58 November 2017Cruising
Daria and Alex Blackwell are members of Mayo Sailing Club,
the Irish Cruising Club and the Ocean Cruising Club, of which
Daria serves as rear commodore and Alex is rear commodore
for Ireland. They are co-authors of Cruising the Wild Atlantic
Way and Happy Hooking – The Art of Anchoring. They have
completed three Atlantic crossings and spent a year in the
Caribbean. They have cruised in Ireland and Scotland for the
past few years and live in Westport, County Mayo.Nacional das Illas Atlanticas. We had applied in advance
for permission to anchor among the islands and now
requested permission, via the internet as required, to visit
on specific days. We found the Illas de Cies fascinating
with three main islands and several smaller ones. They
receive more than a million visitors annually from one
ferry operator alone. The long white sand beach with
Caribbean blue waters was clearly their main attraction,
but the walks out to the lighthouse and unusual rock
formations far from the crowds were well worth it. The
vistas around the rias and of the Atlantic were
breathtaking.Deserted village
The Illas de Ons have far fewer visitors and a smaller
population. The walks to the lighthouse and blowhole
were somehow less interesting topographically than Cies
had been, and the village at the ferry terminal had several
nice but crowded restaurants. We found the Illa de Salvora
most pleasing as it was quieter. We walked to the faro
(lighthouse), then to the deserted village where pequeño
wild horses roam free, and toured the chapel and its
Castillo, which was once a fish salting facility and is now a
museum. The lovely crescent beach overlooked by a
mermaid carved into a stack of rocks was gone under the
high tide when we returned.
We allowed at least two days for each of the islands and
nipped into the rias in between, visiting Santa Uxia de
Ribiera, San Vicente, Cangas, Cambados and Vigo. At San
Vicente I enjoyed the magnificent beaches while Alex
crewed aboard Miss Demeana in the Classics Regatta, a
favourite event of Juan Carlos, the former king of Spain.
In Cangas, we met up with friends and sampled more ofthe region’s wines. We roamed the perfectly arranged
streets of Cambados, the albarino wine capital of Galicia
with its large central square, castillo winery, large church
and, of course, many wine bars.
We took a slip at the Real Club Nautico in Vigo right in
the heart of the old city. There we were transported back to
a different era of European distinction – with exotic plants
and trees defining parks replete with fountains and
statues. The plethora of restaurants forced us to make
choices for fine dining. To top it off, the super modern
computer-operated laundromat made doing weeks’ worth
of laundry a snap while topping up the food supply from
the local supermarket.
One day, our friend Alberto Lagos of legendary
Astilleros Lagos boatyard, offered to take us on a tour of
the mountains bordering Portugal near A Guarda, where
we were filled with awe by the stunning views overlooking
the Rio Miño. We stopped at the impressive monastery of
Santa Maria de Oia in the lovely village of Oia en route
while Alberto regaled us with stories about growing up in
Galicia and spending summers at his grandfather’s small
hunting and fishing lodge on Cies.Ria de Alden
Our last stop before returning to Vigo turned out to be
one of our favourites. We anchored in the Ria de Alden for
several days. The waters there were the warmest; as the
shallow waters recede, the white sand heats up, then
warms the water when it returns with the tide. The aqua
blues of the waters against the magnificent deep blue
skies was akin to a Caribbean experience. We enjoyed
cocktails at the beach bar and took the dinghy to the fine
restaurant next to the slipway from where we watched the
most impressive sunset of our stay. A friend had told us
about a magnificent cruceiro (cross) at the village of O Hio,
up the hill from the harbour in Alden. We were not
disappointed when we saw the amazing history of
Christianity carved into stone in front of the church on
the hilltop with expansive views of the Ria below.
We were enchanted by this ancient land, its Celtic
people. We thought two months would be too long, but it
wasn’t nearly enough. Small wonder so many cruisers
from Britain and Ireland are choosing to leave their yachts
in Galicia for years of exploration.Above: a quiet
beach and clear
water at Bayona
Right: the pristine
sands of the Playa
de Rodas in the
Galicia National
Park, PontevedraCruising
Paul Christian Gordon / Alamy Stock Paul Christian Gordon / Alamy Stock