Not Retreating

Faro, Portugal

For those of you who have noticed our sudden move east, rest assured we are heading south to the Canaries.  Soon!  When the weather provides us with a suitable window for the 3 day (or so) crossing.

Why then, are we in Faro?  You may well ask…  We splashed Thursday, 2 Nov just after 3pm and decided to make for Portimao to anchor rather than be wimps and seek the security of the Lagos Marina (otherwise known as Port Velcro).  We had our sea legs in mind.  So did the natural forces!  We had a bouncy ride over, reminding us that we had forgotten to stow away for Atlantic conditions, followed by a rattler of a night (shaken not stirred) on anchor given a wind against tide against swell.  Friend, KT, can attest to the delights of this experience.  On that occasion (2012), we sought relief in the Portimao Marina.  On this, we made post haste for Faro and its delightful (and calm) anchorage off Ilha da Culartra.  

The winds were strong and perfect for a brisk sail along the coast; a chance to get the bugs out and remind us why we subscribe to this boating life.  We were brought back to earth with the sighting of Faro’s notorious lagoon entrance.  Naturally, we had perfectly timed it for a challenging ride.  Imagine if you will, those (river) Bar Crossing videos…  We could have made one too but what we both really wanted to do was hide in the loo.  In truth, all we could do was hold on.  In we surfed (all 46 feet of us) as the water in the channel eddied and swirled threateningly.  Our forward momentum was brought to a sudden halt as we hit the outward current running at least 5kts.  It seemed to take forever before we actually moved forward to escape the clutches of this minor Charybdis.  

Hugs all round and lashings of wine after setting the hook, right on last light.  

On anchor - look no swell!

Our neighbours with barrier island Culatra beyond

Culatra Settlement & fishing boat harbour

Marina or Mutiny!!

Portimao, Portugal

 

Itinerary Portimao, Portugal: 22-25 October 2012.  On anchor.  A chance to swim, eat freshly caught seafood and relax on a pleasant beach or two.

 

Let it be known that we had envisaged sun, and lots of it in this dry Med climate.  Instead we had cold, rain and a worsening SW swell which eventually made the anchorage untenable. 

Praia Rocha in the distance

After more than a few days of being couped up on board (is this really cabin fever?) we all opted, on arrival in Portimao, for a little dry land time.  Off then to find a nice restaurant along the beach that fronts Praia Rocha, a spectacular string of white high rise lining ochre coloured cliffs.  This is a Brit enclave and is usually well patronised.  Not today though!  We had brought the cold & rain with us, so wide white beaches sported empty deck chairs and only a few brave souls (with surf boards) welcomed waves. 

Enjoying an "off boat" moment

Back on board, feeling content with life, and knowing that our final destination was only a mere 1½ hours sail away, we tried not to notice an ever increasing swell in the anchorage.  By midnight, GS had moved onto the saloon bunk.  Up early the next morning, both crew hinted to our strong-stomached Captain that a marina berth would be nice.  He called us “girls” and ignored our pleas.  So we opted for a morning (on dry land again) shopping in Portimao’s old town before taking lunch at our favourite restaurant, the floating Rivole.  This time we sampled freshly grilled swordfish and a very tasty tuna in home-made tomato sauce. 

Cap'n Stealth reading (and hiding) while the girls shop in Portimao

Back on board, BCK & GS made plans to catch the train to Faro the next day.  It seemed a shame to miss this delightful seaside city, the Algarve’s capital.  There was certainly no problem getting up early as overnight, WJ3 turned from restless to a bucking bronco.  BCK, having spent the night rolling across her bunk, threated to swim to shore.  GS spent the night sitting up in the saloon praying for daylight.  Our Cap’n slept well, naturally!!!    

Despite the rain and dark skies, GS & BCK couldn’t wait to get to the train station.  Somehow daylight saving had eluded us and we arrived an hour early at the station.  We didn’t care – it wasn’t rocking! 

Perhaps we could give Bruce a colour make-over?

While the mutinous crew toured Faro, the Cap’n single-handedly moved WJ3 into the marina.  Others on the anchorage followed suit and by the time the shoppers returned to their surprise Portimao Marina accommodation, only two (unoccupied) sailboats floated in the Arade.  So much for our planned two days of swimming, lying on the beach and visiting beach bars by dinghy.  Ha!

From: Ilha da Culatra, Portugal  Lat/Long: 36:59.994N  07:50.248W Date/Time: 22/10/12: 1130

To: Portimao, Portugal  Lat/Long: 37:06.72N  08:31.34W   Date/Time: 22/10/12: 1710
Time Taken: 33.5nm (5.5hrs)  Distance (this year): 578nm (90.5hrs)
Distance Total (since 2008): 10787.5nm   Weather: Cold, foggy, wet and windy; sun out occasionally   
Fastest Speed: Decent sail with only the two river entrances making for an “exciting” entrance and departure.

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.