Quick trial run to see if I can remember what to do!
Here is our new boat.Welcome Pantalaimon III!

The Algarve and back to Spain

Monday 3rd August

We enjoyed our overnight trip to Lagos encountering all types of weather in one passage but we are happy to be moored up in the sunshine at Lagos and another milestone passed. Surprisingly quiet again here although the marina is more expensive, about 50€ a night. Luckily with the ARC discount we get one free night and then 10% off so makes it more reasonable. We are moored next to a Contest 42 which has done the ARC a few times and they have just returned after 4 years in the Carribean where they have had a great time, not encountering crime or deadly mosquitos.

Out for dinner tonight to celebrate our arrival in the Algarve. Our bow thrusters have been failing again so Alex has been to Sopromar behind the marina and they will send someone in the morning to look at them. Whilst he was on this excursion he identified a very busy fish restaurant so we will try that tonight.

Tuesday 4th August

Delicious BBQed sardines,squid and dorado with salad and potatoes. Simply done but all the better for that and very good value. People were queuing to get in from 19.30. Two old chaps in charge of the enormous BBQ where you could watch them in action throughout the evening. Obviously maestros at the art of fish BBQ.

Went for a wander in to Lagos and rapidly sussed out the fish market. Decided we needed a treat of custard tart, fresh orange juice and coffee to refresh us after our wander. Then back to the fish market for some gigantic prawns and we think a dorado for our BBQ tonight. A little light scrabble in the afternoon and our own BBQ for dinner. Lovely day.

Wednesday 5th August

Sopromar very efficient and said we need a new bigger battery and the motor brushes replacing. Looks like we're here until Friday so may as well enjoy the facilities! Off to the Pingu Doce supermarket, a very easy walk around to the other side of the marina and a good stock up with supplies. I think we'll come back tomorrow with our collapsible trolley and stock up with water,beer,tonic and wine.

Thursday 6th August

Returned to the supermarket and loaded the trolley. Excellent as we ended up with over a dozen large waters and beers plus a couple of boxes of wine and tonic. Mind you the carton of beer didn't like the Portuguese cobbles and we nearly had a disaster with a dozen beer bottles splattering across the cobbles. Anyway safely back. Cleaning and tidying ready for the off tomorrow. A night out on the town tonight. Found a lovely restaurant where we sat outside with nice tablecloths etc. Very efficient waiters so soon munching scallops. Alex and I both had lamb as it seems impossible to get in Portugal. I had lamb cooked in red wine and herbs and Alex had a rack of lamb. We decided to treat ourselves to an ice cream on our walk back to the boat and the got distracted by the sound of music. Found a group of lads with brass instruments belting out some great sounds with people dancing in the streets. Great fun. When they stopped for their break we decided we should really get back to the boat after a lovely evening in Lagos.

Friday 7th August

Sopromar here bright and early with new battery and serviced motor and I must admit they sound much better and may perhaps do some useful thrusting! Alex went to pay the marina and I readied the boat for departure. However by the time Alex returned it was really pretty windy so we decide to stay just one more night. The thing with cruising is you have to go with the flow and plans often change. We decide to go for a long walk along the beautiful beach. A few people at the start but soon almost deserted, lovely sand and shells and I soon had a collection of them. The beach is 3 km's long and at the end you can climb the breakwater and see into the tidal lagoon where there were a lot of kite surfers. We sat and had our picnic watching the activities. You can anchor here too and then follow a very narrow channel round to Alvor. After our picnic we walked back and decided it was time for a dip in the Atlantic. We weren't in long as it is pretty chilly but at least when you emerge it is so nice and warm and you quickly dry off. Back for supper and an early night as we really do want to get going tomorrow. BBQ T bone steaks and salad all for less than 5€ and they were massive steaks!

Saturday 8th August

Departed before the wind could get going and called in at the fuel barge before heading just East of the Lagos channel to anchor off the beach which we'd explored yesterday. Ate breakfast of fruit,yogurt,honey and nuts and then decided to start practising some of the manoeuvres I need to master for my Yachtmaster. First we decided to sail off the anchor and then Alex warned me we would soon have a man overboard. Don't panic, our man is our oldest fender and soon enough there he was bobbling in the water. He was rescued on my second attempt but seemed none the worse for his Atlantic dip. We were soon heading for Portimao where we intend to anchor for a couple of nights. Lovely and sunny and very picturesque but spoilt by dance music played extremely loudly which went on until 06.00 in the morning. Never mind we still enjoyed our drinks in the sun on the foredeck.

Sunday 9th August.

Off to explore the Ferragudo side of the estuary. Very busy along the little quay where Sunday lunch was in full flow. Alex and I stopped to watch the chefs on the quayside with their massive BBQs. We've noticed that they brush their fishies with garlic and oil and BBQ them skin side last so we will have to hone our technique. We stopped for a Sunday drink at the beach bar called ' the Yacht Club' and watched the world go by for an hour or so then time to dinghy back to the Panties. We spotted a boat we recognised on the way back - Drift Away a Starlight 39 with the Scousers on board! We met them at Sines and had a good chat then. They invited us on board for G&Ts and much talking. He is a retired fireman and Linda a retired hospice manager. Eventually we must depart whilst still functioning sufficiently to get back on board Panties. Roast chicken tonight cos it's Sunday!

Monday 10th August

Slightly bleary departure after our excesses yesterday. We want to try and make the anchorage off the Ilha da Culatra just to the south of Faro. If not we will go to Vilamoura although we would much prefer to anchor as we had a good look round Vilamoura when we drove South to visit Wills. Unfortunately not much wind so quite a bit of motoring although we had the cruising chute out twice. Lovely and sunny and egg mayonnaise, salad and rolls provided a good midday boost. Just before we were ready to call it a day and head for Vilamoura the wind picked up and we had 15-20 knots on our starboard quarter. With the cruising chute filled to bursting we zapped along at around 7 knots heading towards Cabo de Santa Maria and our anchorage. Even so it was nearly 8 o'clock before we were settled having for the first time ever dragged our anchor at the first attempt. We were trying out our anchor buoy so not sure if messing about with that upset our usual technique. Never mind held well with our second attempt despite the wind really picking up. Retired rapidly below for hot showers and a late supper and then out like lights after our long day.

Tuesday 11th August

Nice and sunny this morning, decide on a leisurely start and breakfast in the cockpit of chorizo and scrambled eggs. Off to visit the Ilha da Culatra which seems to me to be the Portuguese Sark. Only 3000 inhabitants and no roads or cars although quite a few antique tractors and the odd tuktuk. Surprisingly though we found a cash machine, 2 tiny shops and a bakery. Lots of cafes and restaurants selling sardines/mackerel and salad. We walked around the village and along the beach before heading back to Panties. I decided to get some crab and quail out for supper only to find the freezer is no longer freezing. Luckily it looks like it's just packed in so the quail look ok although we don't fancy the defrosted crab or prawns. Never mind, I've cooked the peas and the frozen fruit and we'll have the quail tonight. Alex thinks it packed in overnight as he did comment this morning that we hadn't used much power overnight and now we know why. Another job to get sorted when we get to Gibralter.

The quail turned out to be partridge but still yummy. Supper in the cockpit with spectacular 360 degree views, the Ilha da Culatra, the hills to the North and the Rias to Faro and Olaho.

Wednesday 12th August

Prompt start as we need to make the Rio Guadiana at high water. Unfortunately no wind today so a bit of a motor. Nice calm seas and sunshine so we mustn't complain. Negotiated a few fish farms then spotted the buoys marking the entrance to the Ria. Perfect timing as just coming up to high water. Over the bar and up the Ria with Portugal to port and Spain to starboard. Looks like our first Spanish night since Baiona on the 27th June! Seems a life time ago. We didn't fancy the Portuguese marina as very limited space for manoeuvering plus quite strong tidal streams so into Ayamonte marina which looks almost completely empty. Hope that's not because it's expensive. Alex decided to sort the paperwork at the marina office whilst I tidied up the boat. He was gone quite a while and returned with the bad news that there is less than 2.0m in the marina and we would go aground at low tide and the good news it's only 15€ a night. No wonder it's empty! We think we'll be 30 cms short of water but apparently all soft mud underneath. After a quick shop and perambulate, back for showers and out for tapas, clams, calamares, chips and ham. All very nice sitting outside in a very busy small street. Panties was gently aground on our return but seemed quite happy although it felt very weird not bobbing.

Thursday 13th August

A quiet night and all was well in the morning especially as Wills rang with his A level results and has got into his first choice, Reading University to study food marketing and business & economics. Well done Wills that's brill! Last of the six into uni.

Alex popped back to the very good chandlers whilst I cleaned up Panties ready for the off. I just hate her looking scabby and felt much better once the teak and coach roof are gleaming again. We need to be careful of our departure time today. We need enough water to be afloat and get us over the 0.6m unmarked bar but not too much that we can't get under the bridge which has 20.5m clearance. We think our air draught is 19m but also got aerials at the top so really don't want to lose those. We think we've done our calculations correctly, all good practice for me and off we go. Over the bar then into 25-30 knots of wind and up to the bridge. We made it safely under but not by much looking at the photo. I did feel slightly sick as we went under, now I know why you're told not to look up! A fairly windy trip up the river with Portugal to port and Spain to starboard but very scenic. As we reached further up river we were more sheltered and could relax a little more. Decided to anchor about 20 miles up river between the villages of Alcoutim (Portugal) and Sanlucar (Spain). This really is one of the most lovely spots we've anchored so far. A little light sunbathing and scrabble followed by roast lamb. Then Mark Knoppfler and some more red wine sitting in the cockpit watching the sun set. See the video on Facebook! A really idyllic evening.

Friday 14th August

A prompt and slightly bleary start at 07.00 Spanish time (06.00 Portuguese time) and I'm not sure which we're on at the moment but feels more like 06.00! All worth it as we drift gently down the river with just the genoa up as the sun rises and all is peaceful apart from the twittering of the odd bird. Bamboo lines the banks and we ghost past the scattered moored yachts as the Moorish castle turns pink. Idyllic.

 

As we near the bridge the wind has picked up and we ended up passing under the bridge on bare poles in 30 knots and going 4.5 knots through the water. Not quite so scary going back through as we knew we would be fine but still looks as if the mast will hit the bridge. As the wind has picked up so much in the river we decide to anchor up until slack water and then decide wether to go on or not. As it happens the wind seems to drop so off we go heading for Mazagon which sounds like something out of Lord of the Rings! Another day of variable winds from nothing to 25 knots so make reasonable progress and as the afternoon sea breeze quicks in we speed into Mazagon. After radioing ahead to warn of our arrival we reject our first berth which has extremely short finger pontoons and return to the reception berth when we get given a much better berthlus two young but strong marineras to catch our warps. Good result! Massive modern marina well sheltered and less than a third full, we certainly haven't had any trouble getting berths. Pork ribs with aubergine,garlic,onion and tomatoes in the cockpit enjoying our relaxing evening after quite a long trip. It seems a world away from our anchorage up the river Guadiana which we left at dawn this morning.

Saturday 15th August

A lazy start this morning, we both slept really well as very quiet here and even though it's Saturday doesn't appear to be much boating activity. As we are going to be here for at least a couple of nights it's time to give the bikes an airing. We've invested in a couple of Bromptons, mine is bright pink and Alex's a deep orange so we often attract a bit of attention on them. Washing on and dinghy deflated and put away so time for a cycle to the village and explore Magazon. There doesn't seem a lot of shops in the village but plenty of restaurants and we identify where the big supermarket is ready for our reprovisioning. Panties looks well decorated in washing today!

Sunday 16th August

Sunday lunch today. Off for a run along the massive beach and on our way back we spot a rather nice looking restaurant called Las Dunas. Madame opened the large metal gates when she saw us peering in so we booked a table. Back for showers and a bit of internetting before out for lunch. Really excellent and I've probably said it before but this really was the best meal so far. Delicious Gambas and clams followed by steak for Ales and sea bass stuffed with crab then delicious puddings as well, chocolate mousse and tiramisu.

Monday 17th August

The less said about today the better, let's just say it involved toilets,holding tanks, many buckets and lots of cleaning. We're not going tomorrow as we need a day to recover!

Tuesday 18th August

Washing of clothes and Panties today followed by an excellent supermarket shop ready for the next leg tomorrow. Scrabble and G&Ts followed by BBQed bonito, truly delicious. Alex has got this BBQ lark down to a fine art.

Wednesday 19th August

Up early and onto the fuel pontoon for 08.10 but no one appears until 08.30 despite promising to be open at 08.00 but this is Spain anyway we are a little anxious as its really quite misty, Alex calls it fog but I'm a little more optimistic. Luckily by the time we've fuelled up and Alex has paid the bill which involved lots of stamping and paperwork the mist is burning off and were happy to head off. We've been in Magazon long enough but it was a lovely spot, especially that lunch. We're heading for Puerto Sherry which is just across the bay from Cadiz. The marina sounds nicer than the one in Cadiz and we can get a ferry from there across to Cadiz. Unfortunately the morning spent motoring but sail out in the afternoon as we head to Puerto Sherry. We decide to anchor just outside the marina in a little bay and soon the day trippers leave and just 3 of us are anchored overnight.

Thursday 20th August

Breakfast on deck surrounded by wind surfers and sailing dinghies then time to go into the marina before the wind picks up. Massive marina surrounded by bars and restaurants but quite a few closed down as is the big hotel. We have a good berth and decide to get the bikes out and explore the town and check out the ferry for tomorrow's trip to Cadiz. Cycle path all the way to the town passing two pretty beaches on the way. One of them has Palm trees growing in clusters along it so the beach looks like the Sahara with little wadis scattered about. We find the ferry terminal then cycle back through the town. By now we are very hot so time for a swim before returning to the boat. Alleluia! The water is warm. It must be getting water from the Med rather than the Atlantic. Very pleasant surprise so to celebrate we have a drink in a bar on the way back.

Friday 21st August

Quite a long walk to the ferry terminal but it's along the cycle path and past the beaches and it is still cool at 08.45 in the morning. Unfortunately we just miss the 09.30 ferry so go for a coffee whilst we wait. Everyone is eating tostadas down here, rolls toasted then eaten with ham,pate, cheese or tomatoes drizzled with plenty of very Virgin olive oil. The ferry trip cost 8€ for two returns. Cheaper than the Tamar ferry and certainly a lot more pleasant. We have a lovely day wandering the narrow cobbled streets, exploring the fantastic market and climbing the tower of the Basilica. The Moorish influence is much more evident here especially the Teatro Falla which looked like it should be in Morocco. Of course we are less the 50 miles from the North African coast. Naturally we track down a back street Spanish restaurant that's extremely busy. We decide to sit at the bar and have a couple of sherries as were in the region and watch the food and tapas being served. An elderly Spanish gentleman sitting next to us told us we must eat one of the dishes and pointed to a large bowl of something brown! Turned out to be well roasted pork with crackling and went very well with our sherry. We meander to the back of the restaurant for lunch at 4 o'clock and enjoy prawns, sardines and tuna with some tasty Rioja. Time to catch the ferry back to Puerto Sherry and I must admit I was flagging a bit after our walk back to the marina from the ferry port in the evening sunshine.

 

Saturday 22nd August

Off to the shops this morning on our bikes but we were very underwhelmed by the first supermarket we found but managed to find some nice Starks at the nearby butchers. As we tried to find some nice fruit and veg we came across an Aldi into which Alex dragged me kicking and screaming. However very pleasantly surprised by the excellent fruit and veg especially the peaches, oranges and spinach. I have been craving for my leafy greens. The cherry on the cake was the amazing discovery of confit de canard in tins which we have only previously found in France. Not only is it delicious but also keeps for a couple of years so is great emergency boat food and easy to cook, just shove in the oven. I am now a HUGE Aldi fan! Chicken curry and potatoe and spinach curry from Kate's curry cook book.

Sunday 23rd August

Up early as we're ready for the last stage of our journey. We'll soon be in Gib. I can't believe how far we've come and what fantastic places we've visited. A truly amazing trip but we're not there yet! First a night in Barbate then catch the morning tide to whisk us round Tarifa and up to Gib. A murky morning to start with then luckily the wind picked up to a lovely F5 westerly and we were soon zapping along. A bit disappointed as we passed Tarifa as apparently for 300 days a year the wind is over 35 knots. This is the narrowest part of the strits but we were not long disappointed as Gibralter Rock appeared so did the wind and we whooshed into Gibraltar Bay with over 30 knots abaft the beam. I took in the sights as Alex helmed us passed the rock. Very impressive and domineering. A very craggy and steep sided rock but heavily built up along the edges. Loads of cargo vessels anchored in the bay bunkered up with smaller vessels supplying food,ware, diesel and any other requisites for the crew. There is nearly always a cruise ship moored up and some of them are ginormous. I will have plenty of time to explore the bay during my Yachtmaster preparation course and time to mosey round Gib.

We anchored in the little bay just outside La Linea Marina at 13.35 and enjoyed the jubilation of another large part of the passage completed. Not too much rest for me though as I need to keep revising hard for my course. A small element of panic creeping in as I couldn't bear failure! As well as the humiliation of letting everyone know I've failed! Alex has been helping me with theory and practical which is great but not really relieving the mounting trepidation.

Tuesday 25th August

We decide to moor up in the marina so we can shop, wash clothes and do some land based exercise. It is a great Marina here with large stable pontoons and really lovely facilities all kept exceptionally clean.

Saturday 29th August

Time to move to Marina Bay so that I can walk round to Chris and Mandy's boat of Hercules Sailing School in the mornings when my course starts on Monday. Quite nervous as don't want to appear an idiot or a Johnny know all ( I wish! ). Met up with Chris and Mandy and need to pop round tomorrow for the paperwork so ready to start bright and early on Monday morning.

Sunday 30th August

Alex and I decide to run up the Rock. It is a very quiet, cloudy Sunday morning with very few people around as we set off uphill and the only way is up. We eventually find some cross country tracks and slow to a fast walk and eventually get to the top. No views today across the bay but lots of monkeys to keep us entertained on the long run home. After such excursions the only sensible option is Sunday lunch. We find a superb wine bar in La Linea where people are queuing for tables but we sneakily sit at the bar and tuck in to several delicious tapas dishes.

Met up with Chris and Mandy from the Hercules Sailing School and Marco who is doing the course with me. We check the paperwork and retire to the bar!

Monday 31st - Friday 4th September

I've had a great week with Chris of Hercules Sailing. Learnt loads and practised sailing onto fuel barges as well as motoring manoeuvres, tons of men overboard, sailing up narrow channels, crossing to Ceuta, pilotage, navigation, blind navigation, night sailing plus continually being asked theory questions! Alternating berating and praise with large chunks of humour! I've learnt so much but it's make or break and time for the exam! Firstly though a HUGE thank you to Allie and Alan form Haggis Hunter. Allie has crewed with us all week and been utterly brilliant, quietly performing all the necessary tasks but also excellent company during the brief moments of down time. We had a great week together. Also many thanks to Alan who crewed on the last couple of days and is crewing with Allie for the exam. Thanks guys you've been fantastic!

THE EXAM

We finished sailing with Chris about 14.30 and said our fond farewells. We won't be seeing Chris again until it is all over. He left us with strict instructions to have the boat ready for departure by 17.00. His boat is a Jeanneau 36 and lovely to sail and handle. It will be very strange being out in the bay without his presence. I went back to Panties for a last minute panic with Alex but felt quite calm again when I wandered back at 16.30 to prepare for departure with the examiner on board. He duly arrived at 17.00 and did his best to put us at ease going through the paperwork and asking us about our sailing experiences. We then did safety briefs and I took the boat out with some trepidation. We spent a couple of hours doing some manoeuvres and being tested on various aspects of theory before returning to the marina, eating supper and then out for night navigation exercises. We were very relieved to return about 22.45 and both felt that so far so good and things could have gone a lot worse! We then tidied the boat before wearily crashing out for the night.

Saturday 5th September

EXAM Part 11

We met back at the boat just before 09.30 before the examiner returned at 10.00. As the day progressed the tension mounted and I just kept thinking stay calm and don't mess it up now! We spent the whole day performing exercises and manoeuvres all around the bay interrupted at times with theoretical grilling. I really enjoyed the blind navigation ( simulating navigating in fog with no GPS ) where you are sent to the cockpit and must navigate to a designated spot using the charts alone and by shouting up instructions to the helmsman. During my task the gas alarm went off and I wasn't sure if this was by design or not. It was actually as we were passing a large ship discharging gas to the gas silos ashore but I still had to go through all the safety measures. The examiner said ok you can come up now and I was about 5 m from the designated Mark. Yeeeeessss. As the exam neared its conclusion I was on tender hooks hoping all was successful but nothing was given away by the examiner who was very straight faced as we returned to our berth. I said an emotional farewell to Allie and Alan and arranged to meet in the bar as soon as we knew our results.

SUCCESS! We both passed and had extensive debriefings and it wasn't until 18.30 that I could finally let Alex know as he was probably as anxious as I was. He's promoted me from yottie tottie to Yachtmistress! I felt as if I was floating on air. What a long an emotional 48 hours, so off to the bar for several beers then eight of us went for dinner. Chris and Mandy were delighted for us and the evening ended with a sing song with a Rod Stewart impersonator! What a great evening everyone. A great big thank you to Hercules Sailing School and Alex for helping me pass. I am NEVER doing another exam!

7th - 15th September

After a couple of days R&R and returning to La Linea we had a brilliant week when my lovely daughter Kate flew out for a holiday before returning to Goldsmiths University for her second year of Theatre Studies. It was so lovely to see her and we kept ourselves very busy being proper tourists. The first day I showed Kate Gib and having seen the queues at the cable car we walk to the top of the Rock via St Michaels caves which were very impressive. A really lovely day with fabulous views across the bay and over to Morocco. After a nice lunch at the Italian in Main Square we head back to Panties. The next day we hired a car and drove to Seville which is a great place for a city break. Not too big with enough sites to keep you entertained and very atmospheric to wander through the narrow alleyways. We visited the Cathedral, Moorish castle and the bullring as well as an evening of Flamenco and of course some good food and wine. We stayed at a lovely little hotel in the old quarter with easy access to the tourist area and filled with a maze of little Moorish courtyards.

We then sailed across the Straits from Gib to Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in Morocco and really just a small town. The next day we had an interesting and challenging border crossing into Morocco where we were picked up by a charming Moroccan taxi man who spoke excellent French. For €80 he was our tour guide for the whole day and drove us to Chefchouan up in the Moroccan hills. Absolutely fascinating and we chatted to him about life in Morocco. We were impressed with the cleanliness and general appearance of the small villages as well as the friendliness of all we met. A lovely day out with our charming guide.

The next day we returned to La Linea and Kate and I did some therapeutic girlie wandering and shopping. On Kate's last day we went out for breakfast at a very busy cafe and soaked up the sights and sounds and then spent a couple of hours on the deserted beach, she'll gathering and swimming. Perfect day, lovely and warm with a gentle cooling breeze. One last treat for Kate another great Spanish lunch at the Bodebar wine bar, with a little flirting with the young waiter! Off to the airport - Bye bye Kate see you in October when we return for the Rugby World Cup. What a truly fantastic week together.

Friday 18th August

Last minute fresh produce shopping today. Alex has constructed a large fruit and veg hammock out of netting which is filled with all our fresh fruit. We've spent the last couple of days preparing for the Atlantic crossing to the Canaries. Wind heading round two the East this afternoon and weather forecasts for the next few days look very favourable. If we leave at 09.30 tomorrow we'll be able to take full advantage of the Westerly tide and should pass through the Straits pretty quickly. An unusually civilised time to leave, the sea gods must be with us. All clean and everything tidied away and only equipment needed for the crossing not stowed. We've even got the Grab bag ready and packed with essentials in case we need to take to the life raft.

We left the Marina at 15.00 and headed to the fuel barge in Gib where diesel is only 35p/L. All fuelled up we have a pleasant afternoon anchored back in the little bay outside the marina and cooked a large pot of pork,chorizo and pepper casserole so we'll have some leftover for a meal during the passage. We are both excited about the next leg of the journey, I can't believe that our next port will be in the Canaries. We are planning to go to the Marina Rubicon on the South coast of Lanzarote and meet up with Val and Chris on AWOL who are already there.

Saturday 19th August

At last time to set sail for the Canaries. We seem to have been in Gib for ages and it is actually just over 3 weeks. We arrived on the 24th Aug a few days before my course, then Kate was out for a week from the Tuesday after then a few days readying for the trip. We are more than ready to leave so let's go!

We weighed anchor at 09.15 and motored out of the bay. Farewell Gib! We then had some variable wind until we approached Tarifa. We then had a nice Easterly gale spitting us rapidly out of the Straits. Sun shining 35-40 knots behind us and Canaries here we come. Our down wind Yankee sail worked brilliantly but we needed to furl in a touch when the wind was up to 40 knots but things settled as we headed South West away from the Straits. Calves liver and potatoe,onion and cauliflower hash cooked in 30 knots. Delicious. Now time for our first night of Atlantic watches. Finally about midnight the wind eased further and eventually we needed to motor for a while. Beautiful warm clear night and lots of stars.

Sunday 20th Sept

We managed our watches overnight and despite not sleeping brilliantly feel fine on this balmy Sunday am. Very little wind so took advantage of calm conditions to shower,tidy and bake bread and generally recover from yesterday's hoolie. A gentle pottering morning with a lovely chicken salad for lunch. Very little sailing in the afternoon and in fact the Atlantic is literally as calm as a mill pond with hardly a ripple. It never ceases to amaze me how you can be in a gale one minute and then a few hours later be becalmed! We are quite happy to motor for a bit as it looks like reasonable wind over the next few days and we have 40L of spare diesel in cans if necessary. We occupy ourselves with potatoe lobbing activities to get rid of the old spuds and watch in amazement as a bird perched on a wooden pallet calmly floats by eyeing us suspiciously. Alex runs the water maker and within a couple of hours the tanks are full, jolly marvellous as our morning showers really freshen us up after our night watches. Generator run for a bit too so all topped up with power and water.

Monday 21st September

Hurrah, brilliant sunshine and Force 5 wind almost directly behind us. Time to try out a down wind sail plan and we decide on a 2 reefed main on one side and our lovely Yankee poled out the other. What a picture. We think we look beautiful even if there is no one around to admire us. The final touch is the staysail rigged in the centre line to decrease our roll. Perfection. Some of our fresh fruit and yoghurt for breakfast, showers and cleaning and tidying, then some serious sunbathing. Altogether a very pleasant day but all good things must come to an end. Just as Alex was heading for bed we had squall and some RAIN. We abandoned our beautiful sail plan and just kept the Yankee up. Of course the wind dropped and we weren't keen to motor too much but did eventually succumb. Luckily wind picked up again 04.00 and we reviewed our plan in the morning sunshine when everything seems a lot better.

Tuesday 22nd September

Two reefed main and Yankee poled out so goose winging again. We downloaded another forecast via the satellite phone and all looks good with wind F 4-5 for next 24 hours so should be plain sailing! Well over half way and pretty flat sea so far today. Really hot, Alex under the Bimini and I'm half in the shade. Sea a truly brilliant blue and to top it all a large school of bottle nosed Dolphins. Roast lamb, onion sauce,roasties,carrots and mint sauce for supper in the middle of the Atlantic.

Wednesday 23rd September

Much better night last night with a good breeze from 15-25 knots so stormed along. Also sea quite calm and a balmy night so all in all very pleasant. Got a bit frisky early morning so got the main in and the pole down and went along with the Yankee. For some reason wind totally disappeared late morning so a bit more motoring. Never mind if it's a bit of a slow crossing at least we've got into our Atlantic routine and watches so all good practice for the big trip. We've also done plenty of sail changes, reefing etc so we both know the routine. A becalmed afternoon so some motoring but wind picked up at17.30. Both really hot today so as the water maker has very kindly filled out tanks to overflowing we both have second shower of the day just before supper. Moroccan lamb with spices, chick peas and pepper swell we are just off the coast of Morocco! Goose winging again overnight

Thursday 24th September

Hurrah. Moored at lovely Marina Rubicon in Lanzarote. Really impressed, very clean and tidy and we have made it to the Canaries. Woohoo!

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

South from Lisbon

What a lovely trip home to see all the children and to attend Alice's and Mike's graduations.

 

Very proud parents and that's two more through uni! Only Kate and Wills to go. The house and garden were also fine and it was great to catch up with everyones' news. Had an excellent therapeutic shop with Kate and spent some nice girl time together. We travelled back via Emily's new flat in Chiswick where Will's was providing removal services. Very straight forward journey back to Panties apart from the lunatic taxi driver who also charged us too much from the airport. We should have agreed the price first but to be honest we were grateful to have survived the 140 km/hr trip round the ring road!

Saturday 25 th July

Alex sprang into action replacing the Y diversion valve from the heads which went swimmingly. Just as well as those pipes transmit some pretty noxious substances! Meanwhile I had a mega sleep and woke much refreshed ready for a trip to the supermarket. Back to Panties for some cleaning and more plumbing activities. Bought a mega sea bass for 14€ which we had for supper with some left over despite us eating more than we should have. Again another day pottering on Sunday and Panties now gleaming inside and out. Roast chicken as it's Sunday and old habits die hard and we do love our Sunday roast!

Monday 27th July

Alex's Birthday.

Lots of lovely messages on Facebook, many thanks to you all and texts and phone calls from the children. No working on the boat today to celebrate. We have a walking tour of Lisbon organised for this afternoon but we are going to try and find a good chandlery to stock up on some bits and pieces. We take advantage of the free shuttle service to the station and get off the train at the docks. Unfortunately we couldn't see any chandlers so Alex asked a chap who said we needed to go back a couple of stops to Belem. Fortunately we came across a handy taxi who took us to the excellent shop at Belem marina where we got all that we needed except for a gang plank and all will be delivered free of charge back to Oeiras marina. Excellent service and very helpful staff. Then back on the train into Lisbon and a very refreshing fresh orange juice at a cafe in Rossio square. We found a very nice hat shop there where Alex found a hat but unfortunately none which fitted my miniscule head!

We met lovely Sofia who was our guide for the afternoon during which we explored the older narrow streets with Sofia giving us an informative history lesson with lots of interesting facts about Lisbon and Portugal. Very worthwhile, especially the custard tarts with cinnamon and then wine and cheese in a beautiful Moorish taverna as a finale. It really brings a city alive to hear about the major events that shape the city, from the Moorish occupation and the founding of Portugal as a nation to the the earthquake in the 1750s and the peaceful revolution of 1974 when the revolutionaries put carnations into the barrel of the soldiers' guns.

 

 

After a reviving white wine we followed Sofia's advice and returned to the Resturant ..... for dinner. Absolutely splendid Moorish surroundings with the dining room tiled beautifully and charming staff making it a dinner to remember especially the traditional pork and clams and the trio of Portuguese desserts. We actually then had a sensible and good value taxi ride home.

Tuesday 28th July

Lovely hot and sunny today. We decided to have a good walk up into the old town of Oeiras to find some gas hose so we can run the barbecue from our big gas bottles. Lovely cobbled streets and a brilliant ironmongers where you could probably get anything and everything! We got our gas hose and then walked to the supermarket to top up with fresh produce plus some bits to fill the freezer which we have started to use. Frozen prawns, crab, quail, peas, coconut and chocolate ice cream, ice cubes and bread. We can now probably survive a couple of weeks with gourmet food on Panties we are so well stocked.Back for lunch and a rest as we're off to see Mark Knoppfler tonight. I bought the tickets when we popped home so a nice birthday pressie for Alex who is rather keen on Dire Straits - brings back memories of a mispent youth. We used the marina transport for a lift up to the concert which was held outdoors, of course, in a small football stadium. We were just behind the VIP seats in an excellent central position. Fortified with some red wine at 2€ for a large glass we were soon rocking along with Mark and his band who played a mixture of old and new. Great fiddler and saxophonist and as we'd bought his new album we were able to sing along to all the songs. Brilliant night and picked up by the marina so easy trip back. We must make the effort to do more live music and concerts.

Weds 29th July

Decided to have some fun this morning before setting off tomorrow. As Panties was moored stern to wind and the wrong way for her prop walk with limited space for error we decided to warp her round. Alex had expended much thought over the intricacies of this manoeuvre so after much discussion we put the plan into action. It worked like a dream, the only problem was fighting off the Portuguese helpers who couldn't quite work out what we were up to! A bit of a tidy in preparation for tomorrow's departure then time for a bit of social with Cliff and Val who are sailing an Élan 44 called AWOL all the way from Troon. They came aboard for drinks and a good chin wag and plenty of chat about the ARC plus sailing yarns! We were going for dinner up in the village but decided to follow Cliff and Vals advice and go to the marina tapas bar. We had a scrumptious meal of prawns, beef cheeks with ginger and cherry, patas bravas and spicy chicken wings washed down with a very palatable red Douro.

Thurs 30th July

Left lovely lovely Oeiras at 10.00. It really has been one of my favourite spots ever and we have nothing but praise for a very well run marina with fantastically helpful staff and the free bread rolls weren't bad either! As we left the river Tagus fog started to roll in. I think if we'd left much later we might have changed our minds about setting out. Never mind, radar on and fog horn identified and we were both keeping our eyes and ears peeled. Very patchy fog and at times very dense and spooky.

The trip was greatly enhanced when a WHALE came to play. I think it took a fancy to Panties and we were a bit worried about the possibility of a courting ritual!

Definitely a moral boosting sighting and very exciting. We carried on deep into the fog and had a little chit chat with a Portuguese sailor who could see us on his AIS but as he wasn't transmitting we couldn't see him, not even on radar until he was really quite close. We saw him loom out of the fog and gave each other a wave. Not long after that we turned into the bay towards our anchorage and the fog lifted which was quite a relief as our pilotage took us pretty close to the cliffs to our pretty anchorage - meant to be one of the most beautiful in Portugal, Portinho Arrabida, just before Setabul.

A very pleasant night and we also spent the following day bobbing and pottering about and I satisfyingly polished all the deck fittings! Alex very pleased with himself as got the water maker going. 25 litres of water into the tanks and it tastes amazing. We are truly self sufficient now. Bring on the Zombie Apocalypse as we'll be ok. The wind got up overnight, a katabatic wind whooshing down the cliff at us so a bit disturbed with lots of noise not helped by my dream of anchor dragging into the path of a ginormous tanker. Only a dream though and we were still safely anchored in the morning without the anchor alarm going off.

 

Saturday 1st August

Set sail for Sines this morning. We needed an early start as there was a certain lack of water a couple of hours after high water so we left with the sun rising and the moon setting at 06.30. A disappointing motor today although the sun is back so I could have a nice sunbathe on the foredeck. Wind picked up just before noon so at least we could sail into the anchorage at Sines - pronounced ' Cinch ' - that's Portuguese for you! A really lovely anchorage just off the pristine beach ( Vasco de Gama ) and you just have to forget the entrance past the gas terminal! Once in the inner harbour it's very pretty and tranquil and just off the marina. Plenty to keep us entertained with boats coming and going plus a long distance swimming race right around Panties with the lifeguard having a great pose on his jet ski.

Sunday 2nd August

Dinghy inflated then a trip ashore to find a supermarket and a little explore. Nice little town with well stocked mini market. Lots more fresh fruit and veg plus 4 quail for barbecuing and some stewing steak for less than 8€. We stopped at a very little but extremely busy cafe and had mini chicken pies and custard tarts with our coffee. Absolutely heaving and celebrating 45 years as a family run pastelleria. An afternoon of R&R plus some revision for me in preparation for my Yachtmaster. I am going to do 1-2 hrs reading a day as I don't want to sound like I don't know what I'm doing! BBQ of quail, sausages and peppers in a BBQ sauce. Brilliant! Why does food taste so much better cooked outside on the back of the boat?

Monday 3rd August

Time for a run although not our most scenic as we ended up running past the gas and oil terminal! Never mind it was prettier running back with the view of the village and beach. Very nice cycle/ foot path which seem to be pretty common along the coast. Met Simon and Jenny on their Nauticat who are crossing the Atlantic in January on the Jim Cornell organised event. I'm sure we'll catch up with them in the Canaries and spent a nice hour with a cup of tea on their yacht in the afternoon. Beef curry tonight prior to an 8 o'clock departure and we should be in the Algarve for breakfast!

Sun rise in the Atlantic ocean just before Cabo St Vincente

Cabo Sao Vincente

Tuesday 4th August

Cabo Sao Vincente

Breakfast in the Algarve safely in Lagos Marina after a variable trip. Wind ranged from 3 knots to 30 knots and weather from brilliant hot sunshine to fog! Didn't fancy the anchorages after rounding Cabo Sao Vincente as really windy then.

Whooshed past Simon Courtman's house in Sagres - very pretty bay Simon- but wind then dropped and very hot as we entered Lagos marina. Another big step in our journey!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Below and Beyond the 40th Parallel

Sat 4th July

Will's 18th Birhtday

Time to leave Porto where we have had a great time in a lovely Marina. There are also a load of international dinghy sailors preparing for the 49ers European Cup and practising for the Olympics. Apparently only one boat from each country can enter the Olympics so these championships are very important for the participants hoping for national selection. The GB boys have 3 boats here and some GB girls also here. I will have to check how they all do next week next time we get WIFI access which will probably be Lisbon. We plan to leave at 13.00, fuel up and then sail overnight to Nazare or Peniche depending how we get on. Both ports can be accessed in all weather conditions and have well protected marinas.

Sunday 5th July

We arrived in Peniche at 10.00 after a very fast down wind passage.

We only had the genoa out for most of the way with a consistent Force 5-6. The sea was fairly lively and quite rough at times and we were a bit rolly so we must sort out our twin head sails. We will do that after Lisbon. We had a chilli beef and beans casserole and then I had first 'sleep' although not much of that as still very rolly. Again thank goodness for Panties 2, I'm not sure we would have coped in Panties 1, our old Bavaria. I woke to a watch of moonlight and stars and Alex said that the moonrise was spectacular, a large, full orange moon emerging from the sea. I must admit I enjoy the night watch, all is quiet, there is just you and the waves with a beautiful night sky.

It is probably time to introduce you to Carly ( named after Carly Simon's song 'You're so vain' ) our wonderful Hydrovane self steering. She has been brilliant. You merely set the vane so that you sail at a certain angle to the wind which is very useful when you are trying to do the best course down wind. She is nice and quiet unlike the Autopilot and uses no energy. Apart from 2 fishing boats no one else about. We crossed below 40 degrees of longitude at 02.20 so very exciting to write 39 in the log book as it feels like another big step in our southerly journey. I then had a couple of hours kip and emerged to see the Peniche headland and the Isla da Berlenga and we stormed between the 2 and found some calmer waters as we rounded the headland in to Peniche past some interesting rock formations.

A very helpful marine policeman took our warps on the visitor's pontoon at Peniche and we moored next door to him. He seemed very friendly and came aboard to complete his paperwork.

The marina office was shut as its Sunday but Alex got an electronic pass for the pontoon from the Secutity guard. Showers then a well deserved brunch of potatoe,cheese and onion omelette. Off for an exploration and ambled around trying to work out which restaurant deserves our custom this evening. Decided on the Restaurant Sardinha as people were queuing for their Sunday lunch. Pottered around the old fort and museum which at one stage was a prison for political prisoners in the 50s, on the upper floor you can visit the prison cells where mainly communist prisoners were kept, some for 5 - 6 years confined to a very small space.

Back to the boat for a rest then out for dinner. We tried our new Spanish gin before departure and very disappointed as too aromatic. It was reassuringly expensive but we won't try that one again - Norde Atlantic Galician gin. Maybe we should keep to British gin, I noticed the Hendricks at €32 which would have been a better buy. Good fishy dinner at the restaurant with a mixed platter of grilled fish and some clams in about a litre of very tasty olive oil, garlic and herbs.

Monday 6th July

I do love Mondays now we are retired! Time to run off last night's olive oil so we set off round the headland and past the lighthouse along cliffs with weird rock formations a bit like the Giant's Causeway. Pretty hot as we came back to the village but we're not complaining! A walk up to the supermarket for some more fresh fruit and veg, peaches, figs, apricots, melon and pineapple. What a healthy diet and roast beef and braised endive for dinner tonight. We are going to set off early tomorrow morning for Lisbon. I've really enjoyed our stay in Peniche, especially some sunbathing in the afternoon watching all the fishing vessels coming and going. There is also a large beach where they held the European surfing championships.

Tuesday 7th July

Departed 07.00 in sunshine and some wind. Decided on the poled out genoa today. Sea much calmer so very pleasant. Only one stinkpot in the distance until much later when we saw a lovely Dutch yacht which we have seen before. Quite big and sleek and he was soon catching us up. As predicted the wind picked up and we were soon in a gale. It really was the nicest gale I have been in, very warm and sunny but with the wind regularly over 40 knots and 1 gust of 48 knots! Still it has done us and Panties good to experience that sort of wind, definitely the windiest I have been in. We were still doing nearly 7 knots with just a small amount of genoa. Even once we turned into the river it was still pretty windy although interspersed with periods of complete calm. Anyway very scenic up the river and luckily we got a large berth on the end of a pontoon otherwise it would have been pretty difficult trying to get into a finger berth in that amount of wind. Safely tucked up in Oeiras Marina. Beautiful surroundings plus large swimming pool and only €22 per night including bread rolls and free transfer to the station to catch the train to Lisbon. Amazing!

Weds 8th July

Breakfast in the sunshine then a trip into Lisbon for an explore. Lovely spot and marina man took us to the station and 10 mins later we are on the train to Lisbon. Scenic trip along the river with great views and able to see the other marinas which don't look as nice as Oeiras. Lisbon is really a lovely city with beautiful old buildings, large squares and lots of pedestrianised areas.

Climbed up the narrow back streets and investigated a couple of churches and took in the stunning views. Found a busy restaurant for mixed shellfish and fried sardines. The shellfish were cooked in masses of extra virgin olive oil,lemon,garlic and coriander, delicious. After lunch more climbing to the Moorish castle of Sao Jorge where we walked the walls and explored for a couple of hours.

Back to the station and a quick trip back to the lovely Marina at Oeiras.

Thursday 9th July

Off on an adventure. We have hired a car which the lovely lady in the marina office organised for us and we are driving down to Quinta da Lago to visit Wills who is there with 5 friends. We decided a surprise visit might not be the best idea when visiting 6 eighteen year old lads so they are forewarned of our arrival. Citroen cactus delivered to the marina at a cost of £35 a day, so pretty good value. Down the motorway to visit the lads. We took them for a supermarket shop where we were impressed by their healthy choices. Of course there was also beer, crisps and biscuits but also lots of fruit, veg and even salad. Back to the apartment with take away pizzas and sat in the sun chatting until pizzas demolished. Bye bye boys and enjoy the rest of your hols!

Alex and I then drove to Vilamoura where we drove around several times until we found our hotel. Unfortunately despite booking on line they were fully booked so we went to their sister hotel where we had a lovely upgraded room with balcony and sea views and a 15% discount so that was fine! A little swim and sunbathe in the hotel swimming pool and then a stroll about to identify a restaurant. We went to a blue and white restaurant at the start of the Marina and had shellfish cataplane for two. Mussels, clams, crab and loads of onions and peppers in a yummy sauce.

Next morning after a typical hotel breakfast and wander round the marina we head back to Lisbon. I was a bit miffed as Alex found a lovely shirt and shorts with 30% off in Gant and I didn't buy anything! Quick and pleasant journey back via a Continente supermarket ( Alex calls it the 'Incontinente' ) for a stock up whilst we have the car then back to Panties.

Sat 11th July

A morning of jobs and washing and then a trip to the marina pool where we were entertained by a jazz quartet! Early night as we are flying home tomorrow for 2 graduations and to catch up with all our fantastic children. Ali is graduating from the Peninsula Medical School and Mike from Southampton with his very good history degree. We will be back to Portugal and blogging in a couple of weeks so bye for now.

 

Posted with Blogsy