The Bay of Biscay

The guest crew, which had become accustomed to life on board over the last twenty days, enjoyed one last evening sharing memories, drinks and dance before  we said farewell. After some necessary repairs, cleaning, and restocking the ship’s stores with Spanish goods, the Oosterschelde was ready to welcome the crew for the following voyage into the Bay of Biscay.

This area is infamous for the continental shelf that extends into the Bay, causing long ocean swells to become short and tall. Those who venture into this Bay are rewarded with numerous picturesque port- and fishing towns that can be found along the Spanish and French Atlantic coasts. An area renowned for world-class seafood, wine and cider.

Our planning for this voyage was completely weather dependent. The prevailing westerly winds in this area usually provide excellent sailing, but wander too deep into the southern corner, and it will become a struggle to get out again. We therefore sailed eastwards towards Asturias in northern Spain before turning North to cross to the other side of Biscay to southern Brittany, aiming for the historical port of Concarneau.

The Bay of Biscay gave us its characteristic conditions. Twenty knots of sailing wind with high-frequency waves under a bright full moon. After three days of good sailing, some motoring and lots of rolling, all hands on board were happy to see the French coast slowly appear to the North.