September in Vigo

View from the maritime museum toward Bouzas

We are docked at the Liceo de Maritimo in Bouzas, Vigo preparing Aleria for her winter at the Astilleros Lagos boatyard. We've removed the sails and other sundry items from the deck, stowed the dinghy, cleaned out the fridge, swept up and done the laundry. Yesterday, Alberto Lagos stopped by and we reviewed all the work we'd like done over the winter. He is such a gentle and kind man. We are fortunate to consider him and all the Lagos family our friends. It is very warm and dry but not unpleasant. The climate here is much to be desired.

Aleria on the right in her berth at the Liceo

Astilleros Lagos where Aleria will be hauled out by rail

While we worked we watched the news hour by hour as hurricanes barreled across the Atlantic: Florence to the Carolinas, Isaac through the Caribbean, Helene towards the Azores and Ireland, and Joyce for the Canaries. Had the fifth depression become a TS, it would have been only the second time in recorded history that five tropical storms coincided in Atlantic waters. It's really macabre to be glued to the internet watching the blow by blow destruction as it hits. Poor New Bern and Wilmington. I had spent some time there getting to know the area when I thought I might want to live there. It was lovely, with a college town vibe and maritime setting. It sustained a triple hit, with storm surge, heavy winds, and deluge of rain over a prolonged period of time as Florence slowed to a crawl. Our friend Jeff was in process of buying a house in Cape Hatteras but we wonder if it's even still there. We presume our friends in Wilmington evacuated in time. So many boats in the water and on the hard in places like Oriental on Pamlico Sound rode out the storm somehow. We're not yet seeing reports of how they fared. We know so far that 600,000 are without power and 5 are reported dead. No other news.

Meanwhile, Helene is approaching the Azores today, we fly home tomorrow, and Helene arrives in Ireland Monday morning. We'll be there in time to anchor the house and secure our little fleet of boats and pride of cats.

In the meantime, we've been exploring lovely Bouzas. Really nice restaurants here. We had a simple meal on the Ria de Vigo waterfront at le Croque - shrimp and a burger. It was a happening place that night. Warm temperature, clear sky and a beautiful sunset conspired to get everyone out on the promenade. Yesterday, Friday evening, we watched the throngs of tourists arrive for the weekend and the restaurants filled up. We tried to get into Le Carpenteria on Alberto's suggestion but they were fully booked. The menu looked interesting - a modern take on Galician delicacies. So instead we had a very nice tapas meal at Las Anclas across from the Ferreteria and the Mercado. Good spot for people watching. I had found the lavanderia yesterday (turn right at the Ferreteria and left at the next cross street (Rua Poeta Anon). It's one of those industrial strength laundromats. I was done in less than an hour. Hurray! It's amazing how excited a sailor can get about a laundromat. My timing was perfect, about 15 minutes before a British couple came in with big loads. While I waited for the wash, I walked over to scope out the local restaurants and the chandlery. It's a good one. Big and loaded with gear. Efectos Navales Jesus Betanzos on the Rúa de Eduardo Cabello is worth the stop.

Today, we walked along the inlet of the Ria de Vigo to the Galicia maritime museum. It's a lovely if longish walk and the museum is interesting. It was a foggy day and perfect for the walk. The fog stayed just offshore but kept undulating closer and farther away. Two large modern buildings house well done displays of maritime history, not all Galician, a small aquarium and a lighthouse. The museum told of the history of fishing and understanding what's in the oceans. It covered all kinds of exploration including Darwin's voyages and Jacques Cousteau's undersea exploration. There was a room dedicated to toys with ocean themes. It was quite interesting.

They have a restaurant at the museum but it's rather fancy. The real find was the restaurant next door. Bar O Muino do Vento was jam packed, serving tons of ribs and fries as well as other fare. A steady queue of hungry local hopefuls stood by. A couple of beers at €1.50 each and churrasco or Galician BBQ -- pork ribs for €8 and veal back ribs for €9 cooked over a fire, and we rolled ourselves back toward Bouzas. Altogether a great find.

Back to Aleria to pack and prepare for our flight in the morning. We leave Bouzas at 7:15 bound for Santiago airport. We should get to Dublin in time for an early train to Westport, with plenty of time to spare before Hurricane Helene arrives in the morning. How weird is it that Helayne house sat for us earlier this year and w'd never heard the name before.

I just realized that in the past two years we've spent five months living in Spain and Portugal. We've loved every minute but the time has come to return home.