The Galician Lighthouses Voyage on Sailboat

Orientative Itinerary of this Sailing Trip:

The Galician Lighthouses Voyage

Day 1 Coruña - Malpica.

Boarding from 11:00 at the port of Coruna .

This first morning helps us to get you familiarized with our sailboat ; cabins, safety equipment, use of bathrooms, kitchen, refrigerator, electrical and fresh water systems on board, etc.

We also study together on the chart the planned voyage taking into account the latest meteorological information and based on this we specify the navigation plan.

In the early afternoon we set sail for Malpica .

We leave the first of the great lighthouses on the port side, the millenary Tower of Hercules , the oldest lighthouse in the world still in operation, declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco, and a proud sign of identity of the people of Coruña. To the bow, we can already distinguish the silhouette of the Sisargas Islands, in front of the Santo Hadrián cape. At dusk we reach the small port of Malpica and moored to the dock, alongside some fishing boat. Malpica combines the flavor of authentic fishing ports with a restrained summer tourist activity. Bars and restaurants with good fresh fish abound.

Day 2: Malpica - Sisargas Islands - Ría de Corme and Laxe

We leave the port of Malpica and head to the narrow channel that separates Cape Santo Hadrián from the Sisargas Islands . If the weather is fine, we drop the anchor in the smallest cove of Sisarga Grande and climbed, among the colonies of seagulls, along the path that leads to the Sisargas lighthouse. The islands are uninhabited and are a paradise for watching seabirds.

From Sisargas Islands we sail towards the estuary of Corme and Laxe. A few miles away, we passed the Punta Nariga lighthouse , the work of the famous architect César Portela, and one of the most beautiful lighthouses on the Galician coast. A little further south, we turn the cape and the lighthouse of the fearsome Roncudo, where the immense swell of winter storms breaks with force. Here is where the most famous barnacles of Galicia are extracted: the Roncudo barnacles . We will not lose the opportunity to taste them in the ports of Corme or Laxe, or cook them ourselves with care on our boat. Perhaps anchored at Balarés beach or Laxe beach?

In the port of Corme we can make an interesting visit to an association of "Redeiras - Net Sewers". They prepare and repair fishing nets and gear and they carry out discovery and learning workshops on this traditional trade. They even combine their networking activity with creating handmade products, some of them made with recycled materials.

Day 3: Ría de Corme and Laxe - Ría de Camariñas

We leave the Corme and Laxe estuaries behind and navigate one of the wildest stretches of the "Costa da Morte": immense and lonely sandy areas such as Soesto or Traba are interspersed in a coast full of underwater rocks and astonishing cliffs. In the distance we can already see one of the most iconic silhouettes of the Galician coast: Cape Vilán lighthouse, which marks the entrance to the Camariñas estuary. In front of the cape, the sanctuary of "A Virxe da Barca", where Christianity and pagan rites merge, giving rise to a range of syncretistic myths, legends and traditions. Sailing round Cape Vilán, between the cliffs and the underwater rocks of the "Quebrantas" is a fabulous pilot exercise that triggers adrenaline. Once tied up, we set out in search of the famous "Camariñas Octopus", the most reputed in Galicia. Umm ...

Did you know that the only two conger dryers that are conserved in Spain are in Muxía? We can make a visit to the A Pedriña one, where the curing and drying process is still carried out completely by hand.

Day 4: Ría de Camariñas - Finisterre

Today is a day that you will not easily forget: sailing roun the mythical Cape Finisterre keeps marked by fire in our memory and in our hearts. This day becomes an indelible milestone in the personal history of every sailor.

We see tourists at the top of the cape photographing us as we line up between the islet of "Centolo" and the reefs of "Carraca". We imagine them amazed to see us sailing at the foot of the immense promontory of Cape Finisterre

Once the cape has been rounded, the wind arrives loaded with aromas of mountains, of land. The temperature rises and we go to Langosteira beach. With a bit of good fortune some fisherman are working and we can buy them directly the seafood just extracted from the sandy bottoms. The afternoon is delicious, anchored here, in Langosteira, on the lee of the cape. We calmly decide whether to linger and spend the night here, or enter the fishing port to go ashore for dinner. What a dilemma !

Day 5: Finisterre - Ría de Muros and Noia

Before setting sail, we suggest a visit to the Castillo de S. Carlos de Finisterre, where the “Museo do Mar” is based. A small but interesting museum focused on traditional boats, whale fishing, shipwrecks and all kinds of sea gear.

From Finisterre we sail through the Seno de Corcubión, the area that runs between the cape and Punta Louro. We love this section: Ézaro cove, where the Xallas river flows, the only river in continental Europe that pours its waters into the sea forming a waterfall; Mount Pindo, made of pink granite, and probably with a little excess of fantasy called the "Olympus of the Celts"; and at its feet, the beach of Carnota, one of the most extensive in Galicia with its rugged sandy area of more than 5 kms; the beaches of Ancoradoiro and Area Maior and the lagoon of Xarfas ... Simply spectacular!

We like to anchor in the hidden beach of Gures, at the foot of the Pindo. We are here a few meters from the remains of the Caneliñas whaling factory, the largest in Spain and the last in Europe to cease its activity in 1985. It reminds us once again how fishing and the sea are in the DNA of the Galicians.

Besides, piloting is really demanding here: there are lots of low and capriciously arranged islets and reefs. And finally, to the south, Punta Louro that announces the entrance to the Muros and Noia estuary. We like to anchor on the lovely beach of San Francisco, in the afternoon, before entering the Muros marina, one of the most charming villages of the coast of Galicia, or the marina of Portosín.

In Muros, it is very interesting to get to know the “Pozo do Cachón” Tide Mill, one of the most unique and important in Europe. Renewable marine energy from the 19th century !! Nearby, there is also the interpretation center of the Maritime Heritage of Sel, located in the building of an old salting room, with exhibitions on riverside carpentry, shipwrecks...

Day 6: Ría de Muros and Noia - Sálvora Island- Ribeira/O Grove

We cross the Muros and Noia estuary to Cape Corrubedo. We pass at the foot of its lighthouse and sail parallel to the dunes of Vilar beach. To the south, we can already see the silhouette of the island of Sálvora and the small archipelago of Sagres. If the sea allows it, we take the very narrow Sagres pass that gives access to the Ría de Arousa to the north. Otherwise, we circumnavigate Sálvora and enter the southern channel.

We anchor on the island of Sálvora, one of the islands and archipelagos that make up the Atlantic Islands National Park. What a luxury to be able to go ashore with the dinghy and take a walk on this island, the least visited of the main islands of the Atlantic Islands National Park. From Sálvora, we continue with our navigation, already inside the Ría de Arousa, towards the ports of Ribeira or O Grove, where we spend the night.

Day 7: Ribeira / O Grove - Vilagarcía de Arousa

We are sailing the longest of the Galician estuaries, fifteen miles still to the port of Vilagarcía, between granite islands and mussle farms, sandy areas and pine forests, villages and ports. Due to its size, richness and variety, we should call it the Sea of ​​Arousa. Throughout these 15 miles there is plenty of options to marvel at the broken coastline, full of beautiful natural granite formations. Depending on the direction the wind blows, we can chose between a number of picturesque and well protected anchorages such as the Areoso, Punta Cabalo on the island of Arousa or the Cabío peninsula. In the evening we moored in the lively port of Vilagarcía de Arousa and we celebrated the end of the voyage with a good dinner.

Day 8 - Vilagarcía de Arousa.

8 days have already passed since our departure from Coruña and today it is time to finish removing the salt and packing your things and memories. In the morning, after breakfast, we say goodbye on the boat. A day of thorough cleaning awaits us to receive the new crew with a clean boat just as you deserve.

See you soon!