April Report, 2008

Anna M is back home, after a straightforward passage from Almerimar. Funnily enough the hardest work was the first leg to Lagos, especially because I was single-handed for that part, but also it is a good deal harder to get out of the Mediterranean than into it on account of the current. The Atlantic has to constantly replenish the water that evaporates in the Med. There the wind was mostly light and variable, but still with an annoying slop coming from the east. A promised bit of east wind only lasted a few hours, and turned west as I approached the Strait. I also noticed the east-going current well beyond the narrow part. I had that feeling of being on an elevator going in the wrong direction for a long time, until well clear of Tarifa, when a fresh northerly wind gave a great sail across the Gulf of Cadiz.

John Hanly

John Hanly joined me in Lagos and made pretty light work of the rest of the trip, though we did have a lot of close-hauled motor-sailing. For his graphic account, see: Anna M delivery Algarve to Baltimore: 2-16 April 2008.

We spent a night each in Cascais, Bayona and the Ria de Arosa, then three in Portosin, with heavy rain and north or north-east gales. With a better forecast, we left Portosin for a beat to Finisterre on April 11th, where the wind backed west to give us a fine beam reach to clear the Spanish coast, albeit with a big Biscayan swell. Only lasted a day though, more close-hauled motor-sailing until the south-easterly finally cut in to blow us the last 70 miles into Baltimore, arriving there five days out from Portosin.

Besides the Cuvier’s Beaked Whale recorded by John as we left Spanish waters, the only other sightings of cetaceans were of dolphins (striped in the Med, bottlenose at Portosin, plenty of common off Iberia, a few off Brittany, but none approaching Ireland. Must think it’s too cold here yet!)

For more on the imaginitive side of things, and an insight into where this web-site gets its rather odd name, see On Sailing the Gannets’ Way. First trip of the new season yesterday, a very breezy spin across Roaringwater Bay to Schull; well done and thanks to Simon and Samantha Richards for having the spirit to enjoy the ‘fabulous sailing trip’, as they describe it in the visitors’ book!