on the southern shore of Ría de Pontevedra, where that night we were entertained to a superb tapas meal with local wines at the Torre de Aldán, a historic private property to which the owner had welcomed us.

 Torre de Aldán garden 

Torre de Aldán courtyard  

Well into the small hours we returned to the yachts. Alfredo had organised a team of dinghy minders who were very useful in helping us to relaunch them at what was by then very low water, and to point us in the right direction to find our yachts.

The next day (Friday) the weather intervened again, forcing the cancellation a of a daytime visit to Isla Sálvora (another of the protected islands) so we sailed - a hard 25 mile upwind slog - direct to our evening destination, the marina at Puebla del Caramiñal in Ría de Arosa. The marinero waiting to greet us at the harbour entrance was none other than Alfredo himself directing us to the reserved moorings. Here the OCC contingent organised a pontoon party after which we had a welcome free evening in which to enjoy the wide selection of local restaurants Alfredo had recommended, or just rest and recover.

On Saturday morning we had a coach trip to the summit of Monte Curota which offers panoramic views over Ría de Arosa and beyond as far south as Bayona, and then on to the Mirador de Aguiño - another spectacular viewpoint - where we could see north to Cabo Finisterre and also the narrow Paso del Carreiro channel between Isla Sálvora and the mainland, through which, weather permitting, we planned to sail a couple of days later.

Puebla del Caramiñal marina from Monte Curota 

Rally Participants on Monte Curota summit 

Paso del Carreiro channel between Isla Sálvora and the mainland 

In the afternoon we sailed further up the ria to Vilagarcia.  Just short of the marina we were able to contact Ione on VHF (Tony and Sarah had recently returned from England to Ione in Vilagarcia but had to leave since the marina was fully booked - by our rally!).   So sadly we were unable to meet.   In the evening the RCC contingent decided to return the OCC compliment with another pontoon party, so the free evening that followed was welcome.

On Sunday we had a full day excursion, first to the summit of Monte Lobeira (by now we’d sussed out Alfredo’s love of panoramic views, and this one, with 360 degrees of superb views over the land and the ría, was as good as any).

Vilagarcia from Monte Lobeira 

We then went to Praza de Fefiñanes in the centre of Cambados for a visit to the Palacio de Fefiñanes, the ancient centre of the Albariño (Spain’s greatest whites) wine region where the owner, the Marquesa de Figueroa (it is still in the hands of the founding family) showed us round the Palacio and allowed us to walk through her private gardens and visit the stills where the augadente (local grappa) is made. 

Palacio de Fefiñanes 

Lunch was served at the Pazo A Capitana where we were treated to the best tapas I’ve experienced together with the superb La Capitana albariño wine.

Pazo A Capitana 

 Pazo A Capitana

The following day, Monday 16 August was a full day at sea covering the 40 miles to Muros, an old fishing town at the entrance to Ría Muros, not far from Cabo Finisterre. The strong winds had eased slightly by now so the passage north of Isla Salvora was passable and most of the fleet took this route, arriving at Muros in mid afternoon. Muros has no facilities for visiting yachts, but Alfredo had reserved for us part of the fishing harbour where, rafted three abreast, all the yachts moored. We returned the town’s generosity with most of the yachts dressing overall for the evening. Here two more parties were organised - one on board Joyant, the only US participant, courtesy of Tom and Dorothy Wadlow, and the other on the dockside courtesy of the Spanish contingent.

Tuesday 17 August was probably the greatest highlight of the rally - a trip across the Ría, up the Río Tambre by small, fast fishing boats, and into the Union Fenosa forest park. Ten local fishermen arrived in their boats early in the morning to take us. These boats were needed to ensure we made the trip on the high tide but could still get under the bridges, and the fishermen were needed since the narrow channels were unmarked.

After the 90 minute ride we were landed at the site of what looked like a church but was in fact a disused hydroelectric plant. Here, after time to walk, swim or just laze around, we had an al fresco lunch under the trees - freshly caught and barbecued local sardines and paella - prepared on the landing slip in front of us - followed by fresh melon and cake, and rounded off with augadente.

 Placing Sardines on the BBQ   

 Lunching in Style   

We returned by bus in late afternoon to find a wind shift now pushing all the yachts against the wall and causing some panic amongst the skippers. Changes of line angles and additional fenders soon sorted all this and ensured we had a peaceful evening.

The following morning we awoke to fog and rain so since we were heading for a beach anchorage and barbecue that night, the day’s activities were put on temporary hold. A few skippers decided to sail straight to Portosin a day early, but as Alfredo’s organisers were confident the weather would clear most of us waited and by early afternoon the sun came up and we all set off to anchor off Ensenade de San Francisco where that evening the barbecue, prepared by a local fisherman, went ahead.

 Ensenada San Francisco

The fleet anchored in Ensenada San Francisco

The next day (Thursday 19th August) was our last. We had a short sail across the ría to Portosin and to the Club Nautico de Portosin marina where by chance that afternoon Frank Singleton arrived to berth opposite us on his yacht Alinghi. Though we’ve occasionally communicated by e-mail while we were both cruising in the Med, this was the first time we’ve met since Frank gave a lecture on what weather to expect in the Atlantic at one of the preparation seminars to the RAFYC Trade Winds USA Rally ten years ago.

The Club Nautico restaurant, on the first floor and enjoying panoramic views across the ria, was where we had our farewell dinner. It was a fitting setting for the formalities, with Alfredo and Margarita being piped to their table by Martin Bevan - by now our resident piper - and an opportunity for us to thank Alfredo and his family for what had been a very enjoyable ten days, and to present him with mementoes, Peter Haden on behalf of the OCC contingent and Bob Unwin on behalf of the RCC contingent.

Alfredo receiving his memento from OCC member Peter Haden

Like ships that pass in the night, the following morning the fleet scattered in all directions: several headed for the UK or Ireland; others set off to find winter berthing in the rías, and others going further south to the Algarve and on to join the ARC or into the Med.  We took advantage of what appeared to be a 5-day window of mild SW winds across Biscay and the English Channel and set off immediately across Biscay to Camaret. With very little wind we motored for two days  On the third day the wind strengthened from the SW to give a pleasant sail but by early evening  had blown up to a following gale with torrential rain, so heavily reefed, and thoroughly drenched, we arrived at Camaret at 0430 on Monday 23 August (67 hours after leaving Portosin).

That morning the rain stopped and the sun came out so we had a leisurely day in port, but the following morning the forecasts all changed and the weather window looked to be closing.  We abandoned plans for another day ashore and set off immediately for home.  Light NW winds were forecast for a few hours to be followed by cyclonic winds increasing then becoming SW 6-7 and possibly gale 8 later. We decided to head initially for the western end of Lyme Bay since we’d have the option of stopping in Torbay if need, but once in Lyme Bay the cyclonic wind had settled as a SE 5-6 with the "possibly gale 8" still forecast as "later" so we continued. Contrary to the forecast the wind strengthened to F7 with stronger gusts and solid rain before veering, but by then we were passing Portland Bill, so heavily reefed again, and in very poor visibility, we carried on making our way across Poole Bay and through the North Channel to Hurst Narrows, then home to Lymington, arriving at 1845 on Wednesday 25 August.. On arrival there was a welcome pause in the rain, just enough for us to stow sails etc. and get below before it started again.

Our abiding memories of the rally are that we were privileged to be shown around a very beautiful part of Spain by the natives who know and love the area.  

Our hosts - the Lagos Family

They took us to the places we’d take years to discover on our own; they introduced us to the owners of historic dwellings who welcomed us into their homes; and they wined and dined us on the best local cuisine. We also of course, met new friends from all over, all of whom were seasoned blue-water sailors, and many of whom shared mutual acquaintances from their travels. That to us is what sailing is all about.