⛵ Ribeira to Muros 🇪🇸

Alone again on Niovi, I had to keep pushing north. I’d been waiting for anything but northerlies, and finally got my chance. The morning brought an unexpected first - a MOB (Man Overboard) alarm from another vessel at exactly 08:59. Coming from coordinates 99N 999E right on the hour made it obviously a test transmission. Sure enough, it was cancelled at 09:03. Good to know the system works, though it certainly got my attention.

The rest of the passage proved frustratingly windless. The forecast had promised westerlies in the afternoon, but they never materialized. Eight hours of motoring through glassy calm conditions - not exactly the sailing I’d hoped for. Still, it gave me time to run some power consumption calculations (see notes below). I reached Muros in the evening and found a comfortable spot to anchor in 8 meters.

Weather Conditions

• Wind: None - all day
• Seas: Minimal swell, ~1.2m outside the ria
• Weather: Clear but cloudy

Navigation

• Departure: Ribeira
• Arrival: Muros
• Distance: 23 miles (43 km)
• Duration: 8 hours

Notes

Ran a power consumption test today: motored all day at about 900 watts (800 RPM), which gives 2.5-3 knots in calm conditions with swell at about 1 meter. With solar panels delivering around 300 watts, the net drain took the battery from 85% to 56% over 8 hours. Quick math suggests a range of about 70 miles (130 km) in perfect sunny conditions at low speed.

Highlights

• First MOB alarm received

Photos

Motoring out of Ribeira in the early morning calm

Final approach to Muros

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