Onboard ASTURIAS COAST VOYAGES . SEAMANSHIP . EQUIPMENT CRUISING SPAIN’S ASTURIAS COAST
Beautiful, apart from the weather
Jean-Louis Grenier discovers a largely unspoilt but mysteriously empty stretch of coast in northwest Spain, and begins to wonder – could its unpredictable climate be to blame?
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he province of Asturias, west of Santander on Spain’s north coast, remains ‘an inexplicably little visited region’, we read. And it is. In our three-week cruise on the Costa Verde, from San Vicente de la Barquera to Gijon (64 miles) and
back, we saw half a dozen yachts, one sailing dinghy and very few fishing boats. However beautiful, this stretch of coast remains very lonely. We wonder why. As a base for a trailer-sailer, San Vicente couldn’t
be better. A new slipway had just been built outside the main town of San Vicente – obviously, they knew we were coming. The town sits on the western edge of a beautiful, generous estuary with vast banks of white sand uncovering at low tide. In the background, the Picos de Europa were still covered in snow. Walking to the floodlit castle and church at the top of the old town at night was magic. Our first day, 20 June, and superb weather which should hold for four days, they say. But the next day it could have been November, with Cornish-style drizzle. Could it be the weather that keeps the tourists and sailing boats away?
Then we had brilliant sunshine and sailed away at last in a light breeze to Tina Menor, four miles to the west, an extraordinary ria with a narrow entrance of turquoise water. We dried out inside the ria on a huge plain of sand in total solitude, apart from a few goats that roamed the eucalyptus woods on the far bank. Just the
CLASSIC BOAT MAY 2012
“All the harbour entrances dry out completely”
beauty of this place, Bobbie said, justified the trip. But the first swim gave us another hint as to why there were so few people on the beaches: the water was only 16°C. Then the weather changed again, to a robust northeasterly Force 6, which blew for two days. Big breakers on the open sea – no way we could sail there. Strong gusts funnelled into the ria, bouncing back from the opposite bank; we went deeper inland and spent quiet nights in a small pool with a few fishing boats. Our first day of flat calm followed, so we motored all of the two miles to the next ria, Tina Mayor. The entrance is also stunningly beautiful, but further up the river we discovered ugly buildings, a fishing quay and the motorway not far. So we motored back and anchored behind the first sandbank which, at low tide, leaves only a narrow channel of clear green water. Idyllic. With Force 5 westerlies forecast for the next two days, tacking 10 miles in our small open boat to the next harbour didn’t appeal, so we stayed put and had a pleasant day, swimming (in wet suits!), painting, reading and enjoying the Spanish wine we carried in the hold. We were very cautious on this trip: all entrances to harbours or rias on that coast dry out almost completely, particularly at springs. If one gets caught in a blow (one of the famous galernas, for example) around low water, there’s no shelter – just breakers on sand bars and very shallow channels. Now, where is this wind they forecast? Today is another flat calm and very little swell. So it’s motoring again along a rocky, spectacular coast with
Above: Jean-Louis Grenier’s self- designed Drascombe Caboteur ashore at San Vicente de la Barquera Right above: At Tina Mayor Below: Flat calm along the cliffs
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