Iberian Peninsula 2017: Atlantic European Coast
Coastal Cruising along the Atlantic Coasts of France, Spain, and Portugal
Brest France – Arrival 25 Sept
I arrived in Paris on Monday morning and skipper Jan collected me at the airport on his way back from his trip to Germany. That made things so much easier and nicer for me, as I was basically traveling with everything I own (save the few suitcases stored at my Mom’s). Traveling and transferring by train 8 hours from Paris to Brest on the coast would have been exhausting, and this way we had a good bit of time to start getting to know one another. Tuesday, we set out to return the rental car and run some errands, however plans were altered when we realized the car was no longer parked in the spot where we left it (in front of a garage door unfortunately). So off to the police station and the impound, then on to provisioning and rental car return, before setting out on Wednesday morning.
Brest France to Camariñas Spain 27 Sept – 1 Oct
I had somehow envisioned a slow and gentle start, doing day sails along the coast of France in sunny temperate weather. But no… we set out in blustery and chilly overcast weather for a 3-day passage across the Bay of Biscay. I somehow didn’t know that this crossing is one known to be particularly challenging. And, having sailed the last seasons on catamarans, I was no longer used to the heel of a mono-hull. It may have been that, or the corkscrew motion of the seas, but I got really seasick!!!! Oh no… not a very auspicious start to what I hoped would be a delightful sailing experience. I almost never get seasick, but sick I was. That first day Jan was still destined to be a “solo sailor” (reference to his AIS signal with “SOLO SAILOR” appended to the boat name (good idea to alert other boats, right?). By the following day, I was feeling somewhat better and eventually got my “heel” back.
We did 3-hour watches at night, and even kept to the schedule somewhat more loosely during the day. I did 10-1am and 4-7am, while Jan did 7-10 and 1-4 (my least favorite hours but he didn’t mind it). We sailed some and motored some, eventually spotting the Spanish mainland in the early hours of day 3.
Our first port was in the Ria (inlet or fiord in Spanish) de Camariñas, where we anchored overnight. The weather was warm in the afternoon and I had a back-deck shower, which was delightful. I would have liked to have stayed another day to rest up, but Jan wanted to push on.
Camariñas Spain to Muros Spain 1 – 2 Oct
We sailed about 43 miles today to Muros, in the Ria de Muros. We anchored out and then inflated the dinghy and headed over to the town for a walk about. The town was small and somewhat quaint, and I was hoping for a meal of mussels since the entire coast was covered in mussel beds. After exploring the area, we decided to have a mid-afternoon tapa of mussels before returning to the boat on anchor. Unfortunately, there were only “rationes” (full meals) to be had and we wound up at a tourist restaurant with a full plate of mussels, which were okay but could have been better, and a plate of grilled octopus, which wasn’t grilled at all and smothered in olive oil. Disappointing for sure. But okay, there would be additional opportunities along the way.
Muros Spain to Combarro Spain 2 – 3 Oct
The next destination was another 40+ miles to Combarro in the Ria de Arousa. This was all the way at the end of the river but listed in the pilot guide as a “not to be missed” little town. So, we made our way there and anchored outside the marina. We walked around the old fisherman houses, small stone dwellings that were each separate from the next. The people lived upstairs and down below the animals and carts were kept – for safety and to share warmth in the winter. We found a good supermarket and provisioned with a few necessities, including some fresh and inexpensive mussels for dinner. Jan is an exceptional chef and I enjoyed the meals he prepared. He made a broth of leek, garlic, onion, and some spices, then steamed the mussels in that. It was really delicious.
Combarro Spain to Baiona Spain 3 – 4 Oct
On the way out of Combarro there was lovely phosphorescence and our bow and side wake was lit up like neon in an otherwise dark night. It was beautiful! Our trip today was a motorboat ride of 25 miles in fog to Baiona in the Ria de Viga. You are not allowed to anchor in this area, so we went into the marina to take advantage of showers, wifi, laundry, and the market.
Since we had provisioned the day before, we had only one item on our shopping list – Jamon de Iberia, the awesome Spanish smoked ham, sort of like prosciutto only better. We meandered around and asked a number of people until we found the supermarket and found the whole leg of Jamon – a bargain at 35 Euros, though I would have gone for a more expensive one that was aged longer. This one was good though and not salty, which was great.
Baiona is the location where Columbus first landed on his return trip from discovering the new world in 1492. There are monuments to him and an exact replica of the Pinta ship, which was astonishingly smaller in length than I had imagined. I knew they were pretty small, but this was about half the size as I had imagined even knowing that!
Baiona Spain to Viana Do Castelo Portugal 4 – 5 Oct
At 43 Euros/night, we didn’t want to dilly dally in Baiona and continued on to Viana do Castelo, our first destination in Portugal. The fog was thick and the tide was strong, but we made it into the little marina which was behind a swing bridge. We ventured out for a walk about town, which was just lovely. There was definitely some money here and this was obviously a destination spot. The old cobbled streets were lined with small little shops that had their wares displayed attractively – different from the hodge-podge style of Italy or even Spain. We bought a little fruit and some charcoal for the grill (yippee!) before heading back to the boat. I may not have mentioned this, but we have been doing 5am starts each day… Jan is pushing hard to get to Lisbon and the haul-out. He says he wants to get to warmer climates in the Canaries sooner rather than later.
Viana Do Castelo Portugal to Douro (Porto) Portugal 5 – 7 Oct
Our next destination was Porto, the highlight location on the way to Lisbon. We arrived after about 50 miles sailing into the Douro river and the Douro marina. The old town of Porto and the Port wine caves are beyond the bridge further up the river. We fueled up and then came into the marina. After getting checked in, having a bite of lunch and showering, we walked along the river into the Port wine cave area. The marina gave us a coupon for a free tasting and tour at Churchill’s, a small boutique winery which was just what we wanted, so we made our way there. The wines were very nice. This winery is differentiating itself as being a little dryer – not so sweet – as the mainstream brands. We did the regular tasting, and since we were going to buy a bottle or two, they poured us tastes of two higher-end wines. The LBV (late bottled vintage) neither of us liked, but their vintage 2011, which they said was proclaimed as one of the best vintages in the last 50 years, was spectacular. Jan wanted to buy some and so did I. So, we wound up buying 5 bottles in total. We ate out that evening at a local place for barbeque. They have a huge grill out front and the tables and chairs were in the streets taking up parking spots. We enjoyed grilled sardines, calamari, and streaked pork (pork belly?), along with a selection of appetizers, great bread and vino verde.
The next day, after the marina delivered fresh rolls to our boat for brekky (what a nice tradition!!!) Jan had to deal with navigation software that wouldn’t update properly and I went into the old quarter of town to be a tourist. The lovely woman at the marina showed me which streets to visit and the way to a great market. I enjoyed my time walking around and then sent Jan a message mid-afternoon to see if he was done with software and wanted to meet me for some more port tasting. He did. We went to Quinto dos Corvos, which Jan had visited on a prior trip. The wines were even better here and we really loved the 20-year white port and the 2008 vintage port. We decided to go out for another barbeque dinner Portuguese style but were disappointed in the restaurant. Too bad, but such is life.
Douro (Porto) Portugal to Cascais (Lisbon) Portugal 7 – 8 Oct
I could have spent at least a few more days in Porto, but Jan had made an appointment for the haul-out… what’s the rush? So off we went for an overnight 200-mile trip to Lisbon. We sailed some but motored the last half as there was virtually no wind. We arrived on Sunday mid-day and anchored in a full little bay just outside the marina. Jan said that most of the Portuguese boats would be gone by the afternoon’s end and he was right. We inflated the dinghy and Jan had taken out the SUP (StandUp Paddle board) for me to try. I had said that I wanted to try it but wasn’t sure it needed to be today. However, I thought I would since he took it out. I dove into the water first at Jan’s suggestion (yikes it was freezing!!!), and then climbed on the board. I began by kneeling to get the feel of it and then eventually stood up on wobbly legs, hoping not to fall in again… I did, but only once. I went around the bay and Jan gave me some pointers (he was a teacher at heart, with both his parents having been teachers). I continued on for a while but then started feeling chilled and came back to the boat. Jan made us ratatouille for dinner and we had a nice glass of port afterwards.
Over our second glass of port, Jan brought up the topic that our 2-week trial sail was about over and what did I think? I said that I would be happy to continue, if he wanted that as well. I added that I was pretty transparent so he probably already knew that, and he should probably tell me how he felt since he was hard to read and almost never made eye contact. He said that he didn’t feel this would work for him long term – not the right chemistry and gut feel… that perhaps he was really a “solo sailor” in his heart after all. I did not see this coming. Honestly, if he knew it wasn’t going to work for him, then why not just buck up and tell me rather than asking what I wanted first? I asked whether there was anything he could share that would be helpful to me for my own personal development, but he said no, not really.
He told me he’d drop me off the following day near downtown Lisbon before he continued on to where he’d haul out. Since we were at anchor, I couldn’t leave the boat right away, though I would have liked to… instead, went to my cabin to lick my wounds and find an Airbnb room for the next night and beyond.
Cascais Portugal to Downtown Lisbon Portugal 9 Oct
We motored up the river for about an hour, me feeling uncomfortable and very much the exiting guest, no longer crew. We tied up to a pier temporarily and I was surprised that Jan didn’t even shut off the motor. He helped me carry my (big heavy) bags outside the gate, where a couple were standing and held the door unlocked for us. He barely said goodbye before turning around and heading back to the boat. He didn’t thank me for my help or for being aboard. He also didn’t even turn around to look at me or wave as he motored off. I don’t know if he was feeling bad himself or that he’s just not very emotionally tuned in. I know in the end he did me a huge favor, this wouldn’t have been a good situation for me, but I sure was disappointed at the time.
Lisbon Portugal 9 Oct – 9 Nov
So, more disappointment than adventure on this journey. I decided to distract and drown my emotions in chocolate and port – quite a lovely combination – which helped immensely!
What started out with chocolate and port for medicinal purposes and drowning of disappointments, turned into a marvelous month in the city of Lisbon. I rented an Airbnb room sharing an apartment with two young delightful Italian guys finishing up their PhD studies locally. They were amazing cooks and we wound up sharing meals and shopping. I explored the area and had a wonderful time before making my way back to the USA.
So, maybe the Universe brought me this experience just so I would enjoy this stretch of coastline and Lisbon. Or, perhaps to teach me about disappointments in life. But either way, onward and onward. Stay tuned for the next chapter (hopefully more adventure and Atlantic and without disappointment!)
Thank you Jan, for the opportunity and experience of sailing this stretch, and the things I learned from you while onboard!