Nomad 2023

The Tower of Hercules. There's been a lighthouse here since Roman times. I think that only the foundations are Roman now but that's a bit unclear.

I know it's out of season but I'm amazed at how few people are about. There are streets full of this stuff and no one around to appreciate it.  I've seen one redhead all day, very disappointed, I thought Galicians were a lost race of Celts butI feel like I'm the only one here. When I ask for a drink I also get one of these. After two, I'd had enough and didn't need an evening meal. I thought a tenner would be a fair charge but the bill came to £4.

Cedeira. Although this place is beautiful, if I don't move on today, I'll be stuck here until Friday and getting ashore is a bit of an effort.

Cabo de Ortegal. These cliffs are huge. There's a lighthouse in there somewhere,  dwarfed. Goodbye Cabo de Ortegal, the western limit of the Bay of Biscay. Lighthouse. The lighthouses here aren't very impressive. I suppose they don't need to build them tall as they have hundreds of feet of granite cliff under them already and they can't put them up higher as they'd spend most of their time in the clouds.

A very pretty anchorage here at Porta de Baras. This is the most remote place I have ever been to in the boat. In the 24 hours it took for me to get here from Gijon, I saw one ship, no fishing vessels and no yachts. An almost completely empty coastline. I went for a swim off the boat and found that the new anode I fitted to the propellor was gone. Oh dear! I hope the propellor lasts longer than that ..,. and the seacocks.

Gijon. A very nice city. A good forecast, time to move on 

Had to motor nearly all the way, 30 hours. Passed by lots of beautiful coastline and some very impressive mountains. The marina have given me 50% off for my RYA membership, which I begrudged having to take out just because I needed a certificate of theirs. But it has just paid for itself! I'm having a lucky run, what could possibly go wrong? This is Gijon on a calm day, sea spray everywhere, what's it like in a storm? They must have a terrible time with things going rusty

Leaving Bilbao. No wind. My towel for a shade. The sun is beating down.

Ready to go in the morning. Refuelled, re-victualled. I paid 20 euros for a refilled bottle of Gaz, I tried to tell them that they had made a mistake because I last paid £50 for a bottle in the UK (Ernst Doe, Essex. Don't go there, i mean don't shop there, its ok to talk about it), but there was no mistake.

I have to be in Porto to catch a flight on 18th of October. Strong westerlies are forecast for much of the foreseeable so I'm going to have make as much distance as I can during the lulls. Sorry Paul, it looks like I won't make Llanes this time. A monster catamaran has arrived and made the local news. Maxicat Victoria. It is going to attempt a round the world record, not really sure which one.

Tuesday 5th September. Algorta old port with Mary. That's the Basque flag that I'm flying. The book says to be safe, fly this flag or if you must fly the Spanish flag definitely don't fly it over the Basque flag. But look..., It seems I have strayed into some kind of falangist, maybe neo fascist marina. But I'm getting 14 nights for 150 euros, so that's ok. 8th September. Sisters.

Goodbye Gironde. A treacherous river entrance.