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On Sunday the 12th of September two fresh crew members embarked. The newly engaged Karel en Quilijn joined the Kabaal in Viveiro, Spain. We hadn’t seen Bob and Aleid since our engagement in August, so it came at no surprise to us that they were fully prepared to celebrate the joyous news with a nice… Continue reading 15 The Loveboat

Way back when on Ile de Ré our French neighbor talked enthusiastically about the Ria’s of northern Spain. Avilés was absolutely not to be missed he said. So we headed up there through the industrial harbour and found our way to a small marina next to the highway. So far nothing special but in the… Continue reading 14 Hopping the Ria’s of Asturias

Kabaal on wheels ; with a rental car we make a side step to the impressive mountain range Picos de Europa. The scenery is beautiful and the villages seem medieval at times. We spend some time turning our car on a very small and steep road, stuck between an old barn and a low stone… Continue reading 13 Picos de Europa – Hiking in the high mountains

Navigating to Ribadesella was a tricky one. We needed to arrive no earlier then three hours ahead of high tide to ensure enough water to enter, which was at 8.30 pm. But ideally no later then 9.30 as it gets dark early and the entrance is narrow, long and confusing. So the 10 hours estimated… Continue reading 12 Ribadesella – a short movie and finding a unique market

Getaría is one of the many picturesque fisherman’s harbors of which there are so many on this coast. Whale fishing went on until the eighties which is hard to imagine nowadays. In the newspaper I read that two blue whales have been spotted this year, the first since many years. The small ports are famous… Continue reading 11 Breathtaking coastline and beautiful little harbours

The port of Bilbao is situated in Getxo, some 10 km east from the center. When in Bilbao you cannot skip the Guggenheim of course and so we headed by metro to the astonishing and slightly confusing building of Frank Gehry to admire the work of Richard Serra, Anselm Kiefer, Mark Rothko and others. We… Continue reading 10 Bilbao – Modern art in an ancient city

After quiet Port Médoc and tiny Pasaia it was nice to visit a major city again. San Sebastián or Donostia in Basque really lives up to the part with narrow old streets featuring tiny restaurants, boulevards with luxury shops and the best: a beautiful beach and turquoise water in the midst of it all. In… Continue reading 9 Mooring in San Sebastián

It is time to make the final stretch to the Spanish coast. Or more precisely the Basque coast. Unfortunately the forecast anticipated a heavy Atlantic swell in the next two days, so we made an extra stop over in Port Médoc, a nice small village and marina in the top of the famous wine area.On… Continue reading 8 Spain here we come

Dear blogpost readers & sail- (or Appie) enthousiasts. This is a guest-post by Albert & Indra. Already two weeks ago we joined the two pensionado’s in La Rochelle to take off to the French islands Ile de Ré, Ile d’Aix, Ile d’Oléron and Rochefort. Soon we found out about the smikkelvacation; no normal eating –… Continue reading 7 New captains on board

From st Martin on Ile de Ré we sail to la Rochelle where Albert and Indra will join us, our youngest son and his girlfriend. Entering the passage to la Rochelle is tricky because you have to make sure there is enough water under the keel so we have to calculate the best time slot… Continue reading 6 Cruising around the Charente-Maritime hotspots