Farewell To Northern Spain

On his final Biscay adventure, Jim Mottram revisits his favourite rias and the colourful towns of northern Spain and the French Atlantic coast.

- Jim Mottram

It is now 30 years since I first sailed to the northern Biscay coast and fell in love with that beautiful and varied coastline. Like many others, my aim was simply to head south to warmer climes, so I had just a taster of its charm and beauty.

On retiring in 1999, I repeated the trip, and in 2015 had the urge to do it all again. However, if I wished to return to northern Spain it would have to be soon while I was still capable of making such a trip in my Elizabethan 23, Reservation. My previous route, a three-day crossing of the Bay from the Raz de Sein, had proved ideal, and this time I could visit extra ports and enjoy more time in those I liked the most.

The weather was unkind to me when I left my home port of Christchurch, Dorset, with some strong biting cold winds. However, I had mainly light head winds along the French coast except for a blow off Roscoff. I’d not been into the new marina at Bloscon so was glad of its excellent facilities when an unusually fierce gale blew for several days.

The ports on the north coast of France had been very dreary so far, so I was pleased to get through the Chenal du Four and arrive at Camaret. The French summer season had not yet started, and the town, which is at its best at the beginning and end of the season, was just waking up. I was especially glad of the supermarkets, as fresh supplies had been hard to obtain along the way.

My intention was to set off across the Bay of Biscay from here, but the forecast weather was unsettled so I headed a little further south, doubting if I’d get through the Raz de Sein before the tide turned.

What little breeze there was died away, but when I went to put the engine on nothing happened! The main cable to the starter motor had severed at the terminal, so my only hope was to try and drift round the headland to Morgat.