Who are Dave & Patsy? When Jill went on the crossing from Vanuatu to Bundaberg in October 2017, while crewing for Ron & Toni Borret on SV Cruising Kitty, she met Dave & Patsy Mitchell. Pristine waters of Champagne beachPatsy L, then Jill, Toni far RPort Olary. Jill L, Toni & Patsy RVanuatu 2017 Dave & Patsy are very experienced sailors. As a young family, they had circumnavigated the world on a 32 ft Phantom monohull – “Mr Walker” during…
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Oops ! no video We cast off the lines early at Peniche and set off down the coast. It was a good feeling to be on the move again, and leaving the busy little marina was a relief. We would not miss the wake of the fishing boats every morning and afternoon. I would still recommend a stop there for the proximity to the great little restaurants and the trip out to Obidos was well worth it. Our Journey- part…
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I quite like Portuguese tarts but Jill is not so fond of them, hence the name of this video. The Journey We wanted to leave at first light so we put the alarm on to get an early start. It was a 60 nautical mile sail to Figuera da Foz and we expected a 12 hour day at an average of five knots. We woke to very dense fog. Captain Jill was a little nervous about the dense fog, so…
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Moaña to Leixões We had picked up our newly ordered Atlas for the detailed maps south of Vigo while we were in Moaña. Therefore, we were now ready to plan our onward journey. From Ria de Vigo, Spain we were finally heading for Portugal. Planning On this leg, we would be heading to Portugal where our crewmember, Gosia would leave us. There was much less opportunity to anchor along this part of the coast and so we’d have to look…
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The anchoring away that just preceded the video… It was time to leave Arousa but that proved to be more difficult than usual. It is such a shame that we never remember to film at these times because there is always a varying degree of stress involved in the moving process. This time the anchor got to a certain point and wouldn’t budge. Shelley thought it was all the mud on the anchor and hosed it off. But it was…
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Rias Baixas, Spain The Rias of Spain are best known for the lower rias that come after the rounding of Cape Finisterre. They are a series of four estuaries located on the southwestern coast of Galicia, Spain. These are Ria de Muros e Noia, Ria de Arousa, Ria de Pontevedra and Ria de Vigo. Overview We rounded Cape Finisterre to spend two days in Muros then traveled to A Probol do Caraminal- in the Ria de Arousa. From St Marta…
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“Don’t cry for me A Coruna” refers to us finally leaving after 5 weeks, having enjoyed very much the hospitality found there. Before we sail on, I will fill you in on our time there. Personal guide Mercedes Villar Lopez, our graphic designer lives here and looked after us when we first arrived. She introduced us to the best places to eat real Spanish food and we admired the impressive architecture of the old town centre. Mercedes and BBQ ribsJill…
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The maiden voyage of SV Eucalyptus Our plan was to sail from La Rochelle, France across the Bay of Biscay to A Coruna, Spain. It would be the maiden voyage of SV Eucalyptus. Finally the day arrives. Veronique Claus had been training us in La Rochelle over a number of days, and after many exercises, she decided it was time to go. The Captain and crew were appointed. Veronique knew of a Cruising instructor, Franco Di Fabbrio, who was happy…
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