A Coruna Arrival

Hi everyone,

We arrived at A Coruna at 0100 today, more or less exactly 4.5 days after departure from Falmouth.  We motored from 1830 yesterday to get into A Coruna in very light winds.

Dolphins playing off our bow

Yesterday afternoon we had a very pleasant sail while the wind held in.  We were visited by dolphins again - probably the same pod.  This time we came across them while they were feeding.  A flock of gulls and gannets made it obvious something was going on.  As we sailed through the area groups of dolphins would come and play around us before scooting off to feed, replaced by others.  A 'Blue Planet' experience we've only had previously off the Pilbara coast of Western Australia.

Once the wind died it was a long dreary motor into A Coruna.  Since we're unfamiliar with the area we chose to anchor in Ensenada de Mera.  This is a small bay about 1nm across from the A Coruna marinas.  It is entirely clear of moorings or other obstructions.  We had a kip there until this morning.

This morning we donked over to Marina Real.  It was a grey day but a lot warmer than the UK!  On arrival we had our Spanish courtesy ensign flying and our Q flag.  The latter requests 'free pratique' which used to be seen as a formality - Covid changed all that!

Requesting Free Pratique!

On arrival at Marina Real (aka Marina Nautico) we were directed to a berth.  Short finger pontoons here so be prepared.  Once secured we walked up to the office and received a very helpful briefing on the situation and how/where to clear in.  Masks and social distancing are mandatory.

Clearing in takes place at the local police station which is a 5 minute walk from Marina Real.  We had to wait for 15 minutes for all the necessary officials to be gathered - totally fine with us.  When ready we explained we hoped to have our passports stamped on entry to the Schengen area.  The key word which got everyone on the same page (despite the language barrier) was 'Schengen'.  As soon as the officials understood we wanted to formally enter the Schengen zone stamping our passports wasn't a problem.

We're now in the Schengen zone and can start monitoring our 90 in 180 days status.  The 180 days is important for us since we anticipate exiting and re-entering Schengen this year.

Arriving in A Coruna has been painless.  The marina made it very clear we are more than welcome.  The officials were very happy to clear us in.  Happy Days!

We spent the rest of the day tidying up the boat then our first hot showers since Gosport.  That was followed by a couple of very nice Galician lagers at the marina's Club Nero.  Good to be here!

Passage summary post coming up tomorrow morning.