16 - 17 September The permission to anchor, visit and dive at the archipelago of Islas Cies arrived. The islands weren't that far but the fog was hiding them, making the trip feel longer and dramatic arrival also possible, with its sudden appearance.
Anchorage procedures were done and it was time to take the dingy (dingy zingy) to the beach and visit the Isla de Faro. Cies islands are a popular summer destination with a maximum 2200 visitors per day. But because we got to visit it on the first day of low season, very few people were there, so there was an opportunity to hear the silence and sounds of the surrounding nature while trekking the east side of Isla de Monteagudo and praia de Rodas, where even the camping was so quiet with all the preparations of end of season.
Day 2 at Islas Cies Curiously we woke up with a bigger swell and people loudly chatting very close to us. Well, all that noise came from tens of small fishing boats with seafood fishing divers. It was quite a task to convince Vali and Mikko that it would be a nice opportunity to dive, with the dry suit :P. The crew made a general mess, took all morning to prepare the less than one hour dive (same same for divers and that’s the glamour of diving for those who never tried it) . The islands are a nature park therefore well kept and no tourists allowed for more than half a year (winter), walking paths are well marked and kept, and small detours may take to a desert mini-beach. The choice was the west side of Isla de Monteagudo for some sightseeing at Praia da Figueira and to Cadeira da Raiña, a view point on a very high cliff over the atlantic ocean and a wide view to the southern adjoining island: Isla del Faro. We’ll not even try to describe all the emotions and feelings the group felt while at this view point, can’t do it in any spoken/written language. What a place on Mother Earth!
After a try at the running out of all stock restaurant of Praia de Rodas, we had a possible dinner with the still available products but there’s no bad moments with we are together and a very adventurous dingy ride followed with a pitch black night and a non signalized Victoria (mast lamps were on Victoria’s handyman to do list and petrol lamp ran out of juice).