Ribadeo

Once we had moored up (with the help of the Marineros) we headed for the Oficinas, armed with all of the ship's papers, passports and other documents we thought we would need to complete the arrivals process. Our knowledge of Spanish is truly inadequate but we managed to muddle through somehow. Photocopies of lots of the paperwork (insurance certificates, passports, sailing qualifications, and ship's registration documents) were duly taken and arrival forms and crew lists completed. The marina manager shrugged knowingly, stating that "in Spain, paperwork is king".

We spent the afternoon walking around Ribadeo and stocked up on a few items at a supermarket including several bottles of Cava, chorizo sausage and some of the amazing cured ham (Jamón) which carved very thinly straight off the leg. We also bought some mussels for dinner.

Nicky had crossed the Bay of Biscay before but for me this was a first. We were also further west and south than we have been before in BV so it was a good excuse to celebrate with some champagne at sundowners. As soon as we had polished off the bottle, we were visited by three Customs officers. Another form was filled out and we were presented with a copy to prove that we had formally cleared customs. It was all very easy, especially as one of the Customs officer's english was good. Maybe all official paperwork should be completed after drinking a bottle of wine?










The mussels allowed us to try out our new large pan; a generous leaving gift intended to allow us to cook even larger crab and lobster. 

In the morning we jogged up to the headland to look at the lighthouse at Isla Plancha which had looked so spectacular as we had entered the ria.

Raimundo Ibáñez's palace

Raimundo Ibáñez

Ribadeo 's heyday was in the 18th century when town's wealth primarily came from the Spanish American colonies. Raimundo Ibáñez, the Marquis of Sargadelos, was a particularly successful entrepreneur establishing trades in linen with the Baltic states and cod with North America. His palace, including a statue of him on the steps, epitomises the mixture of the old (sometimes fading) and the new architecture.

Around the tourist stuff, the day to day living chores also had to be completed and so BV was turned into laundrette for the day. It was a bit of a chore with the marina's laundrette closed (Sunday) but at least the warm weather dried everything quickly.

Tomorrow's task, when the shops are open again, will be to try to exchange one of the Camping Gaz bottles and to buy some more Jamón, before we head off west to explore the next ria.