Vendée Globe

The North-western tip of Spain well deserves its nasty reputation. Exposed to the vast reaches of the Atlantic, the jagged coastline affords few havens to run for shelter to and the weather conditions change suddenly and without warning

 

But the wild cape is a necessary milestone for craft of all sizes bound for the Mediterranean, the Atlantic islands, the Caribbean or South America, passing by a landmark which guards frontier between two different weather patterns, also two ocean climates.

On the one side the Azores High extends up here varying in intensity in the summer, while in winter, it is the Continental High over central Europe, which is in place, but it leaves the door open to Atlantic lows moving in from Newfoundland. Thus, when the seasons change at the Spring and Autumn equinox, there is a resulting change in the weather with violent gales, and this rocky shoreline acts as a buffer zone between the Continent and the Atlantic systems. Compounding all this, the relief of the sea bed itself and strong tides churn up the shallower waters leading to some treacherous conditions.

Here it is quite common to find confused seas and winds two or three levels up the Beaufort scale from the calmer conditions in the Bay of Biscay or out in the Atlantic.


A rampart against the onslaught

The land mass of Spain and Portugal forms an effective wall between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. To the north are the Pyrenees and the foothills of Cantabria, Asturia and Galicia. This high ground, bordered by cliffs is a barrier between the oceanic and continental climates, but also between the subtropical high and the lows of the temperate regions. This has a great influence on the climate of the coast of Cantabria, which is mild and very wet. The average atmospheric pressure is high (average value between 1016 and 1020 hPa), especially in winter, when there is a high over central Europe. It is therefore subject to a wide range of weather conditions.

In winter Atlantic lows smash into the coast with winds that usually vary from SW'ly to NW'ly. In general the wind begins to blow from the south, when heavy rain is expected with dull skies, before veering SW'ly and blowing for several days. Gradually it veers W'ly then NW'ly as a cold front arrives with violent squalls and rather cool temperatures. If the wind does not ease off before continuing to veer N'ly and NE'ly, that signals a wind backing SW'ly and strengthening: another low or a cold front is on its way. This weather pattern can last several weeks with few breaks, which means that sailors can find themselves stuck in La Coruna for long periods. When the Central European high is in place, winds are light and often SW'ly, and while the weather may be generally bright, fogs are a common occurrence on the coast.

Head out west

In fact, the continental shelf with shallow waters below 200 metres in depth only stretches out for around twenty miles, before the shelf rapidly falls to 3000 metres less than 40 miles from Cape Finisterre. On the other hand, between these two zones, the incline is so steep that the seas can often be confused even in calm weather. For boats heading up from the Mediterranean or Africa, the shipping lane off Cape Finisterre is only ten miles from the coast, while for those heading down south, the lane is twenty miles out to sea. There is a lot of shipping and also not to be forgotten are the the large number of fishing boats off La Coruna, to the south of Cape Finisterre. Also there can be very violent thunderstorms, which develop a short distance inland, where the fog often veils the magnificent landscape even in fine weather.

Dominic Bourgeois

 

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