Real Club Nautico Portosin was a great spot to leave Cadence but not a town worth spending much time in. At least from my small glimpse into what the town was about over a short time out of season. The club was very nice, serving a decent meal with a nice view over the marina but the town was a summer vacation town that has seen better days.
Many of the block apartment buildings or condos were vacant and appeared to be in somewhat rundown condition. Perhaps its different in July and August. We returned to find Cadence just as she was left and we decided to head 6 miles back across the Ria to Muros the town we spent some time in before the horse trip.
We re-provisioned Cadence and set off around Finisterre to our next Ria. This was Ria de Camarinas and was probably our top pick on all the Rias we visited. There are multiple places to anchor with good holding and stunning scenery. We stayed here for a few days and enjoyed the small village of Camarinas where time has stood still for the last century. Here you would still see the older generations of ladies with their handmade lace shops practicing their crafts while sitting in their doorways. There was adequate shopping facilities and of course fantastic polperias. While in this Ria we took a several mile trip up a river to a small town called Punta Gallego. Not much to see but a fun dinghy exploration nonetheless.
We left Camarinas after 4-5 days and made our way further up the Rias Altas for the town of Corme. We anchored as close to town as we thought was prudent, of course this was high tide. When we awoke in the morning the wind was up to 20 knots and right behind us lie some huge rocks that we could now see at low tied. We scrambled to up anchor and move further out. Right before the chain was all in and the anchor just under the boat the windlass came to a halt. I am not sure what we were wrapped up on but we found ourselves in another serious situation. I was at the bow and Jess behind the wheel. We were able to let chain in and out and move the boat right over the top of the anchor and somehow we got free. At one point we had only 8 feet of water under us and huge boulders on a lee shore. Pretty much every time we have an urgent situation arise its due to anchoring somewhere not sufficient. We fortunately always have gotten away unscathed but the event always leaves an unpleasant memory.
We re anchored further from town in front of a lovely beach with good holding and then everything in the world was good again. There was some kind of celebration taking place and the entire town was in the square eating grilled sardines. So we joined and washed down the meal with some fine Rioja.
Our next stop was A Coruna, the capital city of Galicia. We took a berth at Club Nautico which could not have been more in the center of the city. Right outside the boat we had all the goings on of a big city. We both enjoy the small villages, the anchorages with not towns, but also its nice to return to the hustle and bustle to get a taste again of city life.
We ended up spending 9 days here, however much of it was spent off the boat. We rented a car, got upgraded to a brand new BMW 3 series and took off on a road trip. First stop, Picos de Europa. A national park in a rugged part of interior Spain. Our little 2 star country pasada was fantastic. We were greeted by a big golden lab on arrival, he saw us coming over the hill and we could see him make a B line towards the parking area and he graciously escorted us up to the front door. The scenery was beautiful and grounds immaculately kept with ornamental plants and a host of Bonsai trees planted around the outside. We toured several little mountain villages, enjoyed some great meals and wine to compliment.
After 2 days in the park we made a 4 hour journey to the Rioja valley. After all, we have really been enjoying this wine so we thought it prudent to visit the source. We were not let down. The terrain went from mountainous and green to more of a napa valley dry arid plain, filled with vineyards as far as the eye could see. On every vista you could see a small hill and on each hill was built a town, usually with some kind of fortification built on it. Obviously times of past when you needed high ground to protect yourself from invaders. The only invaders now were the wine snobs coming to visit the source and get their fix. We joined in on the parade. We brought our little Bromptons bicycles on this trip as they so easily fold and were in the trunk. These bikes made all the difference. It was hard for Jess to really get around as she is still healing the broken toe. With the bikes we were able to explore each town and on our last day went on a long ride and visited one of the many vineyards. We were again treated to a great experience off the beaten path. Great wine, a beautiful vineyard and great trip overall. Pinch me.
Once back in A Coruna we were only waiting on weather to make our Biscay crossing. The forecast was for NNW winds and there seemed to be no end in site. Biscay is no joke so we decided to heed the warning from our router, Susan Gannett from Real Weather, and hold until something decent came along. So we figured, why wait in A Coruna. We made a short hop 35 miles NNE to the next Ria Cedeira. We were not disappointed with the decision as we were ready for rural life again and the Ria was lovely. We anchored right next to town and sat out the wrong direction weather until our opening came.
