The sign that we have over prolonged our stay here is that today the leader of the village mutt band a.k.a "the rag" allowed us to pet his bushy rasta coat. He had ignored us totally before. In his little dog mind, he just thinks he gave us today resident status...
There is always half a dozen of mutts from the village trotting back and forth down to the waterfront where action is.
Small, result of endless mixture of breeds, gentle and pacific there are part of the village life as much as the fishermen mending their nets on the pier or the elderly men who sit at the terrasse of the cafés. I could even say irreverently that they look alike : husky, skin of hair seasoned by wind and sun, sociable, modest, they enjoy life at peace with their surroundings and neighbors.
Locals, dogs, cats and humans live in a fragile harmony since generations but will that be compromised by an ugly project of resort/marina on Ferragudo shores ? Where will go our little mutts do their mishief or the elderlies for their daily walk if not on the marshy shores which are menaced by the project ?
The anchorage in front of the beach between the two jetties is often rolly with those southerly winds that bring the swells in pass the long outer jetty of the comercial harbor. We wait three days before the northerlies winds come back. We leave with a clo
udy sky and very weak winds despite a high pressure. We have to motor three quarter of the 63 miles. We pass the mighty Cap Sao Vincente under sail before turning at right angle east toward the Algarve coast. We pass the second point, Sagres where we anchor in a wide bay in company of Zephyr. The capes and cliffs are impressive vertical walls, becoming shadows of black forteresses and mighty castles under the moon light. We dine in the cockpit as soon as anchored, the air is warm and Magnus cannot keep marvelling at the wonder of dining outside on november 2....
entrance of Rio Arade, Portimaõ
Lisbon kept us in her web and it is leisurely that we enjoy Cascais anchorage which off season is calm exept during week-ends when the local fleet sails in for a few hours before going back home.
A southern low front gave us excuses to prolong our stay and we indulge in another visit to Lisbon and its maritime museum.
Wait for the perfect northerly breeze is out of question. The forecast calls for southerly, very weak during a few days still and we are becoming itchy to go on our southerly route. So it is time to haul the anchor. A dense fog on the Tajo entrance and along the coast is the result of the humid front that we had. It clears up after 2 hours but the wind is less than 5 knots as predicted. Sesimbra is only 20 miles away so we motor and it is the excuse to give a good charge to the batteries. We drop anchor close to Zephyr once again, since we follow the same route. It is a very active and lively little fishing harbor and all night long the small colorful fishing boats keep coming in and out escorted by a cloud of loud shreaking gulls. The high cliffs dry and bare offer very few harbors along this coast. Sines is the next one and this time we have the chance to sail for a while before giving up half way. A very impressive long northwest swell lift mountains of water before crashing with tremendous splashes along the coast and at the end of the broken old jetty of the commercial harbor of Sines.
Royal galleon at the maritime museum
Ciès island anchorage
The giant high is welcome of course, but it is blocking all the wind. We try to hoist sails as much as we can when we see wrinkles on the sea surface... Lot of work for nothing, most of the time. Though the swells disapeared, which is good under those circonstances when no wind conterbalance the boat... The Ria de Arousa is the biggest, more than 10 miles deep and the mussels industry is very important. Almost all the shores are blocked by mussels beds. We anchor at Carminal, a little town protected in a bay. A commercial wharf hosts two small freighters and a small marina lays on the other side in front of the fishing harbor. The anchorage in front of the beach is deserted, we set our anchor in the middle. The small city is not touristic at all, but very active with a fish cannery. The old part of the city hides itself behind the water front. Some small shedded plazas are surrended by numerous bars all occupied after the siesta hours. We arrived around 8 pm and a little fair was going on, with musics, attractions etc... then at midnight, a very nice firework started just a few hundred meters in front of us.... The fiesta went on until the first hours of dawn...
On the other side of the know world...
The weather is wonderful this morning : sun, calm sea, the swells are in vacation, but the wind also. A few puffs of wind let us hope for a nice breeze as we leave this very nice anchorage. We pass Cap Finistere under a beautiful sun and we enjoy this new mile stone in our voyage. From now on, we will be heading south. We enter the narrow Ria de Corcubion, tucked behind Finistere. It is a fishing harbor, without any touristic or cruising faciities, as most of the small Rias. We are the only strangers, the red ketch among small fishing boats in the anchorage. As we walk in the sleepy village on this nice Sunday afternoon, an old lady stopped us and asked us where we come from. Sweden ! very far, very north !! If I could almost look as a Galician woman, Magnus would have a hard time hiding his nordic origins... We can tell that there are not so many tourists coming to visit Corcubion... St Jacques de Composte is not very far, and is the place people go see. We won't.
Cape villanoFog, of course this morning, with all the humidity of yesterday... Though it seems to clear up on the ocean. But no wind, and swells always. And of course, the fog was just waiting for us to get out of the ria. We have to navigate with the radar until we arrive in view of the breakwater in the Ria de Camarinas. It is a splendid bay, with calm water in front of a small city. The calm is a relief after the swells and the sun shows itself, enough for us to dry our damp clothes. There is 4 others boats anchored in the bay that could easily harbor hundred more boats without problems. We are a few miles from Cap Finisterre, where we will turn south. We just passed cap Villano and are in the Costa de los Muertos. What stories are behind that name !!!
entrance of la Coruna harbor the tiny fishing harbor of Corme
This morning, as we leave the anchorage, we almost regret to have indulged ourselves yesterdays with 3 little beers on our neighbor's boat, celebrating a birthday. The young crew of the nice classic boat from Guernessey follow the same route and we have once seen them in Vivero. Though, we did not drink more than 3 little beers, this morning we have to fight nausea with bananas and sandwiches right away... No wind, and a big swell, 3 to 5 meters according to the local weather station. The sky is grey, and rain showers in the forecast. The 32 miles without wind under the rain tossed around by the huge swells are not very pleasant. We enter in the Ria de Corme under the rain which keep pouring all evening long. We are the only boat anchored inside the breakwater in a small fishing harbor very charming, though we do not see much of it.
The Ria de Ares north east of La Coruna welcomed us during 5 days. It was such an agreadable and well protected place that we did not feel like going to the big harbour of La Coruna. But the fresh water foot pump started to act up. With no replacement kit and no new pump, we had to go to the city to get parts. We anchor behind the huge breakwater which protects us against the wind but also the swells. It is deep though, 60 feet, very close to the wall, with possibly foul bottom as it said on the Guide. The old city is busy with big restoration projects everywhere. The architecture and structure of the old and new city is very anarchist with a rococo begining of the century style. There is a very active spanish energy off the well respected siesta hours of course... We have to walk few kilometers to find the proper store, order the pump which arrived the next day. Meanwhile, some nasty grey clouds and showers pass by.
Hercule's tower, the oldest lighthouse in the world
Slowly, the Galician coast drifts on our portside. We move on unusually calm waters that th
e wind has forgotten for a little while. The lack of wind is not in our favor, but the calmness of the water is apreciated. We already have experiemented the heavy swell in a rough sea by force 4 to 6 wind as we left Ribadeo and Vivero. This morning we left the Ria de Cedeira, beautiful wooded ria with a protected anchorage. Vivero was bigger, less protected against the swell but we found refuge behind a tiny islet close to shore. The little coves nested below the cliff look like the ones in Brittany. But here, the coast is elevated, and behind the mountains Cantabric are not far away. The water
is cold, and the night saturated with dew are getting colder. The days are still warm and sunny and very apreciated. The fog is a risk and this morning it waited for us a few miles from the coast. The radar is on.... Cabo Ortegal, the
northest cap in Spain is passed, Cabo Finisterre is the next, an important crossroad, since we will sail south after rounding it.
And as I write this using the power provided by the engine.... Magnus caught his first fish on this boat !!! A mackerel, tiny but soon 2 others caught on the same line are added to it to make a very nice dinner.
Ribadeo marina where we spent 4 days, waiting for more favorable conditions. A little look back considering the crossing of Biscaye was a major step south.
the first one was the North Sea and Channel with its fog and traffic,
the second was the coast of Brittany with its open ocean, rocky traps and considerable tides.
the third the Bay of Biscaye which is always remembered for its bad seas and dangerous breaking waves. during gales.
Since we do not want to strand ourselves in a tight schedule we did not manage too badly waiting for the right weather windows, in this quite rotten summer. Most of the time the wind was too light and from the wrong direction, but since the good weather windows were unusually short, we just went when no lows were in sight.
July was lousy, cool, cloudy, rainy sometimes. It is not before the second week of August that we felt summer and relaxed more, enjoying more.
We had expected wind in the North Sea, they were none, just flat sea and fog. We expected an heavy ship traffic, they were some yes, mostly seen of the radar, but never frightening or putting us in any harmway since we stayed clear of their lines. We expected even heavier traffic across the Channel, as people fear it so much, they rather go via Scotland and Ireland. The traffic in fact was sparse and the wind still absent.
Brittany's waters were negociated with much care respecting the tides and numerous rocks, choosing good weather, though in this case, it did not bring much wind...
The Bay of Biscaye from Brittany to Spain, if carefully planned is nothing more than 300 miles of open ocean. We started close haul for a while with a light wind, then as the wind veered, we continued beam reach as it became force 4 to 5, then to 6 the last day and night. It is important to favor west for 70 miles to clear the continental shelf, where heavy swells can be dangerous in rough weather. The weather pattern varies a lot and changes fast, but with a window of 4 to 5 days, it is not a problem. The arrival on the Nothern coast of Spain can be more challenging as very common heavy swells rise great seas and obstruct some of the not too easy entrances of Rias. The moutains Cantabrico in Asturias and Galicia create some termical wind patterns than can be surprising if not aware of them. This coast is not to be taken lighty, though the sun and the warmth let us think we are in gentle seas. None of that, the fierce Atlantic come rushing from its nearby 5000 meter depht on to the cliffs of Galicia and Portugal. 3 to 5 meters swells are not uncommon, no need to mention their size during a force 7 on up. I have experimented it once, it is enough ! So beating to windward with more than force 4 is out of question on a 32 ft.
A good weather window cannot be missed, northerly winds coming with a good old high pressure are here to stay a few days. We leave for 286 miles of open water crossing the Bay of Biscay which have its reputation.... But the odds are good, and a "jolie brise" takes us at a fast pace away from the continental shelf. Röde Orm rides the swell and offer us a smooth rides over a force 4 to 5 beaufort almost close hauled for a while. The movement of the boat are astonishly comfortable considering the agitated sea, and the spray over its deck seldom. The wind is agreeable this time, and a soon north westerly then north wind settled under a starry sky. It even became force 6 as we approach the spanish coast, forcing us to take 2 reefs, just to slow down trying to avoid a night arrival. The boat keeps a good speed, and we have to face a night approach. Ria de Ribadeo has an easy entrance and with the help of GPS, and radar, we soon are anchored in a little bay, which protect us from the heavy swell than can develop on this coast. At 4 o'clock, tired but happy, we secure everything for the night and just drop to bed, having just guest the surroundings by its shadowy contours.
Higher, mighter, Belle île (the beautiful island) stands between the mighty Atlantic and the Brittany coast to protect her from the big swells. With westerly winds, there is some anchorages along the leeward side. There is always a little cove of golden sand accessible by dinghy and the coastal path which runs all around the island on top of the cliff, has access to allow us to go to Le Palais, the main harbor, 3 kilometers away. We rent some bicycles. I have bicycled already once during a few days all over the island, but I never get tired of it, enjoying every little hamlets, wild fields and wooded valleys. The island itself smells of wild flowers, of tides, it tastes of salt, of raw oyster. its micro climate allows some very mixed vegetation unknown elsewhere. Its wild coast surrenders to the Ocean which keeps beating her, shaping her, the mighty cliffs hide some tremendous caves where the waves crashes like geysers, exploding in a tremendous thunder roar. As we come back to the boat at dusk after a wonderful day and a good pizza in town, a very hidden wish come back from the secret part of my mind, a forgotten desire, an unaccessible dream. To own a tiny little granit house where I could come back to for a while, to feel, to smell, to taste Brittany, to enjoy the ocean from a base, still surrounded by the Ocean which have carried me away so many time. A so well known melancholy and nostalgia have woken up those last weeks in Brittany. But it is here in Belle île at the eve of departing for Spain, that I feel it to an extent I never felt before. So long Belle île, Kenavo Houat.
We spent 3 days, in Rezé my home town enjoying life, good food, good wine and family..And then, without any break, we went right to my cousin's Creperie "la Gavotte" on the Nantes to Brest Canal (Quily, close to le Roc St André) and enjoy more food and family. I had promise Magnus the best galettes in the world, done the traditional way with a Sarrazin flour milled the old fashion way. And do not forget the artisanal cider, brut and smooth. The deep Bretagne is there, along the canal with its little village, granit, flowers and water, and what more, even the sun is there !
Roc St André on the canal Nantes-Brest
Here you have to deal and cooperate with the sea and the weather. It has been too early to leave with the tide in the morning to deal the treacheous chenal in the dark and too late in the afternoon to go somewhere before dark. So today, we got up at 5 waiting for day light to leave before the tide turns again. Soon we can leave safely to avoid the sand bar and to be able to see the chenal. The long westely swell welcoms us, but the wind is in vacation too.... We motor the 40 miles to the entrance of the Vilaine River to Arzal where we pass through the lock. Up the lock, the river is domesticated and not affected by the tides. It is wide and deep and we can anchor in very nice and peaceful little place along the sides. La Roche Bernard, 3 miles and a half up river is a very nice little town which has kept all her originality when in the 16th century, this harbor on the river was a very busy building ships for the East Indies Company. It is where we will meet my parents.
You have to deserve Le Pouldu as said Jean, Michel and Annika's friend and neighbor. I guess we did... On the river Laïta, which runs to Quimperlé, Le Pouldu is a very small harbor accessible only at high tide. Its chenal is narrow and shallow. On one side, the beach and rocks, on the other one a moving sand bar. Finistére on portside, Morbihan on starboard. At the village, a "deep water" chenal allows to moor boats on mooring balls, on line. It is a trap since we have to count on the tides to leave and also on good weather since waves can break on the bar at the entrance. We stay 4 days, 2 more than expected, but Michel and Annika make our stay the most agreadable inviting us in their nice home right on the cliff above the beach. We make some trips to Lorient during the interceltique festival, to Merrien and Doelan, two little harbors extremely charming at the mouth of small rivers. Everyone in Le Pouldu welcomes us warmly and that
compensated greatly the hardship of getting in and out of this tiny harbor...
The sun shines, the sea is flat and pleasant but the air is still too cold for the season. We motor lazily(batterie charging, since the regulator for the solar panels is broken..) We anchor at Penfret the eastern island in a small nice anchorage near a white sand beach nested between rocks. The colorful little sails of the boat from the famous Glénans sailing school brighten the emerald clear water. We hike a long while on the tiny island gathering some shell fish for dinner and watching with dismay a canibal seagull eating alive
one of her own... Disturbing sight. Life and death go on even on this beautiful morning.
Strong winds, and gust to 6 and rain keep us in harbor. It it not a weather to enjoy the islands of Glénans. Our friends from Falsterbo (Annika, swedish has a house in Höllviken) came to visit us. Michel, breton has a family house in Le Pouldu, not very far from Lorient. They drove us to Pont l'Abbé up river from Loctudy where the sun came back after our visit to the museum of the Pays Bigouden (the region around Pont l'Abbé). They invited us to visit them in Le Pouldu on the river Laita. It is a good refuge, but the entrance has to be managed at high water plus or minus one hour.
Neptune is on our side again... We spent two nice days in the beautiful Camaret at the extreme point of the Crozon Peninsula. We played tourists, hiking on the trails of the mighty cliff almost at the point of Penn hir, we went down a pristine beach borded by high cliff filled with mussels colonies at their bottom. To make the Raz, between the point of Brittany and the Islando
f Sein, we have to depart at 11 am to be at slack water at the entrance. It is a very dangerous place, a string of rocks which extends for several miles. As a short cut, for smaller vessels, there is a passage which needs to be negociated carefully with the tides. We did well, because it was a very smooth passage close to the very impressive lighthouse "la Vieille". We continued toward Loctudy after passing the Pointe de Penmarc'h, turning East and having a wonderful ride under sail. The entrance at night in the small harbor of Loctudy is a challenge, but again, the tide was with us and after some stressful moment finding the right spot, we took a mooring buoy.
To reach the lighthouse of the Four at the entrance of the 12 miles chanel we have to arrive at slack to benefit from the change of tide. We leave Aber Wrac'h at the end of the high tide with a great blue sky and a bright if not warm sun at 9 am.
It is a noisy but peaceful trip under motor in the wide well marked chenal. We see Ouessant and Molène islands and we can have a test of its temperament when at St Mathieu Point, the water suddendly became very agressive. Short breaking waves tossed the boat around for 10 minutes, then calmed down again. No need for a storm to disturb those waters. a simple fresh wnnd against the tide can lead you in serious trouble.
A stop at Camaret at the tip of the Crozet peninsula is a perfect rest. We anchor in a fairly large bay in front of a Vauban fort, The Raz de Sein this second Breton Cap Horn is only 18 miles away. But we enjoy Camaret another day, hiking the hills toward the mighty rocks
The wind is favorable enough as the tide pushes us in the right direction. We sail and enjoy almost 5 hours of it close to the wind. We enter the very small entrance of Primel Tregastel where we moore at a visitor buoy. It is a fishing harbor mostly with a big wharf and a few buoys. It is absolutly pristine with its big sharp rocks guarding the entrance like knights in armour. We are in spring tides and magically the landscape
changes as the tide rises more than 32 feet !
We won't go on shore, as we leave early in the morning. We decide to go between Roscoff and Batz island through a narrow channel. Reed, the British nautical almanach fills us with cautions and advices almost scaring us to attempt anything out of the main chanels. But it is simple, straightforward as the chenal is well marked ant it is a pleasure to speed at 7 knots so close to this very cute island. We sail only for a too short time though, We have to motor to reach Aber Wrac'h before the reverse of tide. We decide to go through the chenal de la Malouine, one of the 3 which enter Aber in between rocks. This one is more direct for us, but according to Reed risky.Well, in fact there is no problems with good weather and visibility. not a big deal at all !! Aber Wrac'h is a very attractive place nested among green cliffs, oyster farms on either side showing only at low tide. We moor at a visitor buoy in front of a new marina and soon, despite of the still strong current of a spring tide, we row to shore. The coast of Brittany leaves with the rythm of the tides, landscape change every 6 hours, new colors, new odors. We come back from the village up hill with our newly bake bread, cheese and saucisson. The shorline has disapeared the water has risen more than 30 feet again. Strong winds are forecast for tomorrow, so we will stay in port.
The trail of low pressure does not seem to slow down between. Between two, a weather window opens but the wind is still south west but light enough. We leave Guernsey for Perros Guirrec 50 miles south west. We have to motor more than we wish to reach the harbor before night. The weather welcoming me back to Brittany is typical : drizzle, low and perturbated grey skies. The sharp rocks which lay far into the sea rimind us constantly to be very careful with our navigation. We take a visitor buoy in the well protected anchorage behind the mighty Tomé island and in front of the green cliff of Pointe du Château. Without an outboard, rowing the dinghy is a challenge when negociating the tide and the wind. We are always too far from shore (tidal range). We manage it without any problem, Magnus loves to row ! Perros Guirrec is a charming village very Breton, with its sturdy granit houses with slates roofs adorned by big bushes of hortensia, our breton national flower. Tourism does not spoil the coast which is protected, no high building, no flashy hotels, the nature surrounding looks almost unspoiled in its raw beauty.
