Despite the hot weather we are dogged by poor visibility, due to the fog that seems to be hugging the coastline wherever we go. Even so the coastline is simply breathtaking, and most of it is littered with wind farms.

On the way we were joined by 5 dolphins who seemed to swim with us for miles. Dolphins are curious creatures. There is much talk of their supposed intelligence and having sailed with a number of pods of them I can understand why. As soon as they make an appearance we run to the bow of the boat, camera in hand, jumping up and down like a bunch of 5 year olds. Somehow the dolphins know this and play up to it. They dart between port and starboard bow, often swimming on their side so they can look up at you. They are very definitely show-offs. Two of them who swam everywhere together would disappear under the front of the boat, shoot off ahead on the other side and then, as if rehearsed many times over, both jump out of the water. Then, like a circus act, a third dolphin joins them and they repeat the act, knowing full well you’re above, watching on. They repeat this for what seems like ages and then, as if called in for tea by their mum, swim off, knowing full well they’ve given you a performance to boast to y our mates about.

El Ferrol is a major naval and commercial port, though there is little to entertain the yachtsman on land. That said the ria has a spectacular entrance, lined by forts either side. We anchored up but didn’t go ashore, which is why I didn’t send a postcard from El Ferrol. Instead we watched the red moon replace the golden sun and change the landscape from a heady mix of green vegetation and mountains into a twinkling Rupert Bear bay.