Accident at sea and another birthday

Over the last few weeks, we have slowly worked our way back up the coast to la Coruna.

We sat out a low pressure system in the Ria de Muros, anchored off a long beach that ended in a little island – just big enough for a house and garden, attached to the mainland by their own arched bridge! It looked a stunning spot in the summer, but the other side of the 'island' is exposed to the Atlantic swell and I imagine it can get quite wild in the winter.

Idyllic island residence, Ria de Muros

This coast is known as the 'Coast of Death' so I guess we got away lightly with a minor accident at sea. A pleasant day’s sail to Muxia ended badly when we accidentally gybed near the entrance and Dave managed to get smacked in the face by the (metal) backstay, cracking his two front teeth badly. Ouch! He was lucky enough to get dental treatment the very next day, and, he is now nearly back to normal, although still understandably wary of crunchy food. 

damage to Dave's teeth

anchored off Camarinas

Katie’s Spanish has been coming on in leaps and bounds and she found herself two new Spanish friends on the beach in one harbour. After a little help with interpreting, she was soon rowing them out off the beach, to the envy of their friends! 

Katie rowing her new Spanish friends in Laxe

In Coruna, we anchored south of the main city off a beach, and watched the paddle-boarders ply to-and-fro. A Spanish couple anchored nearby on a little fishing boat came by to admire 'Ros Ailither', and when we were still there the next day, they came over with a bottle of wine and some delicious langoustines. We cobbled together various bits of food between us and enjoyed a very impromtu evening together. 

Impromtu meal with Juan & Maria

La Coruna waterfront

drinks ashore with Karen & Chris in la Coruna

Hazel’s sister and fiancé came to visit in la Coruna. They braved a sea trip across to the neighbouring ria of Ares, where we had a lovely beach BBQ and tested the local restaurants. They weren’t so keen on the bouncy dinghy ride to a pub around the headland, but enjoyed rowing around the harbour – until Chris rowed so hard he broke the oar!

Dinghy fun in Ares

BBQ on our own secluded beach

Chris with the broken oar!

They flew to Santiago do Compostela, and Katie & I jumped the chance to meet them at the airport, and visit the town of Santiago. It is the site of a large cathedral, which is said to hold the remains of St James, and has been a popular pilgrimage spot since 400AD. Even today, some 200,000 pilgrims a year make the effort to visit, and more on Holy years (when St James’ Day falls on a Sunday).

Santiago cathedral

Santiago cathedral inside - lots of gold!!

stained glass window in Santiago cathedral

Many towns along the coast had cheap hostels for pilgrims, and cafes offered bargain ‘pilgrims’ meals. We met a few pilgrims along the way, including a jolly Irishman called Joe in Vigo, who did several hikes a year by the sound of it.

The map below shows some of the popular routes to Santiago, some coming from all the way from France. Pilgrims get their route card stamped along the way, and as long as you have come over 100 km, you qualify for a certificate on arrival. Those who have come for religious reasons get the full certificate, and 'walking tourists' get a shorter version.

On the bus out to the airport, we enjoyed spotting the pilgrims heading ever closer to their goal - easily picked out by their enormous backpacks!

traditional 'pilgrim cake', dusted with the cross of St James 

We couldn’t persuade our guests to try the local speciality of  'pulpo’ - octopus, which restaurants proudly displayed whole in windows, but I tried a couple of new dishes. One was a rice and seafood dish, (sadly I have forgotten the name of it), which was delicious - containing crab, prawns, clams, eggs, and strange pale slices of (I assume) sausage. 

delicious unnamed seafood dish

The other was percebes, or goose barnacles, which I had seen but not been brave enough to try. Apparently, they are considered a delicacy here, fishermen risk their lives to peel them from sea-bashed rocks, and the price rockets around Christmas as they are in such demand.

When we were presented with a free dish of them in a bar, I couldn't back out, especially after the barman showed us how to eat them. You break off the pointy 'head', trying not to get sprayed by the juice inside, then pull the long body from its rubbery casing and eat it. Hmmmm, not one of my favorites, I found them way too salty, but I'm glad I tried them!

Percebes, or goose barnacles

Trying to summon up courage...

After our visitors left, the weather took a turn for the worse, and we spent six days sheltering from wind and swell in a little creek just north of la Coruna. There wasn't a lot there, not even a bread shop, but there was a lovely little beach we could visit in dry moments, and we were able to catch a bus into the nearby town of el Ferrol.

The sun came out in time for Reuben’s sixth birthday. After the frenzy of presents in the morning, we had a little tea party out on deck, and visited the local beach, where the children swam, and Reuben got birthday wishes from the lifeguard on duty. I didn't think we had prepared tons of food but we are still trying to eat up all the cake!

Happy Birthday Reuben!

birthday boy in new shorts and shark-tooth necklace!

Yum!

We have now come twenty miles north to a place called Cedeira, where we are hoping to come out of the water to paint the bottom. It has been over a year since the last paint job, and the waterline is a furry green!