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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.