WEDNESDAY 24TH JULY

The real beginning .....

It all happened in a rush. One minute there was drama and arguments, the next Brian was calmly and coolly turning her in her own length in the haven basin to the accompaniment of whistles and shouts of ‘see you soon’ (Were they being ironic...?)

Obviously there were mixed feelings. Plymouth has been our home port for 2 years, Devon our home county for many years. These people were and still are our friends. Brian has said that Plymouth was just another stopover location on our travels, and that thought has helped to hold us to our task, as well as being a saving grace given the stresses of our work. We’ve always had something to look forward to. Still, any mention of Plymouth will always evoke happy memories and we probably haven’t seen the last of it.

Other feelings included were that we weren’t ready and the boat wasn’t tidy enough and ... damn, I’ve forgotten to....

A day later and there’s sunshine and no wind, the engine is on, and I’m doing a ‘Nelson’ and the boys are reading. However, we did get to sail across most of the Bay of Biscay in good weather with nice North Easterly. That’s a bit novel for us. Motoring the Atlantic isn’t something you think of doing ... We came to La Coruna early on the 4^th day. We eventually decided to stump up the 50 Euros for a night in Marina Coruna in order to see Richard off home, shop and do laundry. It was great to have Richard along. It made such a difference. His company and expertise were very welcome and we look forward to him and Liz coming out to see us again.

We finally anchored in a lovely bay, spoiled somewhat by the beach –to-sea 24hour disco music. Someone had switched it on and gone home! We got out my new (to me) dinghy, named in honour of my Mother. The small inheritance I got paid for Island Song and we felt that she should be involved in the plan. At the moment my rowing is terrible but I’ve been promised lots more opportunities to practise!

CAMARINAS

We decided to hop around Finisterre and here was our first stop. It is a pleasant little ria with a fishing harbour and small town and... guess what ... disco music at dawn!

BAYONNE

This town, marina and anchorage are in the Ria de Vigo, well past the bleak and forbidding Cabo de Finisterre. Even the sunshine did little to lift its spirits. What lifted ours in the opening hours of fog was a couple of hours of non-stop porpoise play. It was like having a continuous escort – a cohort would swim over, play and as leave as another lot joined in. They are such fun and every yachtsman in all parts of the world will have a story to tell of these wonderful creatures. Bayonne itself is a lovely town. Getting in was bit tricky as the outboard wouldn’t go into gear. We paddled in like American Indians! Everyone was friendly and helpful. In one shop where they didn’t have quite what we wanted, the owner and another customer wrote on our map the name of another shop. On our way there, we heard a car beeping and it was the customer who had followed us and who gave us a lift! In the day to day life of the water gipsy, these little incidents are the warp and weft in the pattern of our lives. As time goes on there emerges a rich tapestry of people and events, most of them unlooked for and always appreciated. I’m sure we will contribute to other people’s designs.

A note about Island Song. She is handling the changes well. She hadn’t been out of the Caribbean until we bought her. Her commodious accommodation is proving valuable as well as versatile with cabins turning into tool stations, wardrobes and ‘stuff stores’ and back again at the drop of a hat. No idea where anything is though .....