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La Rochelle – A Coruña  

03/09/2024 – 06/09/2024 – 484 Nautical miles 

Moving on from La Rochelle towards Galicia and orca territory, we sail expecting the weather the Bay of Biscay is known for. As with the first group, we have a mixture of backgrounds on board. Sailing experience is generally higher now, which will be good for where we are sailing.  

The first day however had zero wind, and this of course meant more motoring. We had our first briefing relating to what happens if we see the very big black and white dolphins. Instructions are, that if they appear, we are to prepare to abandon ship. If the orcas were to severely damage Escapado and sink her, it would mean an end to this trip and would put my ARC adventure in serious jeopardy.  

Later in the trip, the conditions worsened with rain and large, erratic swells and upwind sailing. During the liveliest times, you would come off your watch rather exhausted, but having 8 people on board meant that each one of us could get 6 hours off to rest. At times, we would have to motor sail due to the waves pushing against us and slowing the boat down.  

As I listen to “Holding On For Life” by Broken Bells on board a 12 metre boat surfing the waves of Biscay, the Galician coastline and hills surrounding A Coruña come into view. No orca sightings so far. Hours later, we dock at 3:30am. The crew disperse into cabins, marina offices and facilities and we try to settle and relax. After getting pushed around for 3 days, it’s sensational to sleep without falling into your bunkmate.  

Like La Rochelle, I had never heard of A Coruña before this trip. Sailing gives me the enjoyment of visiting places without planning and certainly on this sail, I have been pleasantly surprised with the 2 cities we have now visited. The people of Galicia are incredibly friendly and hospitable. None of us spoke Spanish but we were warmly welcomed everywhere we went, whether it was in restaurants or the marina offices. 

As with arriving in La Rochelle, we said our goodbyes to some of the crew here who were only there for one leg and set about fixing the boat for the next 3 days. There would be fewer of us on the next leg, and this wasn’t so bad as it meant we would have better sleeping arrangements and obviously more space.  

Next stop is Gibraltar! The journey should take 6 days, sailing straight past Portugal, into Spain and through the straights. We must be completely switched on and vigilant as soon as we get over the headland and head south towards Portugal due to the recent flurry of orca sightings all the way down the coast down to Lisbon. We’ll be fine. We know what to do now and even though it’s a young and smaller crew, we are more prepared for them than ever.