Sundowner II log – 2004 update 4- Arcachon to the Spanish Coast

A strange thing happened yesterday as we rowed ashore to collect diesel and water we introduced ourselves to the Capitaine who was a decent fellow and he confirmed that the swell was too much for travelling. We then had a couple of beers in the bar near the garage when the strange thing happened. As we prepared to leave the owner asked how many beers we had had and I informed him ’five’ and at 2 euros each I handed over 10 euros. He then said ‘on me’ and returned 4 euros, so I said ‘we had just as well have some drinks on you!’ So when Sandra returned she was pleasantly surprised to find Dennis still drinking and was impressed that the owner, who we had only met twice and hardly made eye contact, was buying us a drink.

You have to marvel at the qualities of a diesel engine, after many years of observing and operating cement mixers and various diesel driven engines on building sites which used to run all day whatever the weather from the 76 heat wave to frozen winters, our Perkins has now gone over 6 hours just to charge the computer to update the website. We do have a motive though because people are waiting for news, one in particular, our mate and pontoon companion Ian who dipped the wings of his plane as he flew over us on our inaugural trip to England this year from Guernsey.

Once again, to leave timing was everything, after a leisurely ride down the Arcachon basin we passed the sand dune and motored out through the buoyed channel between the two sand bars. It was quite strange to see the locals with their boats anchored and strutting about on top of one with the waves breaking all around and upon it. One guy had left his motorboat a little too long and as the tide was receding team effort was needed to re-float it with the aid of said breaking waves.

Sails were hoisted and we headed south into the night. In the early hours the seas rose up along with the wind to 20 knots, which is pretty well perfect for Sundowner, but not with the seas beam on so both sails were double reefed and we were still travelling at 4 knots. A change of course was probably the prudent thing to do but we roughed it out and by mid morning the Pyrenees were looming out of the horizon, a few hours from the harbour the winds died which meant we had sailed all through the night which was quite satisfying. We had the obligatory yacht race to contend with as we approached Hendaye but we are well skilled now in the dodgem stakes. We were also in Spanish waters for a while only returning back into French waters as we neared the marina. Another weather front is coming in and so we will be here for a while. We have had to purchase a Basque courtesy flag in respect of the region and people who seem very friendly and very proud of their origins. Had our first visit from French Customs today – ironic that they should visit us at our last port. Anyway they spent about 1 ˝ hours on board, happily looking at paperwork and logbook (recommended that we write in ink instead of pencil). Dennis just continued washing the boat while they tried to look in all lockers and cupboards – an impossible task we’ve tried it!

Thursday 19th August Chilled in Hendaye ready for the sweep west around Finisterre, there’s going to be headwinds and some sea, probably too confident after making crossing to the corner of Biscay and the added bonus of over 1000 miles since home. Well, it’s a landmark, it will be a shame to leave France where the attitude has been so laid back, friendly and just downright cordial. Went to Spain next door the other day by ferry, it felt good as neither of us had been to mainland Spain before, a little too much history, religion and pride though- a bit like home really – maybe it will be different later, a few Rias will sort us out. Must get settled in Portugal for the winter, Vilamoura is one target but not to sacrifice too much on the way and take any chances which we have been so careful to avoid thus far. Who knows, with rail and plane now we are this far the rest is in reach by either – so John Mermaid, Tony Mariners, Verna, Donna, John Safrika, etc, watch out!

It is now 2 o’clock on Saturday 21st August and we should be well on the way to San Sebastian but have just paid for an extra night so that we can rest and make an early start in our push westwards around the corner towards Porto and meet Seb and Lucy who are staying for a week in September of chilling out in Rias and small harbours – well that’s the plan anyway. We should have been dried out up the river in a bay fitting the new depth transducer but it was decided over a couple of beers last night that with our second harbour along, before Bilbao, being a drying harbour we can do the work there.

We are now getting used to this strange French custom of giving us free beer, it happened again last night, not once but twice and at 7.80 Euros a round it was quite welcome, but it does mess up the passage plans a bit! It’ll be ‘dos small beer’ in future, we also found this wine in plastic 1 ˝ litre bottles quite passable and 11 % and only just over 2 euros. They are made up of wines from around the world – well at least the engine won’t freeze up! A French neighbour passed by yesterday looking for an egg for her mayonnaise, which we supplied. She could have had more but ‘un oeuf was un oeuf’!

Sunday 22nd and we have finally left, swapping courtesy flags as we crossed the river over the border into Spain and with the cruising chute have moved along to San Sebastian. It was rather sad to leave France, a bit final, and the fear of still being in Biscay and having to round Finisterre doesn’t help. The extra day gave us an opportunity to get the photo of a plane with a red tail-light heading into the runway to Spain across the river. There was the added bonus as when we returned from shopping a Basque band was setting up for the night next to our bar tuning their instruments for the radio and TV crews. We watched for a while and some of the instruments were well different and sounded good. We could hear them as we ate dinner then set off to take the photo with the intention of returning to a musical evening only to find as we passed that they had packed up and gone after little more than an hour’s stint. After waiting, in the perfect place for the photo, for nearly 2 hours for the 9 o’clock ish fly in which didn’t arrive (Sandra forgot the beer and the bar was shut) we took a photo of a rather startled bat and a street lamp – the top being shaped like a bowsprit with port and starboard lights.

Donostia/San Sebastian how Basque/Spanish is that! It looked well impressive from the approach and as the Almanac says the giant statue of the Virgin Mary overlooks the bay and city high up from the top of the fort. Unsure of where to anchor in the busy bay we were alerted by the loud shrill whistle from a guy in a dory who directed us to a buoy which made things easy even though we had the anchor prepared and within minutes we were jumping into the turquoise water which was welcome after the hot journey. We scrubbed the sides of the boat and showered ready for the trip ashore to check in at the yacht club. In the form for the Real Club Nautico de San Sebastian they ask for your Club name so we put Bob. We were then charged 18 Euros for the buoy – oh well could be a cheap price if it blew because the almanac says it can be lively if not downright dangerous in any North West or North wind when the swell enters the bay. We chose the cool shadowy streets to tour around the city in the heat of the afternoon. This was real Spain and on meeting the coast again we took a path towards the fort and then carried on up and up and up taking photos along the way. Near the top up some narrow steps was a bar with a most friendly owner who immediately gave us 2 glasses of water and to any bar connoisseur this was ten out of ten - 1 for the owner, 2 beer’s cheap, 3 beer’s extra cold, 4 the views, 5 the music, 6 to 10 because it’s there. We then made the final steps to the top, which had never been our intention as we were tired and hadn’t slept very well the night before – heat and nerves probably. We took photos of the statue, it’s rather big and impressive but she does seem to have a rather large beard. On the way down there is a cemetery to the Ingles who died there fighting the French to help free Spain. After a lovely cold Guinness and a donut feeling a bit tired we resisted the temptation to get absolutely smashed and returned in the dory for a quick meal, a couple of phone calls, an early night and a good sleep ready for the trip to Elantxobe or if the wind is good Bilbao. During the night the wind blew very very strong from the North West.

Monday 23rd August. With very little sleep we motored into and up and down the swell still coming through the entrance into the bay with the wind still from ahead it would be motor all the way – sorry Perkins. The coastline was pretty spectacular with all shapes and shades of colour with the Pyrenees in the background and small towns hugging the inlets. There was a little confusion as to our landfall as our transit showed some houses on the side of a hill and a small wall below ‘it couldn’t possibly be there - could it?’ Then a couple of fishing boats appeared to go through the middle of said wall so we carried on ahead and went through the, by now closer up bigger wall, and around the dog leg hoping to anchor around the next dog leg or dry out ahead to fix our depth transducer. Well it was low tide and there was no stretch of clear sand, just water so we turned slowly into the port side outer harbour and uh! we were in what can only be described at first impressions as a very small busy little harbour with half the population taking part in the local custom of jumping and diving into the water. We both simultaneously agreed we had better turn and head for Bilbao, 10 hours away and it was 4.30 already, when came another whistle from who turned out to be the Capitan del Puerto directing us into a space which appeared to be half the length of Sundowner. With 100 Spanish eyes watching we expertly glided into the space alongside a smaller yacht. With our long lines fixed to the top of the wall he then squeezed out and rafted alongside us. Vodka out, boat sorted, time to see where we were. Perfect would be a bit strong a word but idyllic certainly, no fuss, no cost! Just shelter, people and a relaxed buzz about the place. After a stroll and a few photos of the small maze of harbour walls we found a bar and up the hill another and even had our first Tapas. Another forced exit as with all the happy locals and music we were enjoying ourselves too much. When we returned to the boat we had a chat with the French couple off the boat next door, real nice people whom we hope to meet again further on as their hopes are to next year sail to Greece where they will winter their boat. We also had a pilot book exchange and had a good chat about our plans and our budget and when we told him of our cheap wine he inferred that it would only be good for the engine.

Tuesday 24th August. With the wind in the North West we had a plan to tack northwards for a couple of hours leaving us a good sail run west of Bilbao, we filled the tank with diesel from the German can just in case. For the first time in a while we were looking forward to a trip having pretty much got used to the Biscay swell when our friendly Capitan came along with an English speaking friend and told us about the fishing boats coming back to port because of the Malo (bad weather) and it would be worse around the Cape to which we were heading. It’s funny, sometimes it takes ages to make a decision if whys and wherefores but within seconds it was ‘well we’ll stay here’ they agreed and then said with a smile ‘well it’s a nice place’ which we can’t deny. So it will be a couple of days hanging from the wall – we might even get to go inland which will be a novelty and there is always the bar up the road, maybe we’ll see the English speaking guy, he was there last night, I wonder if he’s the owner?