Inside the Walls

Lagos, Portugal

Lagos has a Governor’s Castle dating from 1189, a slave market and an old city surrounded by historic walls.  It’s almost possible to see all this from WJ3, all tucked up snug in her boatyard across the river.  Next year there will be time for touristy things and an opportunity to visit nearby stretches of beautiful beach.  Now however, we must struggle on, knee deep in teak oil, Mr Muscle spray cleaner and engine bits and pieces, to attend to the usual haul out chores.  Have we mentioned there is no winterising here?  How good is that!   WJ3 does have to share her yard with several ducks though.  We’re hoping they don’t take a liking to her or Bruce – otherwise it could be a big cleanup job next year.

So its good bye from Navigator Henriques (father of Portugal’s Age of Discovery 1415 - 1580),

Good bye from WJ3,

Oh, not another New Toy...

And the end of the season for the Motley Crew…...but just a beginning for our adventures in the Med next year!!  We still can’t believe we’re here...

Finishing our 4^th season with some big stats again this year too.  See you in May 2012

From:	Portimao, Portugal	To:	Lagos, Portuga l
Lat/Long:	37:07.2080N  08:31.7370W	Lat/Long:	37:06.4500N  08:40.2540W
Date/Time:	20/10/11: 1000	Date/Time:	20/10/11: 1130
Time Taken:	8.9nm (1.5hrs)
Distance:	4865nm (892.5hrs) (this year)	Dist Total	10237nm (since 2008)
Weather:	In the Algarve - just wonderful!!!
Fastest Speed:	Haul Out at Sopromar Boatyard, Lagos 21/10/11 at 1000hrs

Fast Lane

Miss WJ3 schmoozing in the Portimao Marina...

Portimao, Portugal

Having said we’re close to the end of our stay WE decided, in true last-minute-decision fashion, to further investigate over-wintering options.  Not many people haul out here at this time of the year and there’s no winterising to speak of.  We’d come across quite a few long-term marina residents who simply take a berth (cheaply) for 6 to 9 months and then haul out over summer when prices are exorbitant.  So we’ve temporarily docked at Portimao Marina, hired a teeny, tiny car and hit the motorway (without a map) to investigate all Algarve’s storage options. 

That of course offers opportunity to mention Portuguese drivers, most of whom are ex-rally participants.  Even though the motorway limit is 120kph, there’s nothing like being passed at the speed of light….  And it always happens just as you decide to overtake the only slow driver on the road.  Exciting stuff – no wonder they run from wild bulls for sport!

Arade River, fishing boat & seagulls with beach/tourist enclave beyond

One other lesson for foreign drivers is to encourage their navigators to develop a rich and vigorous vocabulary of sign language.  Police, on seeing said foreign driver skid across lanes at a busy roundabout (or something equally naughty), will naturally feel sorry for him and consider navigator’s nag punishment enough.  Worth a try – we think it worked for us…

It’s just as well we’ve had plenty of practice driving the Algarve motorways as we had to make a quick, late night trip to Lisbon.  BW is now fully qualified to pen best-seller, “101 Creative Ways to Miss Your Flight”.  I’m sure he will be only too willing to explain this whole ordeal once he has regained his sense of humour.  He may never travel again, never with TAP and certainly not with a bag brimful of surfboards!! (Sadly, no photographic evidence exists.)  Just as well he did his sea survival training before departure......

Idle Time

Portimao, Portugal

Our next house... Not the fishing boat, silly!  The one on the cove...

The end of our sailing season is fast approaching and Portimao seems just the right place to get in a few idle hours before haul out.  Renown for its endless beaches, clear blue waters, brash tourist strip and mellow old town, we kicked back for a little (more) self-indulgence. 

WJ3 is on the hook in the Arade River with quite a few fellow cruisers (over 22) intent on ignoring the posh marina just opposite.  So posh indeed, we can’t even pay to leave Bruce tied up to a “welcome” dock.  So, we scoured the waterfront for a decent, non-gated pontoon.  Luckily, the Museum has one – and best of all, it’s located close to a large supermarket (Pingo Doce – can you boogie to that?).  We eventually found another pontoon (beyond the blue car bridge said to be built from Eiffel Tower leftovers) in front of some out of the way eateries.  Only, it’s covered in bird poop and fishermen’s debris. Hardly a civic welcome for boaties! 

Rivole on the Rio Arade

Luckily for us the friendly owner of dockside floating restaurant, the Rivole, let us use his dock. A few days later we returned and lunched on the best swordfish and grilled prawns (huge, like mini lobsters) we’ve ever eaten.  All washed down with some excellent Portuguese wine.  Yes – we feel an addiction coming on!

Over our days here we’ve managed to walk the quiet 18^th c town, have gelato in a shady waterfront park, imagine what it would be like to have a stork nesting in your chimney (no jokes please), chug past high cliffs, palatial villas and secluded beaches and tour the interesting museum/cultural centre. We feel like real tourists, at last!

A delightful pottery piece in the Portimao Museum

The Portimao Museum occupies industrial buildings from the old days of sardine canning and its main display naturally features this topic. You can even walk through the old fresh water cistern where rainwater (does it really rain here?) was collected for canning.  All this is put into perspective with local finds from pre-historic settlements, Roman communities and Islamic cultures who occupied this area a bit before our time.  An upstairs exhibition room held wildly odd ceramic pieces that even the Cap’n liked…  Must have been their connection to an “underwater” theme!   Another room showcased winners of a challenging photographic exhibition, also themed to Portimao and its watery, even under-watery, associations.

Algarve Bound!

We thought it best to “head on down” to the Algarve while we had a good weather window.  WJ3 was packed up and refuelled in Cascais before heading out to sea again.  This time a short coastal hop to Sines (said sin nesh), the best, if only, anchorage suitable for us between Cascais and Cabo Sao Vicente.  

Vasco overlooking WJ3 at anchor & a thoughtful Cap'n

We hooked in near the well protected marina at Sines and took an afternoon stroll around town. The port itself is hugely industrial, leaving the old town a little overwhelmed and down at heel.  However a restoration project is underway and one street, already paved with cobblestones, is home to some smart boutiques and tourist knick-knacks.  The fort, though small, has an interesting museum with some unusual prehistoric finds. Sines is the birthplace of Vasco de Gama, and he, like us, enjoys fine views across the harbour and out to the Atlantic from the fort tower.  

Later we managed to find a mini-mart to stock up with a few basic food items and staggered back to the boat with a large yellow melon.  GS has the Cap’n on a fruit diet.

Cabo Sao Vicente...& Once End of the World

Sines explored, we motored on in an interesting swell and heat haze (land wasn’t visible even 2nm offshore) until reaching Cabo Sao Vicente.  Cape St Vincent was once considered the edge of the known world and it still looks formidable today – wild and windswept.

Conditions changed the minute we rounded the Cape.  Winds rose from 0 to 15kts in an instant and a large swell came at us from the opposite direction.  Motor off, sails up, the Cap’n headed us to planned stop Baleeira, a small fishing harbour, one time whaling station.  Waves rolled, WJ3 surfed and we couldn’t tuck up far enough behind the protection of Baleeira's rock wall.  “I’m not staying here” said GS and went below to pack her bags.  So, in fading light and exciting conditions a stern Cap'n continued along the coast, dismissing Lagos next (marina only), then Alvor (shallow entrance and anchorage) until we finally reached Portimao (at night) with its squeezy harbour entrance. 

Well, of course it's easy when you know how... 

Next morning, we watched (in our pj's) in absolute amazement as a rather large cruise ship came through that same entrance and glided serenely up the Rio Arade, leaving us rocking in its wake.   Welcome to a tourist mecca….

From:	Cascais	To:	Portimao
Lat/Long:	38:41.8300N  09:24.8750W	Lat/Long:	38:32.0090N  28:37.5160W
Date/Time:	22/8/11: 1000	Date/Time:	23/8/11: 1425
Time Taken:	136.5nm (20.5hrs) (this trip)
Distance:	4856nm (891hrs) (this year)	Dist Total	10228nm (since 2008)
Weather:	N to NNE 15kts G20; seas 4-5’; a few fish/crab pots to dodge too; huge dolphin escort
Fastest Speed:	Despite motoring we avg 6.1kts; best speed 7.7kts (we finally learned to read the log!!)

Lisboa on the Tejo_Part 2

Continuing on with our List of Top 10 Things to Do in Lisbon:

Top Shelf Day coming up I fear!

#6. Have a pastal de nata: A “custard tart” at a pastelaria.  Easy – but just one??

Going Up?  The Elevador de Santa Justa 

#7. Ride a tram through the old quarters:  Well, not with 3 cruise ships in town so we stayed on the bus to see the Alfama district.  Then we rode the Elevador de Santa Justa instead.  This wrought iron lift was built at the turn of the century to a French design and used by locals (assuming the well-to-do) to get from one neighbourhood to another without climbing lots (and lots) of stairs.

Will someone get those kids off the roof?

#8. Take a break with: a bica (a tiny espresso) at a downtown café:  GS had a galao (latte).  The Portuguese sure like their coffee strong.  Their wine too is not so strong and very more-ish, especially the vinho verde and vinho branco.  Vinho tinto though, seems to be more popular locally.  Otherwise enjoy a cold Sagres (a beer) or two before dinner.  Everyone it seems strolls, chats, meets friends and otherwise is very sociable at the end of the day before heading off for a serious but late dinner.  After that, it’s off to listen to some music or meet with friends until the wee small hours.

Lisbon has old & new

#9. Listen to the melancholic sounds of Fado:  Our bus had a recording….. This music style, an expression of longing and sorrow, is said to have originated in Lisbon’s nightclubs over 150 years ago.  A night visit to a fado house was out given our schedule – you will remember that nights out here don’t start until well after 10pm and our last bus is 5pm. So now we just need to find a CD.

#10. Watch your step:  Amazing designs in black (basalt) and white (limestone) cobblestone pavements.  Just everywhere!  The Lisbon City flag projects this passion for black & white.  We also thought the city symbol of an old sailing ship with 2 large black birds quite fascinating.

On the way back, we stopped to have a word or two with King Neptune. He has quite the protection racket going on...  So, safe seas = a few coins in the nearest ocean, then?  We're on it!!

GS whispering in King Neptune's shell-like ear.

Lisboa on the Tejo_Part 1

Lisbon, Portugal

We decided on a list of 10 Must Do’s in Lisbon.  Our ride from Cascais was on a big red bus….so we stayed on and did 3 separate rides to take in the sights and get a feel for Lisbon, finally ending a two day turistico splurge in this fascinating city.  So, borrowing a list idea from a "Go Lisbon" guide, here goes our first 5:

#1. Snap a picture of: (Everything – well, you know Miss Snap-Happy!)  Belem Tower (1515) was once a beacon located in the middle of the Tagus River and used by ships returning from the Indies and New World. Now it’s in the midst of a swell of tourists. Missed a good shot sadly so, next best thing is this favourite, a lucky snap, was of these lion faces…or is it men (with big noses)?

Man or Beast?

#2. Take a day trip to: Jeronimos Monastery and Belem to appreciate a maritime history that predates even Vasco da Gama’s voyage in 1498.  The Monastery’s construction was financed by ‘pepper money’, a spice tax, and is amazingly ornamented, as all Manueline architecture was.

Gaudy Gothic...just fabulous

#3. Enjoy the walk through: Rossio.  A busy town square decorated with fountains and statues.  Sidewalk cafes and restaurants fill the pavements.  Rossio has seen some action in its time, such as bull fights, festivals, military parades and even burning of heretics during the years of Spanish Inquisition. The National Theatre of Donna Maria II (1840) flanks the north side and the nearby Rossio Station built in Neo-Manueline style (1887) has impressive Moorish arches at its entrance. 

Reconstruction after the 1755 Earthquake

#4. Scale the walls of: St George’s Castle. This Moor built citadel was turned into palatial residences in 1147 by King Afonso Henriques.  After the 1755 earthquake, the ruins were “reconstructed” and developed into public gardens, but not until 1938.  We "scaled" them from the comfort of a Starbucks cafe.... seen here if you look closely & up through the window.

Look Up not Look Out

#5. Find your favourite miradouro:  Lisbon is lavishly decorated with tiles (azulejos or painted ceramic tiles).  Walls, floors and ceilings are covered in tiles.  Tile panels sit underneath or on top of window frames.  The blue and white tiles of the Baroque era are considered to be the finest.  The Casa dos Bicos is a diversion in the usual traditional style of decoration in that it is faced with diamond shaped stones - a Moorish influence..

Yes, I know it's being restored, but I can't see over this fence!

Off the Hook

Cascais, Portugal

Ahoy me hearties: two ancient Sea Captains

Evidence that Cascais (said cash kayshh) was important as a fishing harbour goes back to Neolithic times.  If you saw it now, on a Sunday especially, you would wonder that it still retains a fishing industry at all. 

Windjammer is anchored just off a large Marina among other cruisers, fishermen and locals.  We did have plans to go into the Marina but decided it was so nice out on the hook that we would stay and do our touring el cheapo.  Besides, whatever we’ve saved in marina fees has gone straight back into dinners, pre-dinner drinkies and all sorts of other lavish entertainment befitting crew and visiting friends.  Yes, we are doing our best single-handedly to boost Portugal’s economy.

We have neglectfully not visited any of Cascais museums, admired any artworks or followed up on Portugal’s fine handcrafts.  We have not cycled the 5km to Guincho via the coastal cycle path nor purchased any colourful ceramics.  Boat and breakable don’t mix…poor GS.  Never mind, in keeping with local custom, we walk most evenings to a nearby sidewalk café and have a cold one before a late dinner; eating out or cooked on board. 

Elaborate mosaic tiling in Town Hall Square as the sun goes down

We are amazed how little, local flea markets, regular antique markets and grand supermarkets can be squeezed into Cascais old town area.  The Portuguese dress very smartly and Cascais is a very smart part of the world.  We’re even told, confidentially of course, that the local girls all have a certain walk that says “I’m a Cascais girl and I have style (and money)”.  The Cap’n in his bright Lowes boardies and GS in her Miller’s indestructibles don’t quite fit the Costa do Sol image. Oh well, not to worry - he’s too busy admiring topless beauties on sail/motor boats anchored just next door to care.     

Of course this takes us right back to Neanderthal man on the beach right here in Cascais.  At least they were actually catching fish.