And off to a new beginning

Witch’s log, 10th to 12th of August

The day came and we finally left Vigo and headed South West. After a little engine trial the day before which didn’t exactly inspire much confidence, we had had enough of the industrial harbour and it was time to make some progress.

We set off at 9:00 sharp with the intention of perhaps reaching Portugal by the end of the day. As it turned out it didn’t happen like that exactly, but then again nothing bad happened either which was good in itself.

The repaired engine is still a very old and weak engine and way too small for the Witch at sea. Going down the ria against tide with no wind only gave us 2 knots. Eventually when the wind and swell started to show we turned off the motor and started to sail, only that with a SW breeze we had to beat all the way past the Cíes. The swell from the previous days was still noticeable which also slowed things down. By the time we reached the Ocean (around 2-3pm) it was perhaps too late to make it to Viana in daylight so we decided to retreat to Baiona for the evening and continue the following day fresh.

Departed from Baiona the following day at 9 again with the promise of a nice NW4-5 and little swell once we reached the Ocean, which in itself took another 2 hours motoring at 2 knots. And then, unlike what had been promised, we got a S2 decreasing which forced us to close-haul, again, for a few hours. The only way forward with the Witch is under sail and it was with great envy that we saw everyone pass by at 5-6 knots motoring in a straight line while we tried to devise the best tacking strategy.

The good thing about the Portuguese coast, for those who don’t know, is what’s called the Nortada, a NW wind breeze that blows everyday in the summer afternoons. So it eventually showed up, although with a force 2-3 and hardly 4-5, which allowed us to at least progress in a straight line.

We reached the Portuguese border at 17:00 (16:00 Portuguese time) and hoisted the courtesy flag at sea while passing the river Minho. It was a long way down but a pleasant one in the company of cute little dolphins every now and again wanting to play.

And finally! We reached Viana do Castelo at 21:00 (local time) after a 12 hour journey and only 40 miles logged and were told to raft on the waiting pontoon along another similar Dutch boat. Our neighbours, a family with children who’d sold their house, were heading to the Pacific. Now, that’s life!

And it was then time for a well deserved drink and meal and so we heading into town we found this lovely tapas restaurant called “Tabernao” full of life and nice food. On top of that it’s festivities week so there is a handicraft market to be seen and loads of yummy things to try. Viana is in itself truly beautiful, with loads of old buildings and a village feel. I had no idea and glad to have stopped to discover it.

Elsa has now ended her holiday and left us to go back to daily life. Thank you for coming and for all the help and patience.

And that’s all for now folks. Til the next episode, Witch out!