After our celebration that we crossed the Bay of Biscay, we decided to move further on. We had 5 more days before the crew would travel back to Holland and we were all eager to see some of the Ria’s everyone is always talking about. The next day around 12 afternoon we left Muxia for our trip to Muros. Only 40 NM to go. It was a beautiful sunny day with a good wind and we were enjoying the views of the rugged coastline. One thing I remember very well that is that the colour of the sky and the landscape is always misty? It was also difficult to make some pretty pictures as all the pictures seem blue-ish. At the end of the day we entered the Ria. At all the Ria’s you really have to follow the Navionics charts to be clear of the rocks. Sailing into a Ria is quite spectacular expecially with the sunny and warm weather we enjoyed. Really really nice! We cruised the Ria to see the beauty of the sun going down and the spectacular views before we went to Muros.

In MUROS we stayed on anchor in the bay close to the marina. A few things we experienced:

  • Be sure not to go to close to the beach side as there is tide! Not that you wake up in de morning to find that you got stuck in the mud.
  • Also be aware that the Harbour Captain is very unpleasant. When you even come close to the marina with your dinghy, he will shout at you that it’s not allowed to come with a dinghy! We were lucky that Mieke and Ben had friends in the marina we were visiting so he could not send us away. But very unfriendly! And when you have to go for shopping they will also not allow you to leave your dinghy. In our case the ladies did the shopping and men the taxi (dinghy).

We visited the town of Muros, did some shopping and most of all we enjoyed our time at EIGHT. We toke out the sup’s and Mieke, Ben and Jeroen went for a round in the bay of Muros. Robbert took out the dingy for some good speed! At night we prepared the plancha and had a few bottles of wine. In the harbour we met friends of Mieke and Jeroen who are cruising around the Atlantic.  And the next day we repeated the same pattern as the day before. Being lazy, having a nice lunch and some wine only went for dinner in town.

August 12,we sailed to PORTOSIN. Handy to know:

  • You can rent a small car at the Portosin Marina office. Only 35 euro a day! But suitable for 5 people and some baggage! Call a few days before you need the car.
  • Very nice ladies at the Marina office and also very helpful. You can ask them anything they will help!
  • Wifi not working at the boat, only in the cafe. But not very well.

It was a bit of a rainy and misty day. It took us only 1 hour to go to the other side of the Ria. We went into town which is not very attractive to be honest … very old … and not much to see, BUT that day we enjoyed a local Fiesta! Festas do Carmen. We walked along the quays and the Virgin was already tuned up on a fishing boat to be presented along the sea. During this ceremony the Virgin Carmen is honored in several Spanish coastal towns. Virgen del Carmen is the patron Saint of the Sea and offers safety for fishermen and sailors. Prayers are prayed in the churches and the image of the Virgin goes through the streets to the sea in procession, after which her statue is sailed by boat along the coast. But also exuberant celebration with the necessary dance, music and fireworks belongs to the summer Fiesta de la Virgen del Carmen. The fireworks were really going on and on that night. And the next day when we woke up EIGHT was black! Yakkie! That meant cleaning the hull completely grrrrr …. Anyway, it was a nice day but today was a sad day. The crew was leaving. So we were left Portosin with the small car we rented and drove up to Santiago de Compostela. This airport has good connections to Europe. And cheap as well. Goodbye crew. It was great having you guys onboard Eight!

Estuary “Ría de Muros e Noia”

To the north, Muros, hidden at the foot of the Louro mountain, Noia, and to the south Porto do Son are boundaries of this beautiful and calm estuary. The origins of Muros and Noia date back to the Middle Ages. Both preserve a historic quarter that speaks of a noble past linked to the sea and rocks: houses with coats of arms on their façade, arcaded streets, churches and small squares. Porto do Son is a fishing village which still preserves its flavour and is one of Galicia’s foremost summer destinations. Next to it is Portosín, with a modern marina and its popular yacht races.

In the (spanish) film below you can see beautiful drone shots of this ria.

After we dropped the crew at the aiport of Santiago Robbert and me could not let the opportunity go by to visit the city. We drove straight into the right direction and it took us maybe 20 minutes to the parkingplace to visit the holy grounds! Of course overloaded with visitors and waiting in queues to see something at the inside of the Cathedral. We skipped that part. We walked throught the town which we found is interesting but too busy!

Santiago de Compostella

Nowadays, when travellers, pilgrims or tourists arrives in Santiago de Compostela and look up to the sight before them of the Obradoiro facade, they can only exclaim, “It’s been worth it”. Such a simple sentence has never meant so much. The city of Santiago possesses an unparalleled series of monuments. Its monasteries, churches, palaces, old streets and typical popular constructions, combined with its spiritual and cultural significance, have given it its deserved inclusion in the list of World Heritage Cities. Have a look at the website to find everything you want to know. It’s really worth visiting this ancient town. Also lots of information @ http://www.santiagoturismo.com/info-xeral