Set off from La Rochelle at 9am and motored in light winds for the first 3 hours before the wind picked up. We decided to do this leg in one hop as there are few places to stop between La Rochelle and the Spanish border. The timing of us at the Gironde was not good and after that there is a massive firing zone. The wind built as projected and we slowly started reefing down whilst maintaining a boat speed of 7.5 knots. The sea had a two metre swell with the waves on top so every now and then we were knocked off course.
We encountered a pod of porpoise or small dolphins about 40 miles from Bilbao who stayed with us for an hour playing with Javelin as the swam under the boat and jumped out of the water.
Completed the passage in 28 hours, a distance of 191 miles, all on starboard tack. I have now sailed from Southampton to Bilbao on one tack only. This has to be some sort of record. Bilbao harbour and marinas are some way from the city centre and are very industrial looking.