Ria de Arosa is a very beautiful Ria. We have had wonderful days here last week, together with the Valentine, the Barbarossa and the Nebulea. The Ria is a bit more to the south again than the previous Ria and that is only noticeable by the temperature of the seawater; that is just a few degrees warmer (about 19 degrees we estimate), so swimming in the sea is not such an ordeal anymore. During the day it's nice and sunny but not very warm, and at night it cools down so we can sleep under the duvet. The Ria has many nice bays with pretty villages and it's itself littered with rocks, islets and especially many wooden mussel farm plateaus. The land is hilly and grapes grow from which wine is made. The water is sheltered and the sailing resembles sailing on the Grevelingen. And just like there we have to watch out for shallows and obstacles (especially those mussel plateaus).

The first bay where we are after our departure from Portosin is called Aguino. We lie there together with the Valentine alone. The village is not so special, but the surroundings are very beautiful and with the many rocks in the water it reminds us of Sweden. It is also a very warm day for the first time and even Mira is the first one to dive into the water to cool down. We are so happy with our bimini (sunroof above the cockpit). The trip there went very well, half of the sailing was great and the last part we had engines with too little wind.

The next day after school, just before lunch, we sail on to Pobro do Caraminal, a little further in the Ria. A nice piece of sailing, but halfway the wind is also falling away. We anchor just before the village at a private beach and go there. Later the Valentine joins us, and a bit later the Barbarossa and Nebulea join us. In the meantime the wind is strong and the anchorage is a bit bleak, so we all move to the anchorage just in front of the village itself.

The next day (Sept. 1) we start school as usual after breakfast. The girls are able to work on their own and are quite equal with the same kind of subjects. It is also a lot of fun to supervise. Afterwards Mira and Monica go shopping and then we discover what a nice village it is with lots of nice and good shops and nice squares. Toine goes to the hairdresser and finds a computer shop. There is also a large fish market where Mira buys delicious sardines and shrimps for lunch. We agreed to go BBQ with the four Dutch boats on the beach in the evening. Everyone brings their own food and we distribute it on the spot. Mira makes a potato salad and like the Valentine we take the Cobb and meat with us. The Barbarossa has a frying pan with fat and real fries (yes yes!) and the Nebulea has brought delicious dorades and sardines. It is a very cozy and perfect evening!

The children have a great time together, playing on the beach and later looking for wood to light a fire. They vary in age from 6 (Katelijne), 8 (Marinthe and Floris), 9 (Eline), 12 (Baaf and Ivo), 14 (Giel), 16 (Koen) and 18 (Iris). But it all just plays with each other. Very nice to see. The adults are dressed up and chatting with each other while enjoying delicious food and wine. Only when it is really dark and we all get cold we take the dinghies back to our boats.

Because we're late in bed we sleep a bit longer the next day and the school starts a bit later. We can afford that luxury here. Early in the morning the bay is filled with men who at low tide with a scoop net with a rake on it loosen the ground and catch cockles. What a job.
We agreed to go running with a couple and Mira feels like it, so she buys running shoes in the sports shop. It all costs nothing here. Everything, including the food and restaurants in really much cheaper than in the Netherlands. At the end of the afternoon we go to the side in two dinghies with a group of men and women and we run for about 45 minutes. Good, huh? It feels very good and it's fun to do that together. We will certainly do that more often in the coming time. In the evening we eat delicious fresh Dorade on the boat.

The next day (do 3 Sept) it is time to leave for the next bay. On VHF channel 77 we will discuss what the other boats are doing. We leave first and shortly after that the Valentine's Day and we go out sailing to explore the next anchorage in the Ria. The bays around Isla Arosa are not suitable enough and so we end up at the far end of the Ria, in a bay just in front of a wooded beach near the village of Rianxo. Of course we have to celebrate this with a drink on the Valentine's Day. A bit later the other two boats arrive as well and we decide to have a drink with the adults in the evening after dinner. Nice and cozy place.

On Friday the girls have exactly two weeks of school behind them and we do the first spelling and language tests. That goes very well! In the afternoon we go to the beach with the other boats. The children play with each other with the ball and beach ball and have a great time. In the evening we go out for dinner with our family in a very nice Spanish restaurant. Good food, neat but also very casual and a good service. We have the deal with the Valentine that they will bring us tonight and pick us up with the dinghy (then the dinghy doesn't have to stay on the beach alone with a high risk of theft) and that we will do that tomorrow with them.

We stayed another day yesterday. In the morning we go running again with a group and Mira runs together with Monica and Ellen again for about 45 minutes. Hill up and hill down, and so we see a lot of the surroundings. Again a good feeling. Toine is busy with the computer and 'fits' the kids. In the afternoon we all go to the beach again. This time the beach is very busy with all the Spaniards, because it is also weekend for them. In the evening dinner on the boat with a setting sun and a rising full moon.

This morning we start with a real dutch breakfast: homemade brown bread, a boiled egg and freshly squeezed orange juice. What a relaxed life we have. Every now and then we feel guilty when we think that friends and colleagues are back at work and in traffic jams. And we can enjoy this for another year. Almost unbelievable!