Biscay is behind us

It’s the right time to go! On July 15th, beginning of the afternoon, fully loaded with food and water like most of other people in Camaret harbour we leave for the Bay of Biscay. Wind is blowing in the good direction W-NW not too much (force 3) but the weather is really sad, grey and foggy, can’t see anything! First thing first, let’s cross the Raz de Sein (in France, the strongest current after the Raz Blanchard near Cherbourg), we won’t see nor the famous ‘Plate’ lighthouse nor Sein Island, thank you GPS! It’s like being on a travelling belt and Ata Jata runs 6 knots despite the neap tides. We’ll keep this good speed average all night. Optimistic we think Biscay we’ll be soon behind us!
Well, the next day, the wind still W-NW is already weakening and our average goes down to 3.5 knots, the sky is still overcast. In the afternoon we see 15 Spanish fishing ships arriving from nowhere and starting to fish up and down in the zone we are crossing. They will be all around us and for 2 hours, we will have to zigzag between them. Almost none will make a little effort to change its course of few degrees to make it easier for us. No surprise oceans are exhausted; for sure no fish has survived this pillage. Thursday: no wind. Amazing, under a shining sun, we feel like we are on a flat lake but we are now right in the middle of Biscay! We spend the day sleeping, reading books and eating…it’s getting boring.

Light air turns in every direction for hours and finally veers N-E. In the afternoon the next day, it starts freshening (there’s a gale warning in Finisterre) up to force 6 in the night. The Genoa is soon back in his bag and Ludo sets the Jib number one. One reef in the Jib, then one, then two in the main sail, we are speeding at more than 6 knots on average, with surf at 9.2 knots! Our ultimate speed record with Ata Jata so far! Wind is really strong now, the sea is becoming rough and we haven’t slept a minute in the night. Originally we expected to go straight to Camarinas south of La Coruna, near Finisterre Cape but navtex says wind is even stronger there. So we decide to stop in La Coruna, to avoid dangers, we take the W passage but it is endless. Once arrived after 4 days and 4 nights at sea and 350M, we found La Coruna rather industrial and ugly, no boat anchored behind the break water, all nicely ported in the expensive marina …let’s take a break and think. We anchor close to a small beach at the end of the bay for an hour and really we don’t like it here…ok, let go somewhere else then: to the next Ria, to Ares a well protected and less built up bay (Spanish have a real talent to ruin their coastline!).

Only 12M more…the weather is nice and we are sailing full speed, in beating strong wind, just like we are regatting in the bay. Finally we drop the anchor in Ares in front of the harbour : the only other things we’ll do today is having big sleep and tidying up the boat.