You might think that going the 600 km from A Coruna to Lisbon would be a piece of a cake. A Coruna has a train station, the bus hub of Galicia and airport. But the flights are both expensive and overnighters. The train systems in Spain and Portugal are not in sync. There are railroad tracks connecting the countries but the schedules are not in sync and do not match. We try to take the bus but the bus is full. Finally, we take the local bus to Porto and the high speed train to Lisbon.

It turns out that all hotels are sold out in Lisbon but some BnB are still available. We book one and get a confirmation from the host but as we arrive there is no one meeting us. After some calls to the AirBnB service desk we can cancel the booking and get a hotel that got some cancellation. After checking in and taking a shower, the evening turns out to be good after all and we tumble to bed exhausted from the day.

Next day in Lisboa is a sightseeing day where we walk the streets and go up to the fortress Castelo San Jorge with beautiful views on the city. Later we take the tram to the Baixa Alta district and have a nice meal and some drinks.

The mountain streetcar to Bairro Alto

The Santa Justa elevator raised by Eiffel

View from Castelo San Jorge

Magdalena church

Praça do Comércio

City center

View from Bairro Alto

We go home early to be able to wake up and go to the airport.

As we set sail off Avilés, the main halyard gets stuck around the radar reflector and refuse to come loose. We need to send Sofie up in the rig to get it loose – a brave act in the increasing wind.

Sofie after coming down from the mast

After this incident, we continue in the usual swell onto the outmost province of Spain – Galicia. First stop is Ribadeo. We have a nice sail out of the picturesque coastline with mountains far back and a rugged coastline where the seas keep pounding.

As we enter Ribadeo, we spot another catamaran that turns out to carry a Swedish flag. The boat turns out to be Think Twice with Björn and Gertrud aboard who are heading for the ARC on their Fountain-Pajot Lavezzi 40. We go over and have a nice evening on their boat. Always nice to meet other sailors and exchange ideas and experiences.

Björn and Gertrud aboard Think Twice

The next day, we wander around in Ribadeo. The town is small but beautiful with narrow streets. It has a lot of interesting building from the time when people returned wealthy from the colonies in Latin America. A special kid of houses dot the town from this period when these people should display their wealth.

Ribadeo

Ribadeo

We decide to go to the Cathedral Beach later in the evening. At low water it is supposed to be beautiful and this is no overstatement. The cliffs has been eroded to arches and you can walk in the sand with the sea rolling onto the beach as the sun sets. This day, the sun is not to be seen since it is foggy and occasional showers. However, this turs out to be good – there are not so many people and the fog turns the landscape to magical.

Cathedral Beach

Cathedral Beach

Sofie at Cathedral Beach

Cathedral Beach

Cathedral Beach

Cathedral Beach

Cathedral Beach

Cathedral Beach

Ribadeo at night

We leave Ribadeo and go to look at the Cathedral beach from the sea. It is nice but not as impressive as from the shore.

At sea again

Next stop is Viveiro and we have talked to Björn so he have reserved a place for us at the pontoon. Good to see them again and it is nice to have a prime spot in this small town.

Two swedish catamarans in Viveiro

I slip into my running shoes and climb the hill of San Roque, which turns out to be a smaller mountain with a spectacular view over the harbour, the town and its surroundings. I run around the inner lake and out on the beach before returning home and spending the evening with Björn and Gertrud on Melody. Björn has put a lot of research in different communication technology and it is nice to get his views and ideas.

Viveiro from San Roque

The city beach

The day after, we have a walk in the town and I inspire Sofie to join me on a second climb up on the mountain. As we reach the top, there is a wedding going on so we cannot enter the church but the views are still beautiful.

The Viveiro old town with its monastary

We do a negotiation with Viveiro that is the same company as A Coruna and get a good rate for the upcoming two-week leave for both marinas. No big differences so we decide to continue according to plan to the larger A Coruna with more communication options.

On our way to A Coruña

On our way to A Coruña

A Couruna turns out to be a beautiful town with a nice marina. The marina is next to the old town with a fort nearby. The setting is nice with the sea just across the breakwater. We spend a couple of days experience this old town with its nice restaurants and views.

Marina Coruña

Maria Pita square and Concello da Coruña

A Coruña

Santo Domingo church – start of Camino Ingles from A Coruña

Menhires towards the sea

A Coruña

The Hercules lighthouse with history since roman times

Oktoberfest

The city marina

Castelo de Coruña

We leave according to plan to get the best tidal conditions. Still some current left but manageable and no severe swell or wind. In a distance, we pass the Cardouhan lighthouse that is the oldest lighthouse in France still in operation. The sail down to Arcachon is undramatic, nice wind and we close in according to plan.

Still pretty strong current

The Cardouan lighthouse at the entrance to Gironde

Arcachon bay is a large bay with an infamous entrance with sand banks that move around so the charts are not reliable. In my pilot book, it states that entrance should only be done in good weather with limited swell and good visibility is required to spot the banks and marks. A couple of miles before the entrance, the weather shifts from clear sky to fog that gets thicker and thicker. All of a sudden, there is a call on the VHF for a boat in a specific position. My French is far from perfect so it takes me a while to interpret the position and find out that it is me that they are contacting. They strongly advises us not to enter in the fog and either go back to Royan (80 NM) or continue to Hendaye (80 NM). Neither feels like a good option since that would mean sailing all night and not be able to see the bay that should be beautiful. As I evaluate the options, the fog clears up a bit and I decide to go in while there is still visibility. Not perfect according to tide but with good lookout and a close look at the depth gauge we manage to get in. The chart is clearly to no use. On the chart, we steam over land half of the time where the bank on the charts obviously has moved some hundred meters.

The fog starts to set and grow thicker

But it clears up and we approach Cap Ferret

We get into huge Arcachon marina just before the dark sets in and take a long promenade to the town and finds that the Café de la Plage is still open so we finally can get something to eat.

The capitainerie

The huge marina with 2500 berths

The city is built around its beaches and become a popular holiday when hygienists began to recommend sea bathing in the 1800s. Entrepreneurs built hotels, casino and restaurants especially for the Bordeaux bourgeoisie and other wealthy people. A number of nice villas was built in the city and forms Ville d’Hiver in the old part. These villas are called ”Arcachonnaise” and has a special architectural style. We stroll around in the city and enjoy the houses.

Arcachon

Arcachon villa in Ville d’Hiver

Arcachon villa in Ville d’Hiver

Arcachon villa in Ville d’Hiver

I also take the time to put on my running shoes and head for the observatory where you have a great look out of the scenery, Arcachon Bay, nearby Cap Ferret and the town. The park nearby is also a nice place to calm down.

Panorama from the observatory

Parc Mauresque in the middle of town

Avenue Gambretta seen from the pier

Everything is centred on the beaches that are long and nice and stretches from east to west where the marina is in the eastern part with its own beach.

Plage Pereire on West part of Arcachon looking over to Cap Ferret

Plage Pereire

City beach

The city beach closer to the port

The sunsets in Arcachon gets very nice as they set on the peninsula that ends with Cap Ferret. We enjoy a number of these fantastic sceneries and together with the calm water and the beaches it makes a good setting.

Enjoying the sunset

Sunset seen from a restaurant

We take a day to go over to Cap Ferret. Martin talked a lot of this famous place and we takes his advise and climb the lighthouse to get a perfect view of the bay, the peninsula and the Dune of Pilat at the bay entrance that is Europes largest sand dune. The day is hot so we decide to wind down in the oyster village and choose the Chez Boulan seafood restaurant that overlooks the pond and Dune Pilat in the distance. Extremely nice oysters and a calm atmosphere.

Cap Ferret landing

The lighthouse at Cap Ferret

Panorama over Dune Pilat, oyster harbour and Arcachon

Chez Boulan seafood restaurant in Cap Ferret

Having fresh delicious oysters again!

I also get some time to do some work on the boat where two tasks could not wait. We got a rope in the port propeller on the way down and the Radar had stopped working. Even if I tend to procrastinate work in the favour of pleasure, two motors are nice and sometimes needed and not having a radar in these foggy waters is no good idea. The rope was easy to remove but the radar took me a while before I could get hold of a wire that has disconnected.

The rope that got stuck in the port propeller

Enjoying the last sunset before going south

Today is the last day this year on Melody. It feels sad but it has been a great three months trip with approximately 2000 Nm on the log. I have set the alarm at 5:30 and rise up early and start checking off the last tasks on my list. I am done exactly at 8 when we should lift the boat and I feel satisfied but there are always things to be done so I continue working as I wait.
After a while, the guys show up and we go over to the launch area. Here, they do not lift the catamarans – they put them aground, let the tide do its magic and drive away. It is a very strange feeling to actively run aground but they know what they are doing.

Going out of the harbour last time

Getting aground

It soon sits on the bottom and I stay on the boat until it is completely dry. I am in no hurry so I continue fixing with the boat. It seems as they will come with the tractor after lunch so I adopt, go for a lunch of Moules Roquefort and take a nap after the lunch.

Drying out

Fishes have eaten a nice pattern 🙂

Dried out

Taking a nap

Melody will spend the winter with Sail Atlantic Services “SAS” who are the company that do the final preparation of new Lagoons. Feels good to leave her in good hands and after lunch they come with the tractor and drive it off to their yard.

Driving away

🙂

She is now sitting in a fenced areas with new Lagoons to be delivered to clients. I have a final chat with the manager at SAS before he drives me to the train station.

Ready for the winter!

My neighbours

New Lagoons in the water

Taking this bullet to Paris

As I arrive to Paris, it is pretty late. I go to my hotel and get my room which takes a while since their computer system had broke down. Hungry, I go for the a nice creperie. They serve me a very nice galette consisting of spinache, egg, bacon and more. Very tasty and very filling.

A meaty galette

Today is the day before Melody should be taken out of the sea. I start ticking off the tasks and feel satisfied when everything goes according to plan. Apart for a quick bite at one of the restaurants in the marina – I stay on the boat all day.

Preparing the boat for the winter. Not a nice sight.

Getting lunch at the row of restaurants in the marina

Feels good when the evening closing in and I decide to empty the water system next morning so I could have a shower and a cup of coffee. Time to go and visit beautiful Les Sables d’Olonne for the last time this year and I think that I should celebrate this trip with a visit at my favorite place – Fleurs de Thym. I go there early to be able to enjoy some oysters and a nice fish looking out over the harbour. The timetable of the electric ferries “passeurs” are now adjusted to low season so I go back before 10 to avoid the promenade around the harbours.

Celebrating last evening in the nice city of Les Sables d’Olonne

Today I have one to-do item and that is to return the Kymco. That task soon turns out to be two intertwined tasks – fill up the fuel and then return it. I go out on the route where I thought I have seen a gas station but I discover that I am wrong. The meter is only in the red area, has not yet passed the low mark and consumes very little fuel so I feel safe to go and look at the salt fields and visit the beach north of the town. Very nice trip but no fuel so I go back to the boat and fill up from the jerry can to the dinghy.

Plage de Sauveterre

Plage de Sauveterre

The guy at the rental company is a nice guy and he asks me how it had been. He welcomes me back next year and to have a nice stay the last days. As I stroll out of the shop, the water is low and the grand beach is at its best. I sit down on a bench and just enjoy the sea for a while and let the thoughts fly. Moments like this is priceless.

Grand plage at daytime

Back at the boat, I start preparing for the lifting of the boat on Monday. I have prepared a long checklist so it is just to check off the items. No stress needed – I plan to do most things on Sunday but it feels satisfying to move forward. The evening is spend walking around in the town that I now start to know pretty well. I sit down at a restaurant at the beach and enjoy the light out over the sea.

Grand plage in the eveningo

Today, I feel restless and decide to go and have a look at some of the sights. As I come into town, I decide to visit the Shell museum that seems famous. It turns out to be a very interesting display of 25000 shells from around the world collected by a passionate collector. Amazing to see the difference in size, colours and shapes.

Some of the 25000 shells in te museum

And more – especially these huge shells

After the museum, I take a detour to see the Quartier de l’Ile de Penotte and its wall art. Turns out to be a very nice spot hidden away a couple of blocks from the beach promenade. Beautiful paintings combined with seashells. With the bright colours of the houses – it gives a welcoming effect. Nice place to live!

Art in Quartier de l’Ile de Penotte

Quartier de l’Ile de Penotte

Quartier de l’Ile de Penotte

As I come out on “Le Remblai” – the beach promenade – I stumble across a rental company renting bikes and scooters. I decide to take a Kymco 50cc scooter for a day and have a look at the surroundings. First I go southeast along the coast to have a look at the Bourgenay marina. Just as it said in the pilot book – it is a large modern but artificial marina so I skip the planned lunch here.

Leaving Les Sables

The Kymco

Bourgenay marina

The beach of Veillon

Instead, I continue on to Talmont-Saint-Hilaire that is most famous for its castle. Richard I of England (Lionhart) often used this castle as his base and owned the Château de Talmont from 1182 until his death. I walk up to the castle, pick up an audio guide and learn more.

Nice roads

The castle of Talmont

The guards room

View from the tower

Me and the Kymco outside the castle

Leaving Talmont, I decide to go north of Les Sables to see the coastal road towards Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie. As I drive this nice road next to the ocean as the sun slowly sets – life really feels good. Being on a bike is always better than sitting caged up in a car even if I would have appreciated some extra horsepowers. A very nice day!

View from the west coast

Waves coming ashore

Along the Corniche

The Cornice Vendeenne

Saint Gilles

Jennifer of Stockholm but nobody at home

I wake up to another bright day. Time to continue the maintenance. I have talked to the Gwen Marine who is the local Volvo Penta dealer to come and do a proper maintenance on the engines. This year, they have been working hard. More than a third of their running hours is logged this summer. Canals, rivers and some weak winds have taken its toll. Normally, we run the engines very seldom. Vincent from Gwen shows up in the morning and he speaks German which simplifies the communication.

Time to give the Engines some attention

Vincent adjusting the valves

We work on separate tasks and the day floats by in nice company. We break for lunch and I have my first taste of the French herring, which was nice.

New Lagoons pass by all the time. Nice view!

French Herring.

After Vincent leaves, it feels a bit lonely and I take a walk to the town and have another nice meal as the sun sets.

Another beautiful sunset in the old port

Time to go all-in for the winter preparations. I start by washing the boat thoroughly to get rid of the salt and then start removing everything to clean it from salt. It takes its time but the weather is nice so with an audio book – this is a very nice day. Feels good to get the boat clean and tidy before the winter. Normally – I remove almost everything from the boat and store it in a dry spot. This year, everything will stay aboard.

Cleaning Melody

At the afternoon, Mr Picot from Lagoon visit me and we have a nice chat on a repair on Melody that they should do but also on sailing and Lagoon in particular. It feels good to leave Melody in good hands over the winter – the factory and the third party company SAS that normally finish the boats.
I finish the cleaning and go to the beach. To get to the beach, I need to take the small shuttle ferry. This is an electrical ferry and runs back and forth all day.

Taking the electric ferry to the beach

I find a good restaurant down by the beach and decide to take a slow dinner. The tide is still high but going out and the sun is coming down. The sunsets are amazing and you can see the sun fall down over the town at the end of the beach.

The beach from my restaurant

The sun sets

After the dinner I have a slow walk through the outgoing tide with the sun still glowing over the town. This is one of the moments that you really will value afterwards. I get a good feeling the warm water, soft sand and still a warm breeze blowing. I walk back to the boat barefoot and enjoy the evening before I put myself to sleep with some nice music in my ears and peace in mind. Another great day comes to end.

Nice evening light

Walking on soft sand in warm water

The beach going south

I wake up early and go for a walk in the town. It is time to get to know it better. It is a beautiful morning and the town is very silent. I walk through the city center and go down to the beach. The beach promenade that is normally bustling of live is now completely deserted. I meet some people running and decide to go back and put my own shoes on. I have not been running since I left Sweden so it is about time.

Early morning in Port Olona

The statue of Liberty

The beach in the morning

The inlet to the harbour

The deserted beach promenade

Getting into the shoes

I take the phone with me so I can take pictures if I see anything interesting and start running out to the west point of Les Sables. I stop by the market and soak in the atmosphere before I continue. It is a nice pedestrian road that can be followed and I come across some nice sights, lighthouses. As I turn back, I run out on the boardwalk that sits next to the Saint-Nicolas priory and ends up at the lighthouse that marks the harbour inlet. This priory has over the years been turned into a fortress. Now it sits as a nice welcome to the people coming into the city from the sea.

A stop at the market

A madonna watching out for seafarers

The lighthouse at the point

The boardwalk out to the lighthouse at the inlet

A yacht going out to sea

The Saint-Nicolas priory

I go back to the boat and in the evening, I go down to the beach to have a meal. The crowds are gone so it is easy to get a table with a good view and I sit and look at the people playing football and boule at the beach.

Boule players on the beach