The last nautical miles of the Bay of Biscay and an encounter with very large fish
We waved goodbye to Ribadesella and set our course westward. The weather forecast looks promising, and we are determined to leave the Bay of Biscay behind. Not because we don't like it, but because we can see the autumn weather approaching day by day with less than ideal wind and weather conditions, as well as narrower windows for sailing in general. With a flight booked from Lisbon in mid-December, we have to keep moving.
Seeing the sun set over the atlantic ocean is something really special
The weather promises bright sun and a minimum of wind. So, we are expecting motor sailing for the next several days with very small waves, ensuring a comfortable journey.
The calm areas are occasionally interrupted by light winds, allowing us to turn off the engine and sail smoothly under full sail. This is quite enjoyable, as it would be an understatement to say that our nearly 30-year-old Yanmar diesel engine is quiet.
Gijon is our first stop after Ribadesella. The weather doesn't allow us to sail the day after, so we end up spending three nights in the city. This provides ample opportunity to experience the pulse of a slightly larger city and take care of some boat-related tasks. Despite having plenty of batteries and harvesting solar energy through our solar panels, we still do all our cooking on our gas stove. This means we need to regularly hunt for new gas cylinders, and since Hondarribia, we've been running on our last 3kg gas cylinder, and we can sense it's nearly empty. It has been harder than expected to find new cylinders here in northern Spain, but fortunately, we can exchange our two old and very empty gas cylinders for a couple of new ones at a short distance from the marina in Gijon.
We sail on from Gijon towards Cudillero, where we make a brief stop for the night. There isn't much of a marina, so we tie up to some old floating docks alongside local fishing boats. There are several other fishing boats at anchor in the harbor, and it's clear that we are not in a tourist harbor. The water depth in the harbor is over 10 meters, and the water is so clear that at times, we can glimpse the seabed and the hundreds of fish swimming in the harbor.
For a brief moment, we all get excited when we spot four bonito tuna swimming by the boat in the harbor. As quickly as we see them, they disappear, and we take a walk in the small town and have dinner at a local pizzeria.
From Cudillero, we sail on to Ribadeo, where we anchor for one night before setting course for Viveiro the next morning. We had planned to spend some time there until we could continue. However, as we approach Viveiro, we change our plans. The weather forecasts have changed, and we are now uncertain about when we can leave Viveiro and exit the Bay of Biscay.
Therefore, we continue westward and see that we can reach A Coruña late in the evening.
ORCAS?
In the late afternoon, we round Cabo Ortegal, marking the end of our time in the Bay of Biscay. We didn't cross it like many others, but we sailed along its beautiful coastline and saw so many wonderful areas.
We barely round Cabo Ortegal before we spot the first fins breaking the surface. We are fully alert and keep a close eye on the spot where we saw the fins, hoping they are not orcas. Fortunately, we are pleasantly surprised. These are very large dolphins that choose to pass by our boat. They briefly play in the waves at our bow before continuing on the course they were on when we first saw them.
Cabo Ortegal
Rounding the last cape of the Biscay and thereby entering the Atlantic ocean. It marked the end of more than 650 nautical miles of sailing past the entire Biscay coastline
We are relieved, but we also know that we are now in an area where attacks on sailboats regularly occur. From single orcas to groups of 5-6, they push sailboats in circles while merrily biting the rudder to pieces.
It's not something we plan to experience - neither on today's journey nor during our trip in general - so we sail as close to the shore as our night vision allows. The darkness has set in, and under a starry sky, where the kids spot satellites and stars, we sail, with Hercules Lighthouse as our landmark, toward A Coruña.
Into safe harbor, and once again with the feeling that we have passed yet another milestone.