Moving up the Atlantic Coast (Nazaré to Camaret)

We took every favorable weather window to make our way up the Atlantic coast from Nazaré (Portugal) to Muros and A Coruna (Spain). Then, the crossing of the Bay of Biscaye had a little surprise in store for us.

Sunny Muros (Spain)

Once the sea had calmed down after the strong southerly winds, we left Nazaré for an overnight passage to the northern part of Spain.

We had spent the last 10 months in Portugal, which offers a fantastic sailing area including the mainland (Atlantic coast, Algarve) and the islands (Azores, Madeira). But it was time to say good bye and to change the courtesy flag.

Our first stop was Muros, located in the Rias baixas of Galicia. The marina is well protected thanks to the location up river while still close to the coast. With bright sunshine for three days, we had a good time in the small town of Muros.

Part or the pilgrimage path to Santiago to Compostella, it takes 14 hours to walk from Muros to Santiago (60 kilometers).

Quick stop in A Coruna (Spain)

The next leg consisted in rounding Cabo Finisterre to reach A Coruna. This put us in a good starting position for the crossing of the Bay of Biscaye.

We like A Coruña a lot but could not visit much this time, as a window with fair winds materialised for the crossing.

We are followed in the Bay of Biscaye

The crossing of the Bay of Biscaye from A Coruna to Camaret takes a little less than 3 days (340 nm). We left in the evening and had a sporty start. All the fishermen of the region were gathered on our path. Sailing upwind (20-25 knots apparent wind) with waves and no AIS to signal our presence (issue is back), were were slaloming between the fishing boats during the first part of the night.

As we progressed off shore, we were alone and settled into the routine of the night watches.

The next day we felt sleepy due to the motion of the waves.

The spirits lightened up by end of day as we had the visit of a shark and enjoyed a beautiful sunset. In the video below, you can see the dorsal fin and tail of the shark. It could be a Mako Shark (requin taupe) but we are unsure.

The second day, the wind progessively decreased and shifted. We were busy with changing and trimming the sails. The day started close-hauled with reefed main and genoa.

At the end of the day were running wing on wing.

Just in time for a fresh baguette (Camaret)

The third morining, we arrived in Camaret. We found an open bakery and treated ourselves with faresh baguette and croissants.

Camaret offers an ideal starting point for our next passage around the french Finistère to Roscoff and Tréguier. The timing of this passage will not only be determined by the wind but also by the currents that run strong along the coasts of Brittany.