Aleria Update 1

First, to satisfy all those inquiring minds, yes Daria did pass her auto driving test on 29 Sept, not without major trepidation. She can now drive legally in the EU - cars with trailers < 750 kg and tractors! Problem is, she won't have a car to drive for at least six months while out cruising. Oh well.

So we moved aboard the day after, 1 Oct, and planned to leave the next morning. We had to wait for the high tide to leave our inlet. We got up before dawn, pulled up the mooring bridles, and inched our way out in total darkness at 5 am by gps chartplotter track. We anchored off a nearby island to make preparations for ocean passage and await sunrise. But as we heard the first forecast of the day, we realized things had changed. A gale that was to pass well north was coming straight at us and intensifying to strong storm. So we high tailed it back to an anchorage deeper inside the bay and set two anchors, holding a third in reserve for emergency deployment. Then we waited. At 3 am when all things happen out there, the wind was howling at about 50 knots, the sea foam was flying through the air, and our anchors were holding well. That's how our journey began. Two steps forward, one step back. And a test of our resilience. We waited one more day to allow the 7 meter seas to calm. We finally departed 3 Oct. True cruisers. No schedule except what is dictated by the elements.

We had a nice two day passage along the rugged and remote west coast of Ireland and stopped in Valentia Harbour to wait out another approaching gale. Lovely anchorage.

We saw hundreds of dolphins daily. Several different varieties. Huge bottleneck dolphins in Clew Bay, small harbour porpoises in Dingle Bay, and medium white sided dolphins and beige bodied dolphins along the coast. Very cool. They played with us and performed for us for hours. One dolphin had a definite routine of belly flops! He repeated the exact routine four times for our viewing pleasure. Another group delighted in jumping from the top of one wave into another. They were clearly having fun.

Then we got the all clear to cross to Spain. It's about 900 miles of north atlantic waters. We had 4 days of reasonable weather coming.

We had a bit of everything on our crossing. The first day was a nice gentle downwind leg across the Celtic Sea until the wind died. We motored until the wind came back up. Then we faced a day of upwind tacking - in 20 kts S when we needed to go south in the Atlantic. Frustrating. The next day we had a glorious reach in 20-25 knots of wind making great progress. Then a day of gentle downwind sailing followed by gale force conditions in the Bay of Biscay. As many of you know, it's one of the most treacherous bodies of water in the world. The sea was so churned up at the edge of the continental shelf it was like being inside a washing machine. Not pleasant. But it was gloriously sunny and somehow less menacing than it might have been.

So we tucked into the Ria Corcubion off Cabo Finisterre, Spain, what was once known as the end of the earth in the olde world. We got in just at dusk with a spectacular sunset but had to negotiate our way into the harbour in the dark with 30 knot winds blowing up over the surrounding hills. It was great to finally drop that anchor and relax.

We tried to check in the next morning but the harbourmaster only works Wednesdays from 2-4 pm. This was Tuesday. So we went for a walk and reprovisioned. Everyone walks here. It is so pleasant.

We know we are not in Ireland anymore. Jamieson here was 14 euro which in Ireland would cost 28. A lunch of two grilled ham + cheese sandwiches and two beers was 6.50 euro. In Ireland it would have easily cost more than 20 euro. And the selection in the supermercado is amazing.

Spain still shuts down in the early afternoon. Cee, the next village over is a holiday resort and not very interesting. But Corcubion is interesting. Life is much more peaceful here. In Corcubion, there is no street that goes straight through. The village is built up the hill from that harbour. There is a massive church and a central square where everyone comes to play and talk. There is a bakery, a grocery store, a pharmacy, a flower shop, a salon, a cafeteria/bar and a newsagent. That's all that's needed on a daily basis. Laundry hangs from the second story windows. Fishing is the occcupation of choice. Men stand in groups on the street discussing important world affairs. Women walk two by two, huddled as they share today's greatest secrets. Living is important here.

There is also an architectural feature of note - we can only call them "penitentiaries". Small concrete structures on stilts - one mini room with slits in the walls, a door with massive lock, and sporting crosses on the roof. They are all over the village. We can only imagine that this is where people were sent to pay public penance for their sins. There must have been lots of bad people around back then.

We'll be cruising down the coast of Spain and Portugal before we make for Madeira and the Canaries. We'll spend November there awaiting the end of hurricane season before we set off for the Caribbean. We'll make contact along the way when there are interesting tidbits to share. Until then, adios.

Vaya con Dio.

Daria + Alex