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 4th 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 8th 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!