Gijón to Cascais
21-24 October 2019
We had not planned to sail along the west coast of Europe on the Atlantic Ocean this close to winter. Originally we were going to hop along the coastline doing day sails in warmer weather. But delays in receiving Long Summer earlier this year meant that we were now dealing with different weather patterns and a shorter schedule to get down to the Med. And so, after a week’s reprieve our skipper was back on board to help us with the long passage down to Cascais, near Lisbon.
As we departed, Gijón sent us off in spectacular style. A full and bright double rainbow formed over the port entrance, and as we passed underneath we waved goodbye to northern Spain (though unfortunately there was no pot of gold to be found!). But as we entered open waters and met with unsettled seas, Emily and Sullivan were once again couch-bound with heads in buckets for the first 24 hours. Thankfully, Frankie seemed completely unaffected, whilst Ben and Gweltaz handled the boat.
The second day brought a slow start as we waited for the sea-sickness to subside in better winds. Around midday we passed the ominous-sounding Costa del Morte and finally rounded Cape Finisterra. This was a milestone we were keen to pass, as it meant that we were now officially heading south! Skirting straight down the coast should bring us much more favourable conditions for sailing to the Med.
After a calm and relaxing afternoon in following seas, that evening as we were getting the children ready for bed at sunset, out of the window we spotted something we’d been hoping to see since we left France... A pod of dolphins had joined us for the journey! As they darted in and out of the water we all jostled for space to see them. And not only that, we could hear them squeaking and whistling to each other through the hull underwater. How many kids can say that, as they put on their pyjamas on a Tuesday, they have dolphins leaping past the window?! These beautiful creatures accompanied us for about an hour, playing at the bow of the boat as the last golden rays of the day faded away. It was truly magical.
Throughout the second night the winds and waves increased as we entered Portuguese waters. We took the Genoa sail down and had three reefs in the Main as the wind gusted up to 40 knots. And as we entered day three, the windy weather continued - surfing down 3 metre waves, and occasionally hitting over 14 knots! But we were comfortable enough and, needless to say, we made good time to Cascais. About 72 hours after we departed Gijón, we arrived at our destination early on Thursday morning.
After a morning catching up on sleep, and a sunny lunch at the marina, it was time to farewell our amazing skipper, Gweltaz. From here on out we would be on our own. But we have just spent three days and three nights at sea - our longest passage yet - purely sailing for about 60 percent of the journey. We’ve learnt a lot, and finally feel like we have enough experience to do this!