Portugal – HandsOnDeck

Mad Madeira

Madeira lies approx 500NM from the Portuguese mainland and is an oasis of beauty with majestic scenery and fertile soils that produce exotic fruit that provides the backbone of the islands economy.

The Madeira archeipelago is made up of four islands of which Madeira is the largest measuring approx 60 x 20km. Unlike Porto Santo, Madeira is green, fertile with high mountains and a total population of around 250k, mostly living around the rugged exterior of the island.

After spending an unpleasant rolly night in a beautiful anchorage on the exposed easterly end of the island, we sailed under jib only with our friends, Fiona and Iain on Ruffian for company, towards the capital, Funchal. It soon became apparent that the one thing Madeira seems to lack is flat land. High cliffs plummet into the deep sea, mountains rise and fall sharply and houses cling to the green hillsides. Engineers seem to have had a field day with a labyrinth of bridges, tunnels, cable cars and an incredible airport. The runway is built on high stilts over the sea with the roaring Atlantic on one side and a large range of mountains on the other. If the wind is not blowing in from the Atlantic, it is funnelling down the steep hills on the other side. It is one of the most challenging runways in the world and only pilots who have passed special training are allowed to land here. Windy days are especially difficult, and pilots are only given three attempts to land before having to return to the mainland. There is a popular boatyard that provides storage for yachts under the 40m high runway and it was an odd sight as we sailed past the airport, seeing the boats with masts up sitting underneath as a large aircraft taxied down the tarmac.

We found an exposed, but slightly more protected anchorage than the previous night, a little further west than Funchal, called Camara de Lobos. We anchored under dramatic red coloured cliffs that rose over 500m in an almost straight line with a crazy cable car slowly edging its way to the top. As Iain stated while we were having drinks on their boat, “That’s mad!” and this coin of phrase was used a lot as we got to see more of Madeira. In fact the cliffs we were anchored under are the highest in Europe and third highest in the World and the glass floored viewing platform at the top made for spectacular vistas – and as we proved, you have to be mad to want to stand on a glass bottomed viewing platform over 500m above a sheer drop to crashing waves!

Camara de Lobos was easy for us to get into, leaving the dinghy in the small harbour after winding our way through several small colourful fishing boats. It proved to be an ideal base for us to explore the island and the town was lovely with houses perched on the rocky cliffs surrounding the harbour and lots of colourful art installations made from recycled rubbish decorating the streets and shops. In fact, the bay was known as Churchill Bay because Winston Churchill had holidayed there once, obviously drawing inspiration from the beautiful surrounds as he spent his time painting!

Banana plantations were on every patch of ground or garden on the lower side of the hills, that had been terraced with stone walls and levadas – stone irrigation and drainage channels. Levadas are used to bring the water from the high mountains and feed the fertile soils of the lower slopes. They were built in the 1700’s by slaves from East Africa and are the reason Madeira is not only green, but prospering from growing every type of tropical fruit imaginable.

Funchal is a sprawling city with houses creeping up the steep hills. A maze of bridges and tunnels provide a fast road system, linking the capital to the rest of this fertile island. As we wound our way up the hills, the crops changed from bananas to vineyards, Papaya and Mango orchards and vegetables as every use was made of growing food in the rich volcanic soils. We took a cable car to the top of a hill behind the city which slowly climbed above residential areas and gave panoramic views across the area. Near the top on an adjoining hill, is the impressive football stadium where I like to imagine Madeira’s favourite son, Christiana Ronaldo, has played – he certainly has a huge influence and investment in the area. Sadly we chose a Sunday to go up to the top which is the one day the famous wicker sledge rides do not run. The sleighs are operated by two men who wear wooden soled shoes as they guide the sledge down the very narrow and steep hills – mad! Instead of taking the ride we ended up helping a local guy jump start his van by pushing him to the top of the hill so he could free-wheel down it – that was scary enough!

We booked a guided walking tour which took us inland to the north of the island. After an hour travelling through the countryside, we arrived at a forest and treked along a levada, following the stone “river” to it’s source. The levada was teaming with life, including trout of various sizes, living happily in the clean water. We walked through beautiful rain forest following the edge of steep cliffs, as the levada occasionally led us through hard stone as we walked through low tunnels and took in the most incredible scenery. Mountains looked like they had been drawn by a child with steep sides and rounded tops, all covered in trees for as far as the eye could see with deep gullies separating each mountain. Our 12km journey ended at a beautiful waterfall which cascaded down high cliffs into a deep pool which then fed the levada we had been following.

In the late afternoons we cleaned ourselves and the boat in the deep, clear waters, scrubbing weeks of growth off Cerulean’s bottom. We had picked up a few stowaways in the shape of long white worm-like creatures that were firmly stuck to the hull and it took a good deal of encouraging to remove them. After spending time scrubbing we returned to the deck in time for 8pm sundowners where we had front row seats watching the sun slowly sink over the sea. We really did feel like we had found our heaven!

Many years ago I shared a house in Cambridge with three amazing women, one being Barbara whose wedding I went to 35 years ago when she married Keith! Coincidentally, Barbara and Keith had booked a holiday in Madeira and were arriving about a week after us. We arranged to spend a day together on the Tuesday after their evening arrival the night prior but on looking at the weather forecast and seeing some strong winds coming, we decided to change plans and suggested we met for breakfast so we could leave at mid-day on the Tuesday. As the day of their arrival drew closer the weather system was predicted to arrive earlier and our exposed anchorage would become unsafe and untenable in strong winds. All the marinas were full as September/October is peak season for yachties getting ready to cross the Atlantic and we needed at least two good days to get to our next destination. We were in touch with another boat, Walkabout, who we had very briefly met in Porto Santo and were heading in the same direction as us. After much deliberation and talking to Walkabout, we decided we had to take the weather window on Monday otherwise we could be putting ourselves and home in, at best an unpleasant situation and, at worst, a dangerous one. I reluctantly contacted Barbara and let her know we would miss them by just a few hours as we had to leave for The Canaries while we could. She was very understanding and, a few days later, let me know that big winds did arrive and, in fact several aircraft were not able to land, which validated our decision to leave when we did.

With Traci and Andrew on Walkabout beside us, we pulled up the anchor at 11am and slowly sailed away from Madeira to start a 270 Nautical Mile passage to Lanzarote in The Canaries, trying to keep ahead of the fast moving weather system. We sadly bade farewell to Madeira – the most beautiful, fertile and memorable island which filled us with wonder at every turn. It was time to see what other adventures and wonders lay ahead of us, and we didn’t have to wait long to find out!

Porto Santo – our first taste of island life

Before starting our passage to Madeira we had to complete a few checks and procedures. These included registering with MadeiraSafe and sending copies of our vaccine certificates for approval prior to departing the Mainland. Once we received an email confirming our certificates were approved, we then had to notify Porto Santo marina the date we were expecting to arrive, even though it was only our intention to anchor in the harbour.

After spending a day recovering from our crossing and tidying up the boat, we went ashore and checked in with the marina and GNR (Police). The check-in process requires us to show a number of papers, including proof of ownership, insurance and our passports. Everything went smoothly, with our only slight concern being that if Madeira chose not to recognise the NZ agreement of 90 days in each Schengen country instead of 90 days in every country, we had infact overstayed our visa. Fortunately this was not even looked at and after 30 minutes we left the offices fully checked in and ready to explore.

Porto Santo was an unhabituated island when it was discovered by the Portuguese in the 13 Century during an exploratory trip to Africa, when the ship was blown off course during a storm. It was quickly colonised and named “Holy Port” before continuing on to the larger, greener, more mountainous island to the SW. The only sandy beach in Madeira is on Porto Santo and it’s a beautiful, long undeveloped stretch of paradise. A ferry arrives every day from Madeira bringing visitors and being the essential link between the two islands for food, supplies, fuel and mail. Very little is grown on the island as the rainfall is much less than Madeira and the topsoil is thin.

There are about 5,000 people who live permanently on Porto Santo, mostly employed in tourism or hospitality, but there is also a very interesting biotech company called Buggypower with a large investment in infrastructure on the island. Buggypower grows marine organisms that are the foundation of life in the seas. These organisms have huge nutritional benefits as well as being the start of the marine food chain and producing oxygen. Buggypower have developed a way to grow these organisms in large vertical tanks, which are being used in pharmaceutical, food and animal feed products. The company requires clean seawater to grow the organisms, hence the appeal of the crystal clear waters around this small Atlantic island.

Porto Santo is only 11km long and 6km wide but has a diverse topography with steep, barren hills to the north, long sandy beach to the SE and dramatic cliffs to the West. Formed by an undersea volcano 18 million years ago the island has lots of amazing geological features on display from the stripey cliffs of sedimentary rocks, exposed veins showing the flow of the lava, the sharp rim of the crater to the dramatic basalt pillars that tower high above the island.

We hired a car with Fi and Iain, making good use of Iain’s impeccable research as we wove our way around Porto Santo enjoying the spectacular views, incredible rock formations, great company and lots of entertainment along the way. We walked, climbed, drove, scrambled, swam and explored every 42sqkm of the island, finishing the day with a refreshing dip in our own private small sandy cove, with high cliffs as a backdrop to the crashing surf which washed us back onto the soft sand.

A highlight for me were the Basalt pillars located high above the main town, Vila Baleira. The columns are hardened lava, formed into geometric shapes as the volcanic rock cools. It felt like we were on a film set of a prehistoric movie, as the columns towered above, and all around us. Add to that the remoteness, emptiness and silence of the surrounding area and you may understand how special the experience was.

The next morning we arranged to drive out to a small beach and watch the sunrise together. In September it is still dark at 7am, so we didn’t have to wake too early to beat the sun, so after packing a picnic breakfast of fresh fruit and hot drinks, we set out to greet the day. As we drove the light started to break through the dark sky and rabbits scuttled out of our headlights – another country with a disastrous introduction of these pests that are now out of control. We watched buzzards and falcons soaring, looking for prey (hopefully a rabbit); groups of plovers running along the verge; a hoopoe with its orange crest raised on its head and distinctive black and white patterned wings; swifts darting across the sky – it was definitely the right time for the birds, before the morning started to heat up. Our intention was to go for a morning swim as the sun came up, but we all soon changed our minds as we huddled on the exposed stony beach, watching a rain shower pass to the north and the first rays of the sun poke through the low clouds. We talked, drank our hot drinks and ate breakfast together as the sky slowly grew lighter and the golden sun shone through as we watched a yacht slowly making its way towards the island. It was a perfect way to end our 24hr car hire experience in great company and feeling so grateful for the day just gone and the one dawning.

Later that day we started talking to a man working on his large yacht in the boatyard. The man, Miguel, invited us to look around his boat named Utopia, and it transpired his boat project had been a labour of love for the last 13 years. He had bought a boat with a great hull, but everything else had been replaced – all made, built and designed by him. The boat was stunning. He had designed things that are not normally found on yachts – a hidden cockpit table that cleverly pulls out and unfolds so you can have a small comfortable place to eat breakfast, a window behind the companionway steps so the whole engine is visible and easy to monitor, a dome window above the navigation station with excellent 360 degree view of boat and surrounds during bad weather, locking floorboards which could be turned over to provide a different flooring if more grip was required and, the piece de resistance – three taps in the centre of the large saloon table. When I asked him what they were for, Miguel grinned and said, “water, whiskey and wine” He had two extra tanks so thought it would be a good use of space!! It was inspirational to talk to Miguel about his 13 year journey and plans to sail Utopia in the Polars. He had a sharp wit, incredible knowledge, amazing talent and a gentle personality. We came away feeling humbled and privileged to have met him.

The marina wall at Porto Santo is decorated with the names of yachts who have made the journey, so we spent time adding our design to the many that have come before us. It was a fun, social occasion as fellow sailors and visitors stopped to talk and ask questions. We only spotted one other NZ boat on the wall, so proudly added a piece of kiwi-ness to these windswept shores!

The number of yachts arriving in Porto Santo was increasing dramatically as the “Atlantic Crossing” season approached. The small protected harbour was full and over 20 yachts were anchored off the beach, so we decided it was time to get moving. We checked out of Porto Santo, paying the 7 Euros per night for our stay (great value as normally this includes free showers and laundry, but we didn’t avail ourselves of either while there as the showers were being refurbished and we were always too late for the laundry!) and headed out in a good NE wind, following Ruffian who had left a couple of hours earlier. We could see the outline of Madeira’s high mountains ahead of us as we made good speed towards our next adventure.

Swapping Mainland Europe for Island Life

I’ve already mentioned the enjoyable social side of sailing, often repeatedly meeting up with fellow sailors in different locations, but there is also a huge selection of very good social media sites dedicated to sailing and, as Steve will confirmed with a huge sigh, I am an active member of most of them! Through these groups we have been fortunate enough to meet some inspirational and lovely people, including Fi and Iain who we met up with in Culatra and then again in Portimao before leaving mainland Portugal with them to sail under the same skies to Madeira.

I had also been in contact with an Australian guy, Mark, who was heading to Madeira at the same time, but leaving from Lisbon. We were in touch several times to organise daily radio checks, discuss weather windows as well as touching on the recent spate of Orca attacks and sharing advice. Mark let me know he was leaving Lisbon 12hrs before we were due to leave Portimao so we should be arriving in Porto Santo at around the same time.

The number of Orca attacks has intensified recently with four boats being involved in incidents close to Lagos and Portimao in one day. These attacks usually resulted in the boats rudder being bitten off or partially broken while the yacht is spun around by a group of orcas. The reason for these attacks is unclear, with whales only targeting sailing boats in a frightening display of force and violence. There are two active pods of orca who are involved in this behaviour, which first started in early summer 2020. Since then there have been over 100 incidents off the coast of Portugal and Spain, with so many in The Straits of Gibraltar that a restriction zone was created to encourage boats to stay close to the shore when passing through the area.

We left Portimao with Fi and Iain on Ruffian, the two boats cutting through the still, flat seas as we headed SW towards a bank of fog. I made use of the last of our internet to check on Mark’s progress from Lisbon and was surprised to see it looked as if he was making very slow progress East close to Sines, instead of a SW course to Madeira. I sent him a message as we continued motoring in no wind with Ruffian a short distance behind us. The fog thickened and we lost sight of Ruffian through the thick, damp mist. Suddenly there was a break in the fog and we noticed a large school of fish jumping out the flat water beside us, skimming along the surface. My heart went in my mouth as I realised this meant one thing – they were being chased. My first thought was Orcas – I had a minds eye of a cartoon whale with a nasty grin and big teeth looking at me with a, “Here’s Johnny” evil look in it’s eye! Fortunately, when the fins broke the water it was a large pod of dolphins which greeted us, so it was with relief that I radioed Ruffian to let them know about the dolphins. Iain said he had seen something behind us and was also very worried but had heard there had been another Orca attack near Sines this morning. My heart dropped as Iain proceeded to tell me it was an Australian boat that had been damaged. When I told him the name of Mark’s boat, he confirmed that was the one involved. I felt terrible for Mark who was now trying to get to Lagos with a broken rudder. We later discovered his rudder had been completely removed by the Orca, and in a message to us describing the 2 hour attack in darkness at 2am, with one very large whale and several smaller ones playing with the boat, sounded like the most frightening thing you can imagine.

As the fog lifted the wind increased enough for us to sail and, with Hilda the Hydrovane set we settled into a relaxed routine on board. The wind was very light and Cerulean felt like an old heavy bus, not performing as well as we had grown used to. After a frustrating couple of hours Steve and I agreed that, if the light winds continued as forecast, we needed to evaluate whether it was worth continuing to Madeira as something was obviously amiss and maybe we should consider turning around. We radioed Ruffian who were well ahead of us. Iain suggested we take his GoPro and look under the boat, so we turned on the motor and caught up with them, catching the GoPro in a throwbag they hurled across to us. Hero Steve, attached to a line, jumped into the deep, still waters and pointed the camera under the boat to try and understand why we were making such slow progress. Fortunately he could not see anything tangled around the keel but there was plenty of furry growth on Cerulean’s bottom from weeks of inactivity on anchor. We decided to keep going and deal with her dirty bottom once we arrived in Madeira. It was the right decision.

We crossed the busy shipping lane that is the main thoroughfare for ships entering and leaving the Mediterranean, finding a perfect gap in the traffic for us to slide through, avoiding a tug pulling a large oil rig (we had a discussion on what lights would have been displayed, if we’d seen it at night!). The wind increased and we enjoyed some lovely sailing in flat, calm seas for two days.

At 3am early in the morning of day three, we turned the engine on as we were wallowing in no wind making 2knots with sails flapping. This followed a glorious day where we had flown the cruising chute with Hilda steering beautifully throughout the day.

We saw very little wildlife during the passage – a few dolphins, a shark and, on day three we were joined by a little bird that hitched a ride with us for a while. It’s funny because the same thing happened when we crossed the Bay of Biscay.

My mum was a keen birdwatcher. She had a bird table in front of the dining room window and she took huge pleasure watching the many and varied birds that visited the well-stocked bird feeder. When mum was bed-ridden we put her bed beside the window so she could still see the birds and, when she passed away, we had the window open. A little bird came and sat on the windowsill and looked in at us all standing around mum’s bed, trying to come to terms with what had just happened. The bird sat for some time observing the scene and my sister, Judy and I took comfort in thinking this was mum looking in on us. When the bird came to the boat and found its way inside the cabin, three times (even when we put netting across the entrance way), it allowed me to pick it up and take it outside each time. When it flew away, it did a circuit of the boat, returned and landed on my head, before eventually leaving us for good. I took comfort thinking of mum and knowing how much she would approve of this adventure we are on.

All day on day three we motored. We took advantage of the engine being on and made fresh water so enjoyed showers. As we headed further south, the temperatures increased and even wearing clothes was too much during the day! At night we made up a bed in the forward cabin and took three hour shifts sharing the sleeping while the other stayed on lookout in the cockpit under the huge moonless sky of stars. At one point we were both in the saloon, talking while the autopilot steered us towards Porto Santo. The large chartplotter was in between the two of us as we sat either side of the chart table chatting. At some point I decided to adjust the autopilot course and picked up the (seldom used) remote control unit, adjusting our direction by just a couple of clicks to port. As I had turned it on to make this adjustment, I then turned the remote off again and continued our discussion. About ten minutes later I looked at the chartplotter and saw with dismay that we were tracking in completely the wrong direction. I rushed on deck and realised that, instead of turning off the remote control, I had turned off the autopilot and we had been doing circles for the last ten minutes! Later that evening we had a catch up with Ruffian on the radio and, just as we were finishing, Iain commented on the two circles we had performed earlier. I hung my head in shame – even when 200 miles from land, there is no hiding from stupid mistakes!

Steve decided to have a haircut while we had no wind. He powered up his electric razor and proceeded to give himself a number 2 while hanging over the transom. When he had completed the front he asked for help as he could not reach the back of his head. By the time I joined in the fun he had a perfect Mullet which, after much hilarity and threats if photos being taken, I set about trying to complete the coiffeur. Sadly, I am no hairdresser and just mastering how to use the razor properly proved a long and tedious task which resulted in me shaving Steve’s hair above his right ear, clean off! First I was mortified when I saw I had given him half a Mohawk, quickly followed by me dissolving into fits of laughter which was not matched by a pissed off looking Steve! Needless to say, he took the razor from me, vowing never to let me near it again and not allowing any photographic evidence of the event!

By the evening of day three the wind had started to pick up, all be it from the wrong direction, so we decided to turn off the engine and start tacking into the wind. The peace and quiet after hours of hearing the motor was a huge relief and we made reasonable progress for a while, giving ourselves targets and rewards when those milestones were reached. Our aim was to get within 50 miles of land and then, if the wind was still on the nose we would motorsail again. With about 70 miles to go we noticed a big flash on the horizon. Lightening. Lightening fills all sailors with dread. Being a singular metal pole in the middle of an ocean is similar to walking down the middle of a busy motorway and hoping not to be run over! As the lightening intensified and moved towards us, we put all our electrics into the microwave to protect them and turned off as many electrical items as possible. With sheet lightening flashing all around us we continued sailing with a reef in the main and smaller jib only. The boat was not performing well and I was getting really frustrated as I tried to work out why she wasn’t responding in the way we have become used to. The sails were trimmed, but Cerulean felt like she had a handbrake on still.

Eventually the storm passed and, with the high volcanic peaks of Porto Santo in sight and only 20 miles left, we turned on the engine. The sea was rough with wind against us, blowing upto 28knots, so progress was slow! We were both tired, were not enjoying this last part of the passage, had not eaten properly as trying to prepare food while the boat is being lurched from side to side is not easy and we were hot and dirty after two days of heat and no showers! To say it was a relief to round the tall, rugged Ilheu de Cima and see the small town of Vila Baleira with its long sandy beach, was an understatement! We turned into the protected harbour and dropped our anchor next to Ruffian. Tall barren, rugged mountains formed a backdrop to the small marina and it was with huge relief and a sense of achievement that we turned off the engine, made a decent meal and collapsed into bed for a much needed, long and peaceful nights sleep after a four and a half day passage covering 522 miles!

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.

Capital Adventures

Let me talk about mental health. I believe I speak for both of us when I say there is nothing we would rather be doing than living this adventure and we know how lucky we are to be able to follow the dream, slow down, visit amazing places, meet wonderful people and learn along the way. But there are days when we can still feel down, anxious or fed up. We’ve had enough mis-adventures to test our resilience but sometimes it doesn’t take something going wrong to effect mental health. It may be the arrival of a significant anniversary, a sudden moment of homesickness, a conversation with missed loved ones – anything could just spark a bout of not being our normal, happy selves! I experienced a day like that which was caused by the 4^th anniversary of my dear mum’s passing. I just couldn’t get myself out of the funk I was falling into and I started getting cross with myself as I felt I had no right to be feeling the way I was when I was living my dream. I reached out to an on-line community called “Women who sail the Med” and just asked whether others ever felt the same and what mechanisms were used to bring back their sparkle. The response was overwhelming and resulted in a new group being set up so we can track where members are so, if we’re feeling down, we can see whether any other member of the group is in the vicinity so we can make contact. One of the contributors to the discussion was a lovely lady named Jill who was on her boat in Greece. She told me her step daughter was coming to Porto at the weekend and suggested we met, so on the day before we left Porto we met Gemma and Alex. They were just the tonic we both needed and we ended up watching the Euro 2020 Cup Final with them in a bar on our last night in Porto.

Early the next morning, feeling a little worse for wear, we pulled up the anchor that was firmly attached to the muddy bottom, and headed back out to sea.

The wind was light so we stayed offshore to try and catch the forecast northerly steady winds. They were very late in arriving and, as we had a 60 mile trip ahead of us, we could not afford to sit and wait for the winds to arrive, so motor sailed while we waited! There was a large swell hitting us on the beam (side) and every so often a large rolling wave would carry us up high throwing Cerulean over on the port side before we skidded down the back of the wave and got thrown the other way. During that time the mainsail would have the wind sucked out of it and then be slammed as it filled with wind again as we rolled. This went on all day, only stopping when we put the Cruising chute up and dropped the main. Although we made reasonable speed at first, the wind soon fell away again and we went back to motor-sailing. Just as the wind started to fill in, we noticed the mainsail had started to come away from the mast – this side of the main is called the luff. Two of the luff cars that keep our sail battens in place had become detached from the sail and this had caused a few of the other sail cars to tear the woven straps on the sail. In short, it meant the sail was becoming disconnected from the mast, so we quickly dropped it before any more damage was done and continued under motor only.

There are very few protected anchorages down the Atlantic coast of Portugal so we followed a large yacht into Figueira da Faz (Fig Foz for short) marina and found they were heading for the berth we had been allocated minutes earlier. The marina manager seemed disorganised and seemed to think he had more available berths than were actually vacant, later sending us and another boat competing for the same spot in a very tight channel. Fortunately we got there first and managed to squeeze our way into the double spot, which was only just wide enough for one boat. The berth we had been allocated was as far away as was possible from the showers, which were disappointingly average while the price we were charged to stay at the marina was one of the highest we have paid yet – 40Euros a night. We paid for two nights, thinking we could spend the next day exploring a nearby town we were keen to visit, but then discovered the train journey was 2hrs, so we decided to replenish our dwindling food stores, explore the town and clean the boat!

Several of the buildings in the town centre are of Romanesque architecture – resembling an unloved movie set – some of the buildings have windows that look like they have been drawn on using a ruler by an OCD child! Almost every large building is a hostel which look like they were once a hotel but had fallen on hard times and lack of funds to maintain. The town gave the impression it had seen better days, although money had obviously been spent trying to tidy up the waterfront area with a very wide cobbled seafront walkway and a few odd looking modern statues which looked like they had been designed by a committee! A big positive was the large indoor market which are common in Spain and Portugal, selling a huge selection of locally produced fruit, vegetables and fish.

We left Fig Foz before the wind started to increase, as I was worried about the lack of space for any errors when we left our tight berth. We didn’t need a cross wind to add to an already stressful situation and our friendly French neighbours were watching our every move as they had already confessed their concerns about manoeuvring when they left! Fortunately we managed an impressive exit and did ourselves proud – we did have the reputation of all future cruising kiwis at stake, after-all!

The wind picked up as we left the protection of the marina and we had a great sail to Nezare under the two jibs only as we still had not repaired the mainsail. Nezare holds the world record for the tallest wave ever surfed – of over 30m – so it was no surprise that we were hit by some quite large swell as we approached Nezare. The waves and swell are caused by a submerged canyon which runs for 230km and, at its deepest point, is three times as deep as the Grand Canyon! The waves are largest in the winter when the wind blows across the exposed ocean. We chose to anchor behind Pontal de Nazare within site of the lighthouse that appears in the on-line pictures showing the huge waves that pound this coastline. As you would expect the anchorage was a little rolly and very close to the beach as the water did not get shallow until we were only a few meters from the sand! In fact some young boys swam out to greet us as we settled in! We were anchored under spectacular limestone rocks – all the layers were on show with buildings right on the edge on the cliff top, some sitting on overhanging rocks, perched precariously above us. Although the location was lovely, the anchorage wasn’t and neither of us slept well as the boat yawled from side to side and, being so close to the beach, the noise of late night revellers seemed to be emphasized as the sound hit the cliffs we were under! In the morning we received an early visit from the local surf guards who approached us in their RIB, telling us we were not allowed to anchor as, unbeknownst to us, we were in front of the harbourmasters house and he was not happy about us staying there. We asked if we could stay for another two hours to give time for the wind to get up, and we were told no, in no uncertain terms, we had to leave immediately!

Disappointed we could not go ashore as planned, we did as we were told and continued our journey south in no wind! In fact, the wind did not arrive at all for the whole 35NM journey and, apart from a desperate, but unsuccessful, attempt at sailing, we motored all the way to Peniche. As we approached Cabo Carvoeiro, the narrow headland that gives an impression that Peniche is an island as it is connected to the mainland by just a narrow piece of land with sandy beaches to the north and south, we dodged fishing buoys. We watched a fishing boat approaching us at speed as they hurled fishing pots out in front of us as we were forced to weave our way through the obstacles they threw in our way!

Our pilot book listed two possible anchorages and, on checking them both out and not liking either option, we started looking for an alternative. Not put off by our earlier experience, we decided to try anchoring in front of the long sandy beach on the south side of the town. The hold was good but, once again, the swell was a little uncomfortable but we decided to stay and hope the sea would calm down as the day drew on. We were soon joined by three other boats and, although the swell did abate a little, we were gently rocked to sleep that night. The worse thing about the anchorage was the smell! When the wind changed to more of a northerly we were given the full affect of being downwind of a fish cannery and, even though we were treated to a spectacular sunset, we soon retreated inside to avoid the unpleasant smell!

The weather was hot, sunny and windless for the next few days so we decided to stay put, relax, repair the mainsail and finish some other outstanding boat jobs – there are always lots of repairs and maintenance jobs on the “to-do” list. Fortunately the wind changed direction and with that, the smell disappeared but the downside was a nasty swell that threw us from side to side. We attempted to put out a second anchor from the stern to keep us pointing into the swell, but this was not successful as the anchor we used was too light so we decided we could put up with the rolling for another day. Fog engulfed the bay for a couple of mornings and, on the second morning after surviving another rocky night on anchor, we made a rushed decision to leave as soon as the mist cleared and head south. After a slow start, the wind soon picked up and we had a great sail to Lisbon. Our speed gradually increased from 3knots to a steady 8knts and we entered Cascais harbour with one reef in the main and a top speed of 10.5knots under clear skies and flat seas. We found an anchorage outside the marina and joined a small international community of boats enjoying the sheltered bay overlooking the lovely town of Cascais.

Cascais is a popular holiday destination for Portuguese and international tourists, mainly because of its beautiful sandy beaches and closeness to Lisbon. The historic old town has narrow limestone cobbled streets lined with tall colourful houses, restaurants, bakeries and small shops and was a busy mixture of tourists and locals as we made our way to the large farmers market to stock up on much needed fruit and vegetables.

We stayed in Cascais for two wonderful weeks, exploring Lisbon and the surrounding area, meeting new people, learning about the fascinating history and enjoying life living on the hook. We were anchored close to the marina and the fuel dock allowed us to leave the dinghy on their pontoon whenever we left the boat. Everything was very close by, including the train station and a short 20 minute ride took us into the heart of Lisbon. We bought a 7-day pass so we could have unrestricted access to this beautiful city. Once again, we booked a walking tour and learned about the fascinating buildings and monuments in the heart of the old city. We walked the cobbled streets, ate wonderful local food, climbed hundreds of steps, marvelled at beautiful views and soaked up the atmosphere of this vibrant, sparkling capital city. We loved it!

Lisbon/Lisboa, the capital of Portugal has a population of around 2 million. Built on the wide, fast flowing Tagus River, the city dates back to the 8^th century BC and many beautiful historic and modern structures adorn the river banks. The city has architecture dating back to the Romans but, due to a series of earthquakes the majority of the city dates from the mid 1700’s when it was rebuilt due to a massive earthquake on 1 November 1755, followed by a tsunami and fire which almost completely destroyed the city. The vibrant mix of long bridges spanning the river, old forts, large squares, colourful houses, narrow streets and modern memorials gives the city its own unique character and style. The dominant suspension bridge – Ponte 25 de Avril (the date of the revolution) – is reminiscent of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and is over 2km long. The statue of Christ the King overlooks the city from the south bank, standing 25m high, it was inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro. In the main square of Lisbon, Praca do Comercio has The Rua Augusta Arch which is similar to the Arc de Triumph in Paris and commemorates the city’s reconstruction following the earthquake in 1755. I loved the steampunk looking Santa Justa, cast iron elevator built in 1902 to connect two of the main city streets. Steve’s favourite was the impressive monument to the Discoveries (Padrao dos descobrimentos) with Henry the Navigator standing at the prow of a ship in front of other figures from Portugal’s age of the Discoveries.

We took a 30 minute bus ride to Sintra. Once again we were swept off our feet by the beauty of the place. As one impressive palace after another came into view we were really in sensors overload and no amount of adjectives could describe the vision that was unfolding infront of us. From the castle that sits above the city, perched on a tree-clad hillside with its walls winding around the side of the steep cliffs, looking like the great wall of China. We looked down on the city of Sintra below us, with three palaces all close together nestled in gardens or trees and then we looked up. At the top of the hill, perched above the castle at the pinnacle of a rocky outcrop, sat the National Palace of Pena. Looking like a Disney fairy castle in colours of yellow and red with blue tiles, the palace was built on the site of an old monastery. The monastery had been hit by lightening and then destroyed by the earthquake of 1531. It sat empty until the mid 1800’s when the king, who had looked lovingly at the site, decided to convert the ruins into an extraordinary palace. Incorporating the old buildings, the palace now stands as a monument to the amazing tenacity and feat of engineering undertaken to build such an elaborate building at the top of a steep hill.

The anchorage at Cascais had a steady turnover of visiting boats and the number of British flagged yachts were noticeably increasing as England lifted all Covid lockdown restrictions and the weather improved for crossing the Bay of Biscay. We decided it was time to move on and continue heading south so reluctantly pulled up the anchor and bade farewell to our new friends. As we headed south, we took a short detour and sailed up the Tagus River so we could experience the beauty of Lisbon from the water before steering a course for a short but enjoyable sail to Sesimbra.

We anchored off the busy beach for a couple of nights before heading to Sines. The busy port of Sines is industrial and the approach is far from attractive with a large oil refining plant and storage units “decorating” the coastline, but once inside the inner harbour, the town on Sines starts to be revealed and we instantly liked it. Probably because of the heavy industry nearby, the town has remained true to its traditional roots – an old fishing port. The town had a lovely sleepy, laidback feel with very few high rises, small cafes, cobbled streets, a castle overlooking our anchorage and friendly people.

We stayed for a few nights before leaving early in the morning as part of a small convoy of sailing boats, for a 60NM sail around Cabo de Sao Vicente and enter The Algarve where our travels will then head east for a while. The sail was magnificent – beautiful weather with perfect wind direction and strength. We flew the cruising chute for most of the way and made a steady 8knots as we cut through the blue waters on our continued passage south. Next stop was The Algarve and we prepared ourselves for different winds, hotter temperatures, crowded anchorages and more tourists. The best was still to come!

Porto – the bar has been set!

If only travel between countries were simple – like the good ol’ days pre-Brexit when a British passport opened borders throughout Europe and counting days spent in each Schengen country was a task left for those who held passports from outside the EU block….. A British passport is now only useful in the UK and, in fact a New Zealand passport carries a lot more weight when travelling in Europe. Most European countries are part of the Schengen “block” agreement, which means that when moving between countries in the “block”, you are able to spend a total of 90 in every 180 days in the Schengen region. This means that, if travelling for more than 90 days, you need to find another country outside the “block to spend time for at least another 90 days before you can re-enter the Schengen region. However, whether by clever negotiation or as an afterthought, New Zealand passport holders are treated differently. New Zealanders are able to spend 90 days in each Schengen country but, as this is not widely publicised and is done at the discretion of each country, we wrote to the embassies of all the places we intended to visit and asked them to confirm whether they would honour this agreement. France and Spain confirmed our understanding was correct but Portugal did not respond. This meant we needed to do some quick calculations and enter into the “Schengen Shuffle” that a lot of yachties now participate in!

When we check out of Portugal we will need to show we have not stayed for more than 90 days in the Schengen region, so our time in Spain will be included in these 90 days. This meant that the longer we stayed in Spain, the less time we could have in Portugal and we needed to spend more time in Portugal to make sure we could “bank” our days in Spain for when we head to The Canaries later in the year. Are you still with me? Taking all this into consideration we decided to leave Spain, following a last-ditch attempt to get an answer from the Portuguese embassy and despite missing out on some places we had particularly wanted to visit.

The weather was changing and a southerly blow was forecast which would last for a few days, so we decided to leave while the winds were still northerly and head south towards Porto. We left our quiet anchorage early and, with the main sail up, motored through the Islas Cies heading out to sea and leaving Spain behind in the hazy morning light. We set a course which would take us 20 miles out to sea, as we wanted to avoid the fishing pots that are dotted along the Portuguese coastline and to try and find the stronger winds that were forecast further out to sea. The wind was very light, which meant our 80 mile trip would be very slow if we intended sailing all the way and, as the southerly change was coming, we had to motor for much longer than either of us wanted. Eventually the promised wind came and we were able to turn off the engine and have a good sail on a poled-out jib with a large pod of dolphins for company.

I never tire of dolphins. I love being on the forward deck. hanging over the rails so I see and hear these beautiful creatures. They continually darted in front of our bow, narrowly missing the hull as they dodged from one side of the boat to the other. Every so often they would turn on their side and peer up at me as they gently flipped their tail and sped along beside us. There were families of dolphins of different sizes and it seemed like the sea was boiling with them – everywhere we looked there were dolphins. It was a wonderful sight.

Over the last year there have been several reported incidents with Orcas “attacking” yachts along the Portuguese and Spanish coasts. We had heard of three incidents in the last few days where a pod of Orca seemed to deliberately ram boats resulting in the yachts being damaged and having to be rescued and towed into port. When seeing a dorsal fin approaching at speed, I must admit there are a few seconds of anxiety before, on realising we are being visited by dolphins, the nervousness is quickly replaced by exhilaration!

As we approached our destination and headed closer to shore, we had to both be on watch to navigate through the slalom of fishing buoys, many of which had long poles with a flag on top, but several had these missing so sharp eyes were needed to ensure we didn’t run over any! We even encountered fishing buoys in 200m of water over 10 miles from the shore!

We entered the protected harbour of Leixoes in the late afternoon and joined three other boats to spend our first night in Portugal on anchor outside the marina. In the morning we checked into the small marina and headed into Porto on the metro.

From the moment we left the metro station, I was in love with Porto. We climbed the steps from the underground station and in front of us was an old church covered in a pale blue and white mosaic. The gothic building with these vibrant, fresh colours took my breath away and as we turned around we discovered more beautiful buildings all around five stories tall and mostly had their façade covered in patterned green, blue or yellow tiles. We had come to Porto with no expectations as we had read or heard very little about it, but within minutes of being in the city we knew this was a place we wanted to spend time in and really get to know.

We booked a walking tour and met our guide, Eugenia, early one cool, morning in the centre of Porto. Eugenia was born in Porto and obviously loved her city as she passionately and expertly guided us around her home town, taking us to places off the normal tourist trail and opening our eyes, hearts and minds to this wonderful city. It was not until the late 1990’s that work began in Porto to refurbish and save the many historic buildings that line the Douro River, when the city centre was classified as a National Monument of Portugal and therefore protected from mass development and saved many of the derelict buildings from being knocked down and replaced. This meant refurbishing and saving buildings is a very slow and expensive process as there are very strict guidelines and requirements that need to be met, but the result is a beautiful city that has history at every step. Sadly, the downfall of this is that many of the buildings are now in foreign ownership and there are still large areas of the city where buildings are derelict. Many may argue that a city should be able to grow and change with the times, otherwise all you are creating in a living museum, but I would argue that an ancient city is one to be treasured and respected. I believe cities like Porto are more vibrant and economically viable because their historic buildings have been preserved and respected, making it a city people enjoy living in and visiting.

The history of Porto dates back to 300BC and became a significant port in Roman times. In 711 it fell under the control of the Moors until it became a centre for Christianity in 868. For the next few hundred years the city prospered due to shipbuilding, the port and the production of port wine. The grapes are still grown further up the Douro valley and brought to Porto to be made into Port where the climate is more temperate than the hot summers and cold winters of mid-Portugal.

The buildings in Porto follow many styles from Romanesque and classical to Art Deco and Baroque. Every turn in the narrow granite cobbled streets had another spectacular vista, building, monument or point of interest which resulted in me being lost for words (if you know me, you’d know that’s quite unusual!), except for saying, “Wow” over and over again.

Highlights for us were the central city train station with its incredible tiled interior depicting the stages of public transport through the ages; Sao Francisco Church with its incredible baroque interior; the beautiful narrow streets and colourful houses in the old town; The vibrant riverside area of Ribeira, crammed with historic buildings; Ponte Luiz I, Porto’s answer to the Harbour Bridge, designed by the engineer who built The Eifel Tower creating a perfect link to Gaia on the other side of the Rio Douro. Finally I have to mention the bakeries which are crammed with the most delicious pastries in particular the pastel del nata – a custard tart which became our reward if we had, were going to, or thought we might, walk 10,000 steps – well, that was our excuse to buy one anyway!

We spent three nights in the marina at Leixoes so we could do some essential boat jobs – change the engine and gearbox oil, change the oil filter, put another layer of varnish on the cockpit table and a few touch-up points in the saloon, scrub the boat and the dinghy and service the watermaker. With all this achieved, we anchored outside the marina close to the seawall which separated the protected port from a long sandy beach and we could hear the surf crashing on the sand on the other side of the wall.

On a visit into Porto we noticed a yacht anchored right in the heart of the city on The River Douro. We went to the river bank to have a closer look and accosted a maritime police officer who was passing by! We asked if we could also anchor there and he said, “of course…” as if it was the most stupid question anyone had ever asked him! Filled with excitement at the prospect of spending a few nights in the heart of the city, we returned to the boat and left our anchorage in Leixoes the next morning.

We sailed down the coast five miles and turned into the mouth of The River Douro. Once behind the seawall the swell that swept us into the river, calmed down and we slowly made our way up the river. It was 2hours from high tide and we passed under the very high Ponte de Arrabida with about 40m to spare – even so your eyes to deceive you on the approach and it almost looked like we weren’t going to fit under the long single spanned bridge! We dropped the anchor behind the boat we’d seen the day before, beside two large pleasure boats which were tied to the wall and the police officer had assured us were currently out of commission. We were just outside the main channel in about 5m of water, directly infront of Sao Francisco Cathedral and within site of Pont De Luis I, surrounded by colourful buildings on both sides of the river. We spent the day on the boat making sure the anchor was secure as we swung around our anchor when river traffic passed us and the tide changed. It was not the quietest or calmest anchorage we’ve had, but it certainly was the most exciting and vibrant!

We spent a week on our anchorage in the centre of the city, leaving the dinghy chained up in a public slipway in Ribeira while we continued to explore Porto visiting a different location every day. One morning we visited the beautiful Livraria Lello, one of the world’s oldest bookstores, opening in 1906, and thought to have been an inspiration for JK Rowling when creating Hogwarts. There are normally long queues to get in so we arrived 30 minutes before they opened and didn’t have to wait long before being herded into the small store. The inside is stunning – floor to high ceiling bookshelves lined with old and new books, stocked by staff wheeling a large trolley along a carriage track imbedded in the wooden floor. In the centre of the room is a large forked spiral staircase which takes you to a galleried upper level with the most beautiful stained glass skylight. We then climbed the 240 steps of Clerigos Tower, built of marble in the mid-1700’s for a spectacular view of the city and surrounding countryside.

Of course, it is impossible to avoid mentioning Port and we visited one of the many cellars that are on the south bank of the River Douro in Gaia, overlooking the city. The fortified wine is produced and made in the Douro valley and transported down to the cellars to be stored, matured and bottled. There are very strict regulations around producing Port and only wine produced from The Douro Valley can be termed as Port.

As Covid numbers started to rise again in Porto new regulations came into force which meant either a vaccination certificate or negative covid test had to be shown before going inside a restaurant, café or bar. We heard that evening curfews were starting, but getting information was difficult as we didn’t know how to access local news. Sadly, it was time for us to leave this beautiful city and continue south to explore Portugal further as we had heard there were lots of other beautiful locations ahead of us.