⛵ Peniche 🇵🇹 to Baiona 🇪🇸

I set a course well offshore in deep water, hoping to avoid the fishing buoys that had made sleep impossible on previous coastal passages. Well provisioned and in better spirits, I enjoyed varied sailing conditions with light to moderate winds.

Approaching the Spanish rías from seaward was magical - these “drowned river valleys” create a unique coastline quite different from Portugal’s exposed Atlantic shore.

Weather Conditions

• Wind: Variable - light to moderate from different directions
• Seas: Light westerly swell
• Weather: Hot and sunny

Navigation

• Departure: Peniche, Portugal
• Arrival: Baiona, Spain (Galicia)
• Distance: 190 nautical miles (about 352 kilometers)
• Duration: 2 days, 2 hours

Technical Notes

• Sudden insect invasion - various flying insects everywhere in and on the boat
• Successfully used asymmetric spinnaker with a tack line for better control when dousing
• Generator producing black smoke and refusing to start - likely the spark plug

Highlights

• Whale sighting during the passage
• Water temperature 2°C warmer offshore - Gulf Stream influence?
• First view of the Spanish rías from seaward

Photos

A whale surfaces nearby

First glimpse of the Spanish rías - a change from Portugal’s coastline — Auto-generated track key: 20250429 | GPS track: 20250429.geojson