29th June to 3rd Aug, France to Bilboa

Wendy and Dave were joined in Pauillac by friend Darren for the trip to Spain. An early start on the 30th to catch the tide, and we were sailing 27 miles down the river Gironde to Port Medoc on the South side of the estuary. It was a great way to start our trip and give Darren a taste of Cara Mara. Darren was soon demonstrating his sail trimming skills to get the most from the wind.
The next day was grey and we woke to strong winds, with rain and no wind forecast further south, we decided to wait for sunshine before setting off. This was an excellent decision as at 8.00 on the 1st Aug we set off in sunshine for the 165 sail to Bilboa. The weather could not have been kinder, apart from 4 hours with little or no wind, we sailed all the way, making excellent time to tie up by 11.00 the next morning. During the night the sky remained clear and moon was so bright, it was (almost)
possible to read. Many thanks to Darren who go work guilt and set off back home today.

Approaching Bilboa, 5 miles to go.

Bilboa Harbour at sunset