Sailing with the Treleavens

Some days are just beautiful and we wouldn't trade for anything else, but then you get a bad day and we are just in the wrong place!
Biarritz with its grand hotels line the very crowded perfect golden surf beach. There is no place for yachts here only a created old fishing port amongst the protruding rocks. This was once a holiday place for Royals but now is full of tourists, surfers and casinos. A lunch of BBQ baby squid served with infused thyme vinaigrette at the port is delicious, fresh and simple.
Leaving Bayonne/ Biarritz we spend our last night in France at anchor in the sheltered bay of St Jean-de-Luc. It is nice to now be able to lower the anchor from the cockpit and know the length dropped without having to run forward, but our luck changes when a windlass problem won't allow us to pull it up the next morning. Totally pissed off, Ian drags me ashore to find a miracle! Luckily the head sailing instructor, Txomin, (Basque for Dominique) in the local village is very helpful and we are soon on our way.
It is only 25nm to San Sebastian and crossing the boarder to Spain, the feeling of warmer weather is very welcoming. There is no marina at San Sebastian but they do have laid moorings and a very traditional yacht club that welcomes members of recognized yacht clubs. The change from France is amazing with its Gothic architecture and everyone speaking Basque, and hardly any English. We never realized how strong the Basque influence was, and we are also required to fly the Basque flag from the yacht.
The famous Tapas Bars are what we have come for and don't get disappointed. Piled high with food from one end of the bar to the other is marinated seafood, peppers, anchovies and then piled high on a piece of baguette, a variety of mayonnaise crab, prawns, bacon, egg etc. You pay for what you choose and wash it down with beer or their local cider which is not to my liking, very bitter and they warn very strong.
The barmy evening ashore is very busy with festival week and fireworks as we become accustomed to Spanish time. The day starts at 10am, siesta from 1pm to 5pm and then dinner at 10pm. The late night doesn't fit our routine when early the next morning another weather change makes us roll as we get side on to the waves. The front that delayed the Fastnet yacht race is now affecting the sea in the Bay of Biscay, causing big rollers that are crashing through the entrance. Trying to sleep is impossible, being in bed is like being in a washing machine or having wild sex!!
We would like another day here but by the afternoon and pitching a metre high, we have to explore other options in the bay. Behind the island is a little better, still in view of crashing waves, we are up and down all night checking the tide and boats bumping into us. The problem is we are too big for the close moorings and then the 4 metre tide change affects the mooring line length.
Enough is enough and an early exit to Getaria, a small fishing port with marina, peace and quite. Every village has something to hang its hat on and Getaria is famous for Juan Sebastian de Elcano who as part of Magellan's expedition to sail around the world in the 14^th century was the only ship to return with 18 survivors when all else were lost and there fore officially is the first sailor to circumnavigate the world.
Bilbao is 50nm and Ian wants a 5am start, so that's up to him alone. The new yacht with its electric winches and fully battened main and bow thruster is very easy for Ian to handle single handed.
By mid day we are in the small marina of the Club Maritimo Del Abra Y Real Sporting Club. We find the metro and visit the Guggenheim Museum in the centre of Bilbao, 20 k's up the river. Our first sight is, wow, looking down past old Spanish apartments to this world renowned modern art museum of titanium "fish" scales glistening in the sun. The design depicts the fishing heritage of Bilbao with boats and fish in a stylized way in the manner of the Sydney Opera House. And then inside modern art and the history of its evolution but we find the building itself more fascinating.
A walk through the old town, back to dinner at the busy Yacht Club with its magnificent pool in front, all this in 24 hours.
At the entrance to the river beside our marina is The Transporter Bridge, first in the world and the only one still working. It was built in 1893 and is an impressive piece of engineering. It is 50 metres high to allow for ships to travel up and down the river with a cage that swings below it to take cars and people across the river. It operates all day every day and tourists can now also travel by lift to the top and walk across. For those that have climbed the Eiffel Tower or The Sydney Harbour Bridge you will appreciate the building feat for it's time.
Today we attempted to leave but after motoring out to the breakwater we found the breaking seas and wind direction not to our liking. When we couldn't see the top of the mast of the yacht close by in the large waves we decided it was time to return to the shelter of the yacht club and wait for another day.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 20th, 2007 at 3:17 am and is filed under 2007. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.