South to the Canaries - 2006-08-24
Celtic western europe |
After a busy few weeks in the UK we headed south to cross Biscay before the Autumn gales. We had a brisk crossing to Alderney with a good westerly, the island remains timeless in a busy world. The passage round to Camaret sur Mer was a windward bash and reminded all on board why we are heading for the Caribbean for the winter. The Breton coast and scene as always were enjoyable and combined with a concert in the local chapel by Marlene Samoun provided an excellent start to our migration south. From Camaret we made a passage round to Ile Groix to avoid the worst of an Atlantic Depression heading up the Channel. The trip across Biscay was a combination of the last of the south westerly and then a light easterly into the old swell, so no records were set. We stopped a night in Espasante an old favorite and then headed onto the sailors City of Coruna through the fog. The Fog theme continued along the West coast of Portugal, combined with missing the swell from the hurricanes coming into the western approaches kept us on our toes. The fog lifted as we rounded Cabo St Vincent and I hope this sets the tone for our onward cruise south. After a week of boat Maintenence and relaxation in Lagos we headed south, a brief stop in Morocco to experience the local bureaucracy and bucksheesh system and it was time to head on to Graciosa. The sailing was great with a light north easterley allowing the spinnaker and fishing to flourish. We have arrived with water temp of 27C and crystal clear water.
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