SUNDAY 15Th JULY
sunrise
On the morning of the 11th June 06.00hrs we slipped the pontoon at Gijon and set sail for Ribadeo. leaving the Asturian coast to meet the Galician coast.
We began sailing but soon had to take the sail down in the 6 knots of WNW winds. The sea was calm and the swell was slight which made for a more comfortable ride this time.. Oh! ..we are so longing for the wind to change direction to give us a good sail…. 
The sunrise that greeted us over the horizon was fiery red licking its way through the clouds. It never fails to mesmerize me …
The swell increased slightly before we got into the marina at Ribadeo.( 16.00hrs) The first of the Spanish Rias we hoped to explore
Where to today? Decisions, decisions
- Ribadeo marina
We decided to stay a few days and wait for the wind to change and explore the area. I had expected a smaller, quainter town but it was much larger and not quite the ‘river’ experience I wished for.. (maybe I was being naive).
However it grew on me and it had many redeeming points of interest.
There are some wonderful buildings.. and not all of them are that old either..
It does has a medieval history and later in the 14th century became a commercial trading centre… mainly dominated by seafaring trades supported by the farming communities in the ‘interior’.
The estuary is tidal of course, and after a wet trip in the dinghy up stream to bird watch we acknowledged that we had to respect this ever changing waterway with it’s tidal flats. reed beds and debris or old bits of broken boats sticking out of the water . OR get stuck! therefore we chickened out doing it again!
We have had nice coastal walks and looked forward to todays’ (Sunday 15th July) market which only consisted of about 12 stalls of fresh local produce..
Chris is drooling over the Spanish Chorizo type meats hanging in many shops and markets we find on our travels.. ah…and the cheeses.. they make for very appetizing lunches with fresh crusty bread and olives.. and perhaps a glass of wine?
The smiles say it all!
We are now beginning to recognize a few boats and their occupants. Usually flying the French or German flag. It is nice to be able to chat ( albeit them speaking English to us due to our abysmal attempts at any other languages!) and give advice or help if needed or just comparing notes. We have met one English woman here who lives in Spain and whom just inherited her father’s boat.. apart from this lady, still no Brits!
We always thought we could communicate quite well when abroad but realize now that most other people understood us better than the other way round.. Here is very different. Even the Spanish language book we have for sailors isn’t helping much . The dialect must be far different!! I get my little sentence ready and practiced before going into a shop only to end up having to use my hands, smile and point to be understood…. and when you need a battery for a kindle book light ( when you have forgotten the light to show them.. becomes rather difficult! ) Mind you… I think this is all part of our journey ..in the wider sense of the word..
Plan to leave in the morning to go west some more… maybe Viveiro……… MAÑANA
Spoke to Adam today.. have been missing them terribly.. good to hear they are ok xx
Moreno’s Tower, Ribadeo
