The Social Side of Sailing

When we set out on this sailing journey there were many aspects of the adventure that excited us – exploring new places, sailing in different waters and finally, meeting like-minded people to learn from, share some of the adventure and socialise with along the way.   The sailing community is a wonderful group to be part of with lots of valuable advice and experience generously given if asked.

Covid meant that our time in the UK was mostly spent in isolation, although we were fortunate to meet some amazing people on our travels.   We were surprised when sailing the Atlantic coast of Spain and Portugal at how few foreign boats we encountered so any opportunity to meet new people, we relished and boldly introduced ourselves.    As late July approached and we drew closer to the Med, there were more British and Australian boats that we met and we would often enter an anchorage to find a boat we had encountered earlier in our journey already there.   I love the community feeling that is created when sailors come together.   When we part company it is often with a knowledge we will meet again in a couple of months in a different part of the world!  

Portugal seems to be divided into three distinctive parts – inland areas, Atlantic and The Algarve.   The Algarve starts at Cabo de Sao Vicente and ends at the border with Spain on the Rio Guadiana.   The Algarve is protected from the NW winds that blow down the Atlantic coast from late Spring to early Autumn so temperatures are warmer and the climate a little more settled, although we had not experienced any unsettled weather since leaving northern Spain!   

As we headed around Cabo de Sao Vicente our friends in their beautiful 50ft Garcia, Nina and Brett, contacted us to say they had just been hit by 30knt winds as they rounded the second headland so we took down the cruising chute, reefed our mainsail (made it smaller) and unfurled our smaller jib.  Our speed dropped from a steady 8 to 3knots as we waited for the wind.   We were so tempted to hoist the full sails, but held out as we knew the wind would come.    As it happened, our friends were heading further east than us, so we only experienced some of the wind before turning into our anchorage in Sagres – a small bay tucked in behind the headland offering some protection from the afternoon winds.   It was a quiet bay, which is exactly what we wanted before we had to become accustomed to hoards of tourists and busy anchorages which we were certain we would experience as we made our way further east.   The days started hot with breakfast in the cockpit, and just got hotter throughout the mornings, until lunchtime when we stayed in the shade or in the saloon, or in the water, to cool off.   

Sagres was not over-run with tourists so we walked around the small village and to the 16^th century fort on the headland.  The area is a surfing destination but with little surf while we were there, the beaches were quiet and the town had a very laidback feel to it.    When we felt it was time to move on, we prepared ourselves for the strong accelerated winds that our friends experienced a few days earlier and reefed the mainsail.   True to form, the winds hit us as we came out of the protected bay and we had an exciting sail east until, with a couple of miles still to go to Lagos, the wind died completely and we had to motor!    It really was all or nothing!   

The towns along the Algarve coastline became more developed as we moved closer to Lagos.   Beautiful red and yellow limestone cliffs became more predominant as we headed east, with large caves and hidden coves in their rugged formations.    Avoiding a couple of large fish farms near Ponta da Piedade, we rounded the headland and the full commercial landscape of Lagos appeared in front of us.    I must admit, I was preparing myself for much worse as the hotels and apartments were not built right on the beach and the old part of the town was still visible.   Lots of tourist boats and kayaks were exploring the cliffs and caves close to the harbour entrance and boats were continually entering and leaving the busy port, but first impressions were good, even though we had grown used to being in less populated areas.  

A long seawall marked the entrance to the port and marina, so we crossed the busy channel and dropped our anchor just off the beach, hoping the seawall would give us some protection from the surf.   Once we were happy our anchor had a good hold, we jumped in the dinghy and went ashore.  

We were on a mission – we needed to find a sailmaker as our attempt to fully repair our mainsail did not survive the heavy winds on the sail earlier that day, and we had been recommended Antonio, a sailmaker in Lagos.   Antonio was happy to meet us but instead of giving us an address as requested, he gave us directions which included mention of a large supermarket (Pingo Dulce), a roundabout and a paint shop.   It felt a little like a treasure hunt when we took the northern route off the roundabout took 30 steps and started digging!   There were a few things Antonio misjudged when giving us directions: 1) we weren’t aware there was a shortcut out of the marina and we approached the roundabout from a different direction.   2) There is another sailmaker close to the roundabout and next to a paint shop and 3) We would give up so easily!   After two telephone conversations with Antonio where he sounded annoyed that we couldn’t follow his directions, we gave up and sort shelter from the heat in the air conditioned supermarket.    Antonio called us while we were still in a state of shock at the well-stocked shelves (we hadn’t seen so much choice since leaving Falmouth), and gave us step by step instructions now he knew where we were.    This time we found him and he was well worth the effort!   He provided a solution for our batten luff car issue, which was not expensive and involved a replacement part that he would have made for us at a fraction of the cost of new batten boxes, which is what we were bracing ourselves for.   He also punched two new eyes into a riding sail I had made, using our old mainsail, which should stop us from moving around our anchor chain when there is a blow.   He was pleased we were attempting to make one ourselves and offered advice and spent time showing us other designs we could consider if this did not work.  

My dear uncle Tom, who has been a constant oracle of knowledge and source of advice over the last 18 months, had put us in touch with a friend of his who lived in Lagos.   Mike and his beautiful girlfriend, Chanelle, had left South Africa in 2020 when they felt the situation had worsened to such an extent they did not see a positive future there for them.   As Mike is English they were still able to settle in Europe, prior to Britain leaving the EU and Brexit regulations coming in to force on 1 January.   They chose to settle in Lagos, so we met them for a drink which turned into a meal and late night escapade, returning to our dinghy (which we had abandoned on the beach many hours earlier) and attempting to find Cerulean in the cover of darkness when we were more than three sheets to the wind!!!     I kept saying – this is so unsafe – until I compared it to a similar trip we had done at Splore Festival 18 months ago when we were attempting to find my sisters boat in a small rowing boat in rolling surf in a much busier anchorage on a darker night and more music to hide our screams for help!

The next day was my birthday and we woke to blistering heat.   We met Mike and Chanelle who took us for a drive around the area, spotting flamingos in the wetlands outside Lagos as we sped down the motorway!    Chanelle was keen to try out a waterpark located east of Lagos but when we arrived, it seemed like most of Portugal had the same idea, so we abandoned that plan and headed back into town for lunch at a lovely fish restaurant.     Later that evening we met Nina and Brett, our friends who we sailed from Sines with a few days earlier and had a beautiful meal in a fancy Italian restaurant together.   I felt so lucky to have been able to share the day with beautiful new friends, as well as so many of my family and friends around the World, with the power of the interweb!  

We met several wonderful people in Lagos and could’ve stayed so much longer but after spending a very rolly night on anchor, we decided to move to a more sheltered spot, a short sail further down the coast.   The entrance was narrow and we had been told not to attempt navigating the narrow channel at anything past High Tide +/- 3hrs.   As we arrived close to low tide, we chose to anchor near the narrow estuary entrance and wait until morning.    Several boats were waiting to get up the river, so in the morning we jumped in the dinghy to inspect the channel and get a feel for how much space was available.   We had been talking to a couple who had been living on their boat up the river for a few weeks so we found them and fired a few questions at them to ascertain whether many people would be leaving their anchorage when the tide allowed movement.   It soon became clear there would be no room for us on this tide as boats were not moving once they had secured a spot in this secluded, quiet, protected location close to a lovely town and some beautiful beaches.   We returned to the boat and left for Portimao, a short 5NM sail in a steady breeze.  

As we approached Portimao, it was clear that we were going to be fully exposed to a popular holiday resort at the height of their busiest time of the year.   The beaches were packed and the anchorage at Ferragudo, across the wide estuary from Portimao, was the most crowded we had experienced since leaving the south coast of England.    It was after we had anchored and tidied things away that the loud music started, drifting over from Portimao and vibrating through the rigging.  

We ended up spending a few relatively social days in Portimao and Ferragudo, hanging out with a group of Australian sailors whom we first met very briefly in Lagos and were then joined by Craig and Zena who we met in Lisbon and were hoping we would see again.  

Ferragudo is a lovely small town which has managed to retain its quaint fishing port feel.   The main square borders the waterfront and is filled with restaurants serving a variety of cuisines.   Men cooked freshly caught fish on barbecues next to the waterfront while tourists filled the tables and the different smells drifted through the air.    There are several small coves, each with lovely sandy beaches and, unlike Portimao were not overly crowded.   Two of the coves were separated by a headland on which a large private castle took prominent position, overlooking the anchorage and creating a lovely backdrop to the more sophisticated side of the bay!   

Living on the anchor (not going into marinas) has its own challenges and concerns.  In addition to monitoring the use, and creation, of both power and water, managing laundry and putting up with the wake caused by power boats who feel the need to cut through the busy anchorage at full throttle, there is also the stress of watching novices try to anchor their charter boat much too close for comfort to our floating home.    Several times I had to ask people to move when it became obvious they were far too close and on one occasion when the male skipper refused to even look at me, the man on a neighbouring boat started yelling at him in broken English and they very quickly lifted their anchor and disappeared!   Men still find it hard to believe that a woman can know about boats or even, god forbid, be more experienced than them – the number of times I ask a question or advice from a male professional/sailor and he answers by only looking at Steve! 

We stayed in Portimao for about a week and then left in the morning for a gentle sail and motor to the island of Culatra about 35 miles from Portimao.  Along the way we sailed passed the Benagil Caves – wide and high caves in the orange rocks which was over run with tourists, so we didn’t stop!   Luckily we arrived at Cabo de Santa Maria on an incoming tide as the current rips through the narrow entrance and would have been hard to stem, particularly as we were approaching Spring tides when the tidal flow is at its strongest.   The estuary splits inside the entrance with one river leading to Faro and the other meandering around the island of Culatra.    We headed to Culatra and found a good anchorage in a busy bay, close to the main pier of Culatra.   This proved an excellent choice as we were able to catch the ferry from here into Olhao (pronounced Oli-ow) for supplies, laundry and meeting friends.  

We ended up spending over a week at Culatra, really enjoying the slow pace of life on the island.   We were joined by Craig and Zena spending a lovely time with them as well as meeting up with Paula, Bea and Andy’s friend, and other sailors we had gotten to know along the way.   

Craig and Zena had arranged to be hauled out in Faro at the end of August, so we followed them up the river to Faro where we anchored in a deep hole close to the town and next to another Australian boat owned by Norm, an 80yr old single-hander on an 80ft boat.   What a character he was!   Another Aussie couple, Deb and Scott, had hauled out a few days earlier so we all hung out together for a few days, enjoying quite a number of boozy, fun-filled days together, sharing food, stories, plans and laughter.

We explored Faro, the capital of The Algarve and, once again we were pleasantly surprised by the city. We loved the old town with large stalk nests on the old buildings, visiting Igreja do Carmo, an 18th century Catholic church with a very bizzare chapel in its grounds called the Bone Chapel. In the early 1800’s 1,250 skeletons of Carmelite monks were exhumed from the overcrowded graveyard and used to decorate the small chapel. It was quite creepy walking into this odd building!

In late August we started to prepare to leave mainland Portugal for Madeira and in the early hours at the start of September, we sat down with our English friends and fellow cruisers, Fi and Iain on Ruffian of Amble, and agreed a passage plan to sail together to Porto Santo and then onto Madeira.   The first step was to sail from Culatra towards Lagos.  They would anchor in Portimao while we continued to Lagos to catch up with friends.

We spent a horrible, sleepless night on anchor at Lagos with a huge swell and strong winds, hightailing it out of the bay as soon as it got light and returning to Portimao to join a surprised Iain and Fi who had very sensibly chosen the nice protected anchorage and had enjoyed a lovely nights sleep!

As we prepared to leave mainland Portugal, we heard a conversation on the VHF radio which filled us with dread.  A boat was being attacked by Orca, causing considerable damage and they were taking in water.   The fact we could hear the skipper on the boat, confirmed they were close by.   Help was on the way to them, but we were about to be heading directly towards where the Orca were currently active.