Departing from Plymouth last Sunday, the first yacht from the ARC Portugal fleet, Carnival, an Elan Impression 434, arrived at 0815 this morning in Bayona, Spain. The rally team of Sarah, Andrew and Thomas guided them into the Monte Real Club de Yates and took their lines as John and his crew moored up in their berth. As the team handed them a local map of Bayona, the crew reported the wildlife they had seen during the crossing which included dolphins, pilot whales and a pigeon which made himself at home in Carnival's saloon for half an hour and was treated to the ship's supply of bread and water.
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"We had a bit of everything in terms of weather," said skipper John. There were quite light winds the first two days of providing a “sea which looked like a pond” but further into the passage Biscay lived up to it's reputation and for 15 hours further across the bay strong north eastern winds accompanied by an opposing swell caused rough seas and provided more challenging conditions.
The rest of the fleet is due to arrive later this afternoon, where the ARC Portugal team will be waiting for them.
On Friday evening, crews will enjoy a welcome sangria at the Monte Real Club de Yates and enjoy a taste of the Spanish way of life in the picturesque village of Bayona. During their time here crews can enjoy exploring the cobbled streets and walking around the ramparts of the fortress which overlooks the harbour and tours are organised to Santiago de Compostela and hiking to the O Folon watermills.