We are now down on the Algarve Coast of Portugal enjoying the sunshine and relaxing before tying up in the marina for winter. We left you all last time waiting in Baiona for the Northerly winds to send us on our way south, we ended up waiting until the 4th Sept before we made our escape.
You can see our gardening attempts in the photo below, after a bit of a shaky start due to some rough crossings earlier in the season, we have now got a really good crop of tomatoes as well as a good selection of herbs all doing really well – we have had lots of comments from other boats, most seem to wonder if we are growing something illegal!!!
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| Gardening on the High Seas | Finally Leaving Baiona |
From Baiona we had a 65nm trip to Leixoes so it was a dawn start, we motorsailed most of the way with the spinnaker because the wind was not quite strong enough to get us to port in daylight – have you noticed how us sailors are never happy with the wind we get, either too much, too little, wrong direction or any other excuse!! We anchored in the harbour well sheltered from any wind and swell along with a few other boats who had left Baiona the same time as us.
Next day was 35nm to Aveiro with about 15knts of wind from the NW so we sailed all the way in almost perfect conditions until we got close to Aveiro, then the wind and swell decided to pick up and we had over 25knts of wind and 2 – 3m waves. The entrance to Aveiro is quite exposed and it looked pretty dodgy as we approached, however as we got closer the entrance seemed to be OK with the worst seas about 1/2 mile out so we decided it would be safe to enter, especially since the next port was another 25nm away. A young Czech couple had made the trip with us and they were very wary about the entrance and had all but decided to carry on, we radioed them to say we would let them know how it was when we got in!! As it turned out the entrance was fine, we came in with the swell on our port quarter and the seas flattened out nicely as soon as we got near the breakwaters, the port is used by some large cargo boats so there is plenty of depth and no breaking waves. We radioed the Czechs and they also made the entrance with no problems. The anchorage was pretty crowded with moorings but we managed to find enough space and we stayed the next day to let the winds and swell subside a bit.
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| Czech Friends on Awake | Dolphins Near Cape St Vincent |
Next hop south was another 65nm to Nazare with 8-10knts of wind and 1m swell so we managed to sail about half the day and motorsailed the rest. We anchored under the cliffs in a bit of rolly anchorage so we were glad to only be staying one night before we set off for Peniche another 25nm down the coast. Good winds for this leg so we sailed all the way with the spinnaker. Got to Peniche and aimed to anchor off the beach outside the harbour in a lovely calm spot until a police RIB had other ideas, he told us we could not anchor outside the harbour anywhere and we had to go elsewhere – finally they told us we could anchor inside the harbour!!! Not the most comfortable of places with fishing boats hurtling in and out completely ignoring the 3knt speed limit kicking up great wakes as they passed. Once again we were glad to only stay one night.
Off to Cascais next day, 45nm in thick fog, we could not see more than 1/4nm all day so it was a long day monitoring the radar screen. Fortunately the sea was calm so even the lobster pot buoys showed up on the radar, as well as a lot of very small fishing boats that we passed, why they chose to be out in thick fog in a 14 – 18ft boat we could not imagine!! The fog cleared as we rounded the headland and headed into the well sheltered anchorage to try and find a spot amongst the 30 or so other boats already anchored. We rested for a few days before heading off again.
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| Rounding Cape St Vincent | Marcel and Helen on Dakini |
From Cascais we had a 50nm passage to Sines that we sailed nearly all the way with the spinnaker, we had a couple of other boats nearby heading the same way to give us a bit of a challenge on the way, we managed to pass one dutch boat and also managed to stay ahead of a 55ft Oyster all day so we were pretty happy. Anchored in Sines harbour in a perfect calm setting off the beach with the sun going down astern.
60nm to Baleeira was the next trip to take us around the South Western tip of Europe, Cape St Vincent. We had very little breeze all day so we had engines on nearly all day and the swell built up to over 2m as we got towards the Cape so it was not very pleasant for the last few hours. At least we had a visit from a large number of dolphins, over 30 stayed with us for a couple of hours playing around the boat, with one show off leaping out of the water and splashing down ahead of us. Baleeira harbour was another uncomfortable stop with the swell managing to find it’s way around the headland and the breakwater to make it a bit rolly.
The final hop was 20nm to Alvor Lagoon, this time the wind was right on the nose for the whole trip so the sails stayed stowed and the engines got another run. Alvor is a shallow lagoon with a well protected entrance but some very strangely placed channel buoys. The first green buoy is about 200m out of position so you leave this way off to port and then make a couple of slight turns before heading through a very narrow gap between the red buoy and the sandbank. It is easy when you know where to go but we did not, so we had a few stops and starts as the depth showed only a foot under the boat!!! All a bit nerve racking, but we had come in on the rising tide and it is all mud and sand so we would have been fine even if we had found the bottom, fortunately we made it safely and anchored next to a Swiss flagged Lagoon catamaran, Dakini. Marcel and Helen took delivery of her earlier in the year and we had a great couple of days with them, Dakini is also spending the winter in Lagos with us so we see them again over the winter.
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| Workday in Alvor | Lagoon Anchorage at Alvor |
The shallow sands of the lagoon mean it is an ideal place to dry the boat out and check the underside before winter, so we picked our spot and waited for the tide to ebb. Nimrod was given a good scrubbing to get rid of the weed and slime as well as changing the anodes and checking everything else.
We were also joined in Alvor by Austrians Helmut and Sylvia on a Broadblue 385 and Franz on a Prout Quasar 50. They had all come from the Greek Islands having spent 3yrs and 5yrs there so we got some useful info about the area that we are planning on heading to next summer.
We are spending another couple of weeks in Alvor before we head into Lagos Marina for the winter, the marina looks really nice, right in the middle of the city with all shops etc right on hand as well as a large number of people living aboard through the winter. Nick has also moored Imagine there so we will see them a few times over the winter.
Hi all Sue here
Well we have finally found some lovely settled weather in the Algarve, sunshine everyday so far. It was a bit of a slog getting here but well worth it!! We are trying to make sure we go for a long walk on the beach everyday as you can tend to get a bit too chilled out!! The dolphin Chis mentioned showing of was completely mad!! All the others looked so graceful jumping out of the water but this one just launched itself out and usually landed on it’s side with one eye looking up at us, it made us laugh every time it did it. I will never tire of watching them.
We had a small black and white striped snake trying to climb up the steps on the back of the boat, I asked Chris if it was a water snake and he said it is now as he knocked it back into the sea!! I did watch it swimming away for a whlle to make sure it didn’t return.
The Austrian couple we met run a business called ‘Animals Come First’, they transport animals all over the world and they told us some very amusing stories. The smallest animal being Fleas and the largest a Rhino, they include a snowboarding Tortoise for a TV ad and two Hyenas for one of the Harry Potter films.
It’s very pretty and peaceful in this anchorage at Alvor but I am quite looking forward to going into a marina for the winter months and Lagos seems really nice. No more going back and to ashore in the dinghy to collect water, unlimited showers, unlimited electric and a laundrette!! I might not want to leave!! Then again the Greek Islands sound lovely so I’ll probably be ready for a change come April.
We are meeting up with friends from Holyhead this week who are holidaying in the Algarve and then next week we are meeting up with more friends who have a villa in the Algarve then the week after our friends off Imagine are coming out to stay on their boat in Lagos. Then it will be time for us to return home for a fortnight to see family and friends. It’s going to be a busy time but I’m sure very enjoyable!!
