Finisterre to Baiona: at last we’re moving forward!

On August 1rst, around 11am, we left the friendly little town of Finisterre, full of tourists and freaks from everywhere come for the Santiago de Compostela trek. For the first time since we arrived in Spain, the weather oracles promise N-NW wind in the area, just what we need to go south! Nevertheless, we’ll be lazy again and sail only 24miles with a wind force 4, to the next ria of Muros where we arrive in the beginning of the afternoon. The mooring zone in the harbor of Muros is windy, shaky and not very well located, we decide to go to the nearby Bornalle bay. On the way we have to go through a large park of dozen of viveros (sort of afloat crumbling fishponds). Bornalle is much quieter, we drop the anchor less than 100m from the beach, still exempt from ugly buildings and lined with pines and eucalyptus forest.
The next day: enough rest, we have to move forward! At 8:30am we set sail, there’s no air and we suffer an uncomfortable swell till midday when the wind decides to start blowing N-NE and settles at force 5. Perfect! We are going at more than 6 knots on average. We pass by the rias of Arosa and Pontevedra and the Ons Island. We arrive by 5pm at the busiest anchoring place of the Cies Islands, the Playa Arena das Rosas of the Faro Island. We’ve sailed 40Miles today, not bad...
The beautiful three Cies Island belongs to the Atlantic Island natural park of Galicia; there are only few inhabitants, no cars and almost no touristic infrastructure except a basic campsite. The major part of the island is restricted area, reserved for wildlife (essentially sea birds), the third and southern island, Isla de San Martin is closed to visitors. The Isla del Norde and the Isla de Faro are connected by a sand isthmus and a concrete dyke where sunsets lovers are gathering at the end of the day.

From the highest point of the island where the lighthouse is located you get a stunning panorama (see the slide show). We stay overnight and the next day we wait for the temperature to rise and make the wind blow, we leave for Bayona: our shortest sailing so far (8Miles).

This touristic city has won its place in history for being the harbor where Columbus Christopher landed on his way back from newly discovered America. A replica of his caravel “The Pinta” is permanently showing off in the harbor. She seems really small for such a trip, with the 15th century conditions. I think that, for once, we’ll join the mass of tourists and pay a tour on this ship which contributed to change history so dramatically.