Starting time this morning was 7.00 am as we had a 13 hour trip to reach Ria de Viviero, a wide gorge on the north west tip of Spain. The seas were vile. We were still on the Bay of Biscay of course and the roll of waves was 2-3 metres high. It was cloudy for most of the time, with a brief showing of the sun and we had to motor. We tried the headsail a couple of times but the wind was too light so it just flapped around. Where was sunny Spain?
We arrived earlier than planned as we had the current with us, so at about 4.30 pm we dropped anchor in about 8 metres of water at the end of the Ria at the town of Cillero, with its wide sandy beach, and apartment blocks overlooking the beach, surrounded by heavily timbered hills and green pastures. There were people swimming but it was only about 18 degrees in and out of the water. Peter soon had his dinghy in the water and picked us up for pre-dinner drinks. There was a marina but it was too shallow for our boat at low tide and the anchorage was extremely calm and peaceful so we were all happy, apart from our disappointment about the weather. Although we couldn't go into the marina the manager, Fernando, came out in his boat to greet us and to let us know he was there to help us in our journey. He is a colleague of Jesus, the manager back at Gijon, who had called him to find out if his marina was suitable for us. We were very grateful to have experienced the friendliness and helpfulness of these Spanish people and would recommend their marinas to any sailors travelling this way.
It was pleasant to cook dinner on board that night and have an easy night for sleeping while anchored.