Falmouth To Bayona

On Saturday the 9th June at 14.13 we crossed the start line just outside Falmouth on our Biscay adventure.  Prior to the start and with only short notice, Lynne had prepared some meals in port as cooking on passage can be challenging at the best of times.  Our watch keeping system meant two shifts of four hours which we started soon after crossing the start line.
The temptation is to stay awake but rest is important.  We had equiped Scarlet with two sea berths in the saloon with lee cloths, a bit like sleeping in a cot but very comfortable.
The night watches are probably the hardest but in June the nights are shorter which helps.

Peter on watch!

Friends and family could view our progress via our Yellowbrick satellite link but we had no idea how close or far other rally boats were. The low pressure system that had now blown through would have left some lumpy seas so it was decided to follow Rally advice given at the previous skippers meeting and head west of the rhumb line.

The Rally team had told us to expect a significant change to wave patterns and a change in the colour of the sea to a deep blue once we crossed the continental shelf. As we did this at night we did not notice the colour change until the morning but the waves certainly got bigger but not as close together.
We were lucky with the conditions and by day three, had settled into our routine.  Peter took the footage below on his new GoPro camera and managed to get a few glimpses of dolphins which was great.



Night watches took on a new perspective as the sea was full of phosphoresence making it an almost surreal experience.

Sunrises and sunsets were spectacular.

Biscay sunrise

Biscay sunset

After four and a half days at sea we began to approach Bayona.  By now it was night time and the pilotage to the marina was a little tricky as it involved identifying a North, East and West Cardinal mark against the light pollution from the town. Thankfully, our chartplotter confirmed what we saw and soon we were being guided to a slip in the marina.
We had heard that Russ and Jazz on Enterprise were only a few hours away so after we finished our cheap bubbly, we headed off to the showers and returned to wait up for them. As we ourselves had been greeted by Caroline from Moonstream, we knew only too well how good it was to have a fellow Rally friendly face after so long at sea.  Russ and Jazz were delighted that we had stayed up for them and were grateful for the celebratory wine as soon as they stepped onto the pontoon.

Bayona was to be the only marina on the rally that required Med Mooring. This involves reversing in, picking up a sunken line and cleating it off at the bow.  As this line spends most of its time under water, it gets covered in accumulated sea life, so gloves are essential when picking this up.
The other aspect of med mooring is the stern does not always get as close to the pontoon as you would like. No problem for us as it gave us a chance to deploy our new passerelle.

Med moored in Bayona

After a fantastic sleep and attending to a few items on the yacht it was time for an evening meal, or at least it would be in the UK.  The Spanish tend to eat much later which is fine but we were still tired from the crossing.  Having wandered into the town it became evident that not much was open.  The restaurant we had been given directions to was closed, with no signs of life.  As we stood outside pondering our next move, a delightful old lady appeared from accross the street.  As we did not speak Spanish and she did not speak English, it meant that comical sign language ensued.  Perhaps something was lost in translation but she walked up to the restaurant and started shouting loudly trying to get the owner, Enrique to open for the hungry English customers. Depite her best efforts, Enrique was either asleep on on the loo so we tapped our watches and said we would be back in half an hour.

Enrique, open up you have customers!

What characters!

When we did go back, Enrique was in the doorway to greet us like long lost friends and we had a fantastic meal, even though we were the only ones there!

Bayona was quiet that night but the streets looked fantastic all the same.

Bayona street at night

The following day we attended a tour to nearby Santiago de Compostela.  The highlight of the tour was a visit to the Roman Catholic cathedral built on an ancient burial site reputed to contain the remains of the apostle St James.  The cathedral was considered to be one of the most important sites outside the vatican and even today pilgrims from all around the world gather to pay their respects.
The cathedral is also famous for its Botafumeiro and on the day we visited a special mass was being held and we were treated to this amazing experience.
It is the larget incense container in the world weighing 80kg and measuring over 1.5m tall. When in full flight it can reach speeds of over 80km/h.

Once the tour had finished it was time to explore the rest of the town and we found a really nice place to stop and have some tapas.

Steve sporting his new hat!

In the evening we had a Rally dinner and prizegiving at the Monte Real Yacht Club.  It was really nice to see Lynne win a prize for her blogs for the Rally website, as she had invested a lot of time trying to keep them up to date.
The dinner was not a late one as the following day's forecast would mean we would have to leave at dawn in order to get to Povoa de Varzim before another low pressure system set in.

Steve and lynne x

Rally Portugal or Rally England?

With a month in Plymouth already under our belts, the sightseeing was at an end and thoughts turned to the enormity of crossing Biscay for the first time. As more and more yachts arrived it was fantastic to meet our fellow cruisers and learn that it was not just us with a degree of trepidation.

Our two extra crew members John and Peter had now arrived and on Saturday 2 June, Steve attended the Skippers briefing.  With freinds and family poised to be on the start line the next morning, the Skippers briefing held a twist.  A huge area of low pressure in the Atlantic meant that the start of the Rally would have to be postponed.  The crew of Scarlet Lady had already agreed even before the meeting that we would wait at least a day or two and try and catch up, as the weather forecasts had looked dire.  So, the postponement came as a relief that at least we would all be together.  Sadly, our friends and family who had journeyed to Plymouth to see us off, never got to fulfil their wish, and went home disappointed, but also relieved that we would not be heading out into such bad weather.  We spent the rest of the day chilling out on the boat.  We also got to see some of the Jubilee pageant of boats on the Thames on the TV.   The weather in London was even worse than in Plymouth!

Steve, John, Lynne and Peter

Thanks to the organisers of the Rally, Plan B evolved and instead of heading South, we turned West towards Falmouth.
Our destination was Mylor Marina and although the day started with light winds and some motoring it soon picked up enough to carry on under sail and what a little cracker it was. It was also good for John and Peter to get to know Scarlet a little better.
Once at the very pretty Mylor Yacht Haven, we rafted up next to Firedrake and went ashore for a beer. Once we returned, it became apparent that one of the Rally yachts was missing - Usquabe of Fife (also from Sovereign Harbour, Eastbourne).  News came in that they had snagged a lobster pot lying just below the surface and had become anchored to the sea bed as a result. with no alternative, the local lifeboat was called out to tow them back in.

Usquabe rescued

It is times like this when you really appreciate the RNLI. Sadly for Chris and Frances, a well meaning fellow yachtie, who had tried to help prior to the rescue, had pulled a release pin from the self steering rudder, which promptly sunk without a trace.
As the lifeboat had done all it could to free the snared lobster pot, Scott Weston from the yacht Katerina, assisted by his wife Julia, donned a dive suit and in  what must have been very cold waters, un-tangled the fouled fishing gear, much to the relief of Chris and Frances.

From Mylor, we moved the next day to Pendennis Marina in Falmouth, which became our home pending an improvement in the weather.
So much for the Rally Portugal, this was now the Rally West Coast of England!

St Anthony's Lighthouse Falmouth

Pendennis Marina was also playng host to a forthcoming J Class Classic Regatta. For those that are in to sailing these yachts need little if any introduction.

Two please!

Nick, one of the Rally organisers, had told us the previous day that on the way to Falmouth, he had popped in to see his cousin in Fowey.  Hs cousin owns a wine company and as we should have been enjoying a tour of a vineyard and wine tasting tour in Bayona, his cousin offered to do a wine tasting session at a local restaurant Indaba on the Beach. 

Ooooh! This is a cheeky little number John!

 He brought along all the wines we would have been sampling in Bayona and following this, we had a lovely 3 course meal in the restaurant.  Yet again, it was a great bonding evening and we got to chat to more Rally entrants.  The Norwegian crew from Coral IV had a great night and the skipper did several toasts to 'Rally England Empire', as there were Scottish, English and Austalians amongst the crews.  After this excellent evening, thoughts of crossing Biscay and all the asscociated apprehensions had all but disappeared.

The delay had enabled us to get to know other crews and even share a significant birthday surprise party for Russell Altendorff from yacht Enterprise (yes, he is a Star Trek fan!).  The party was held at a suitable ale house and if you have not tried it, the Chain Locker is excellent.  
Each and every day we would check the weather using the latest Grib files to see what weather systems where likely to give us issues. It soon became apparent that a window of opportunity was opening up and rumours started to circulate of the possibility of starting the Rally proper.

On Saturday 9 June, Nick visited each boat early in the morning and said we would be leaving at 1pm.  With frantic last minute shopping to replace the meals we had prepared for the start of a Biscay crossing in Plymouth, we slipped the lines and prepared for the adventure of a lifetime.

Steve and Lynne x