Aleria's Adventures

Islas Cies on the Summer Solstice We spent just one night in the Ria de Aldan without going ashore. Three other Irish boats, all dark hulled, drop anchor near us, two with children aboard all of whom went ashore for dinner. The boats were Growler and Coirin and the third was Zig-Zag, who we heard hailed on the radio by a passing freighter, " Zig-Zag, Zig-Zag what are your intentions." Peter responded that he would pass behind the freighter. Right answer.

Anchored in the Cies In October, Alex and I had a chance to return to Galicia and go sailing for another week. We'd spent two months there in the  Rias Baixas this summer.  The Ryanair flights from Dublin are only twice a week. We flew out on a Thursday morning and were on the boat before noon. It was a foggy, drizzly kind of day and we were wondering what to expect. Nevertheless, we trudged up the hill from Punta Lagoa to town with our trusty cart and shopping bags to provision. The Froiz was open and the bakery still had one loaf of fresh bread. Yeah!

Illas de Cies We left the Finisterre region and sailed back southward toward the Rias Baixas. We had not yet visited the barrier islands but had secured our initial permission document before heading out of Ireland. In the 1980s, Spain acquired several archipelagos of islands off the Atlantic coast and established a National Park to ‘preserve’ these islands. The Cortegada Archipelago is well inside the Ria de Arousa. The Salvora Archipelago is in the mouth of the Ria de Arousa. The Ons Archipelago protects the Ria de Pontevedra, and the Cíes Archipelago sits across mouth of the Ria de Vigo. These islands form natural barriers against the forces of the Atlantic, protecting the sealife and shores of the Rias Baixas. The archipelagos have waters so turquoise and sands so white that they evoke Caribbean beaches...until you put your foot in the water. Let's just say it's refeshing.