David's visit

We are now back in Cartagena after travelling up to Alicante to spend a week with Kevin’s son David. We left Cartagena on the 7^th of October and we intended to anchor where possible on our way up the coast, our first anchorage was Cabo de Palos, approximately 20 Miles up the coast from Cartagena.  At first there was very little wind but as we had plenty of time to get there we decided to try and sail all the way, in all it took six hours to sail the 22 miles, the wind was not in the ideal direction which meant we had to tack several times. As we rounded Cabo de Palos the wind picked up along with the swell as per usual, we just hoped that the anchorage enabled us to tuck in behind the cliffs enough to get sufficient shelter from the swell.

As we entered the bay there were several fishing nets that we had to manoeuvre around before we could find our ideal spot and drop the anchor, we were well sheltered from the wind and swell. The anchorage itself is North East of Cabo de Palos and is at the south end of the Mar Menor which is an inland sea some 12 miles long and 6 miles wide and is separated from the Mediterranean by a narrow band of sand. The whole length of the strip of sand has been heavily developed, and La Manga is its most well-known holiday resort. However at night it looks as if most of the buildings are empty as there were no lights on at all in many of the buildings.

The anchorage was lovely and peaceful and so we decided to stay there for two nights, the following day we got up and rowed ashore and took a stroll up the light house which is huge and looks as if the square building at its base is lived in, the views from which must be fantastic.

After our two nights at Cabo de Palos we moved on to Pedro del Pinatar which is at the top end of the Mar Menor, there is a marina there but we decided to anchor in the bay just on its  north side. It had been a very hot day and the first thing we did once anchored was to dive into the sea to cool down. There were a couple of other boats also anchored in the bay but they didn’t stay the night and it was quite obvious when they passed us that their occupants had been swimming and sunbathing starker’s.

As we sat and ate our tea on deck we pontificated on how peaceful it was, that was until we went to bed, when the night shift started for a fork truck driver, all night you could hear the reversing beep of a fork lift truck and so not much sleep was gained that night. The following day as the wind was not supposed to pick up until the afternoon we decided to make our way further north after lunch as we only had about 9 miles to go to our next anchorage at Torrevieja. However as we approached Torrevieja it looked like a concrete jungle, all you could see was miles and miles of buildings and so we decided to give it a miss and continue further north until we found a place we liked the look of.

Unfortunately due to the increasing swell and nowhere along this stretch of coastline to tuck ourselves in we moved onto Puerto De Santa Pola, it was now getting late and we hoped that the marina office was open and that there would be someone there to help us moor up as there was no reception birth as at other marinas.

As luck had it we were fine and by 8pm we were moored up, we had a quick tea and then set off to have a look round. The place was much bigger that we had anticipated, the marina looked new and well maintained and the staff were very friendly. We found a bar near the marina and treated ourselves to a glass of wine each which cots us just 3 euros, back in England you wouldn’t get one glass for that price let alone two.

Whilst there we took the bikes and first cycled to see the salt mountains, which were not much to look at. We then went in search of the flamingos but they had obviously migrated for the winter, we cycled up to the headland. We took a track of the main road that seemed to go on for miles, eventually we came across a tarmacked track which looked to be going in the right direction. When we arrived at the headland the views were spectacular and we could see our final destination Alicante just further up the coast, and Benidorm further in the distance.

Later that evening the clouds closed in and we had the predicted thunderstorm along with the rain, we were just glad we were in the marina and not at anchor.

We liked Santa Pola so much we stayed there for 4 nights before making our way to Alicante. When we arrived the marina looked very busy, and the reception pontoon looked full, however the marianair shouted over to us and indicated where he wanted us to moor up on the reception pontoon. To say it was in a tight space was saying something, plus the wind was not in our favour and I must admit I thought we wouldn’t be able to get into such a tight spot, plus we had an audience, however hats off to Kevin he made it look like a piece of cake and the marianair congratulated him on a job well done.  

We had previously emailed the marina to check on availability of moorings, they had replied back that there should not be a problem, however on the day we arrived it was the start of the Spanish holiday week and there were very little spaces. They did however find us a mooring which by their accounts was not in an ideal place and would try and move us the following day if a berth became vacant. Our Mooring was against a concrete pontoon and was high enough for us to step of the boat easily for a change. It was also directly opposite a huge replica galleon, which looked as if it could be a night club it was certainly some sort of bar come restaurant, and was frequently being photographed with people posing in front of it and I mean posing, the Spanish seem to have it off to a fine art form.

On the Monday of David’s arrival it was all hands on deck to get the back cabin ready, bikes set up, washing and cleaning done plus the shopping. At 7:30pm we set off to catch the bus to the airport to meet David, to say the driver drove like a bat out of hell would be an understatement, however we did arrive in plenty of time.

On David’s first day with us we went up to the castle, again the views were spectacular and it was David’s job to take on the role of David Bailey and take lots of pictures which he did with great aplomb. While he was with us in Alicante David took every opportunity to keep fit.

On the Wednesday we sailed across to Isla De Tabarca, which was once an old pirate base, when they were finally driven out a small fortified village was built to prevent further occupation. The inhabitants of the island have for generations lived a very frugal and isolated existence. There is also a large area around the island that is a reserve where fishing and anchoring are forbidden, however there are a couple of small reas where anchorage is allowed.

As we aren’t allowed to use our barbeque in the marina at Alicante, we had bought some fish the day before to barbeque whilst at anchor just off the island which was scrumptious.

After lunch we took the dingy ashore and walked around the island, and once again David took on the role of David Bailey taking lots of pictures for our album.

Back at the boat it was time to have a swim, with both Kevin and David jumping off the back of the boat; however this wasn’t fun enough for either of them and so Kevin set to in attaching “The Plank” in such a way that they could use it as a diving platform. The funny thing was at first Kevin got “Plank Fright” and it took him ages before he plucked up the courage to finally dive off.

David using our "Plank" diving board

Unfortunately after David’s third day with us the weather changed and it started to rain on and off. On one of the rainy days we went to the Volvo yacht race museum, which I have to say was great and real good value for money, we actually spent two hours in there. It was then off to see a real tall ship replica which had actually travelled quite a few thousand miles, unlike the replica positioned opposite us at the marina.

Alas David’s time with us was soon over and on 22^nd October we waved him goodbye before we ourselves made our way back to Cartagena. As we set off the wind was in the right direction for a change and at a speed that ensured we could get between 6.5 to 7 knots, and so would make Cabo de Palos by 4:30pm. However the wind died just after lunch and changed direction and so we had to motor the remainder of the trip, eventually arriving at 6pm, unfortunately this time it was too cold to go swimming off the back of the boat.

The following day it was up at daybreak and off to Cartagena where we will now stay until we fly back to the UK on the 29^th November. Since arriving back here we have met several other people who are staying in Cartagena for the winter and apparently there is a weekly barbecue on a Sunday which we are looking forward to attending.

Unfortunately Kevin has not been feeling well it appears he has been bitten by something which has become infected and so he had to take a trip to the hospital to try and get some antibiotics. He was very pleased with the treatment he received and once he had found which part of the hospital he needed to be he was seen promptly and efficiently, he had nothing but praise for staff and service. Glad to say he is now back to his normal self, with his teasing and sarcky comments.

Our present position: https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=37.5973,-0.982676&hl=en&sll=37.594852,-0.985165&sspn=0.038424,0.089951&mra=mift&mrsp=0&sz=14&t=m&z=14

Total distance travelled to date: 2471 nautical miles

 

 

 

Costa Blanca

We have now arrived in Cartagena on the Costa Brava (The White Coast), so called because of its white cliffs, and have decided that this is where we will stay for the winter.

Our last week on the Costa del Sol was spent in Aguadulce with Kevin’s daughter Rachel, husband Mike and the two granddaughters Summer and Taylor. They arrived on the 15^th September and we met them at the airport which meant an early start for us, which of late we are not used to. After their plane arrived it seemed ages before they appeared through the arrivals gate with both girls rushing to greet Kevin.

 

During their stay with us we took them out sailing on three occasions, with both girls having a go at the helm, whilst summer seemed to enjoy it Taylor was not so impressed and soon gave up.

On our first outing we anchored of a bay so that they could jump in the sea off the back of the boat, it didn’t appear to bother either Summer or Taylor that their feet could not touch the bottom.

Unfortunately on the other two occasions we took them out it was to choppy for them to jump off the back of the boat so we took them out to see if we could see any flying fish or dolphins, we did manage to see some flying fish and a turtle but both girls were asleep and so missed them both.

The other days were spent on the beach; making sandcastles or in Taylors case knocking them down, again both Summer and Taylor enjoyed playing in the sea either  on the surf board or jumping the waves.

Again it didn’t seem to faze either of them when a wave knocked them over and they went under the water they just came up laughing each time.

During their stay,  each morning we were woken up with two smiley faces appearing around our cabin door insisting it was time to get up, however on the day they were to go home it was us insisting they got up, much to their dismay. When the taxi arrived to take them to the airport Taylor flatly refused to get in and was eventually picked up by Rachel screaming and kicking and plonked in the back of the taxi.

peace & quite

It was so quiet after they had gone it seemed really strange, but we couldn’t dwell on this too much as we had jobs to get sorted before moving on the following day to our first port of call on the Costa Blanca.

We left Aguadulce on the 23 September and headed for a place called San Jose, the pilot book described it as an attractive small harbour, with an attractive village nearby with walks into the country side. What it didn’t indicate was that once you were in the harbour you would not get out without difficulty if there was any wind.  As there was quite a lot of wind on the 24^th we were stuck there for at least another day, and wished that we had anchored in the next bay.

The harbour fees were also one of the most costly considering the few facilities offered and Kevin nicknamed the place Costa Lot, and so would advise anybody going there to anchor in the next bay.

Form San Jose we headed to Aguilas, again the pilot book was misleading on its information in relation to anchoring in the marina as it was full of private mooring buoys, leaving very little room to anchor, especially as the wind and swell were quite high there was nowhere that provided any shelter. We made the decision to try anchoring in the next bay, by now the swell was high and the boat was being tossed about quite a bit so I was grateful when we entered the next bay, however our challenge wasn’t over as we had to maneuverer between fishing nets and lobster pots to actually get into the area where we could anchor with sufficient shelter from the wind and the swell.

When we first arrived in Aguilas or first impression was that it wasn’t up to much, but after going ashore the following day we were both pleasantly surprised on how nice it really is, just goes to show you should not base your opinion on first impressions.

As the weather forecast was predicting high winds with a great deal of rain on the Friday we decided to only stay in Aguilas for two nights before heading off to find safety in a marina. We initially intended to head for Mazzaron but as we made good time we headed straight to Cartagena which is a big commercial harbour and yacht marina offering good shelter no matter what the wind direction.

At the time of arriving at the marina there was no wind, however this all changed when we started to make our way to our mooring, typical, and as the bow of our boat is light it is easily blown off, we had to have a couple of attempts as we had to park it between two other boats, and there was very little room manoeuvre.

Once we arrived we were informed that it was festival week where the people of Cartagena were celebrating the Carthagineses versus the Roman invasion, when we headed into town we observed lots of men, women and children dressed up either as Carthagineans or Romans, and were also well placed at the restaurant we were eating in to observe the march through the main street depicting Hannibal’s march to Rome.

One regiment of the many marching Romans

Whilst sitting at the restaurant it started to rain and so we decided to head back to the boat before it got to heavy, it rained all through the night and the winds were quite strong so neither of us got much sleep. The following day as predicted the rain got heavier, we did attempt to go out at one point and got absolutely soaked. By lunch time it seemed to ease but that was just the lull before the storm, then the real downpour arrived along with the thunder and lightning and so we were confined to the boat for the rest of the day. We did at one point try to watch a DVD but noise of the rain on the boat made it impossible to hear anything.

The festivities were apparently to run to the Sunday and so we took a stroll to the festive camp on the final day, but there was not much to see there other than numerous make shift bars, we suspected that by the end of the night there would not be many sober people within the camp.

At 1800hrs there was to be the re-enactment of the great battle, and as we sat at a bar by the harbour we watched the Roman army land and march towards the battle ground, we did not go to watch. We did however watch the victory march of the Romans later that night, the atmosphere was fantastic, with everyone dressed up in the uniform of the different Roman regiments, and the sound of the bands marching behind each one.

Cartagena is a lovely city with a lot of history and well preserved old buildings, however some are just a façade as there is nothing behind the front wall, buts it’s still all very picturesque and vibrant and one of the reasons we have decided to moor our boat here for the winter.

Whilst here we took a train into Murcia, again a lovely old town with a lot of history, Kevin scored several brownie points as he accompanied me into the various shops without moaning or walking off once.

In a few days’ time however we will be moving north to Alicante to meet up with Kevin’s son David who is coming out to join us for a week before we make our final preparations to winterise the boat.

 

Distance travelled to date: 2286 Nm = 2630.6 Statute miles

 

Our present position:  https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=37.597436,-0.981002&hl=en&sll=37.593203,-0.981667&sspn=0.0135,0.033023&mra=mift&mrsp=0&sz=16&t=m&z=16

Costa del Sol

We are almost at the end of our trip along the Costa del Sol; we left Gibraltar on the 3^rd September the skies were clear blue and very little cloud; however it was a bit windy with gusts up to approximately 25 knots. As soon as we were out of the marina and in Gibraltar bay we put the sails up, keeping a reef in the sails, the wind seemed to be coming in all directions and at one point we were on a starboard tack and another sail yacht sailing parallel to us was on a port tack. As we rounded Europa point wouldn’t you know it the wind was now on the nose which meant tacking most of the way to our destination, not only that we had an westerly current when it’s usually a easterly one, this meant we were actually going backwards, so down came the sails and on went the motor.

Europa Point Gibraltar

Another challenge was the number of tankers at anchor that we needed to navigate around and keep a watchful eye on in case any off them decided to make way, there must have been over thirty.

Coupled with that we had to take action to avoid the numerous drift nets that had been set along our course, especially as they were difficult to see, the only clue was that there was usually a fishing boat at the start of the net, but this was not always the case. Each time we had to alter course we had to go quite a way to get around them, the whole journey from Gibraltar to Puerto de la Duqueasa which is just under twenty miles took six hours and forty minutes, we usually travel that distance in about three and a half to four hours, so it could be said that the whole trip was both challenging and frustrating.

The pilot book, which provides information on the various marinas in to aid us in making our decision on which marinas to go to did not give Puerto de la Duqueasa a very good write up but we thought the place was lovely.

The following day we were going to head off to Marina de Bajadilla, which is just east of Marbella, but when we arrived Marbella seems to merge both marinas so we decided to give it a miss and head of to the next marina along the coast which was Puerto Cabo Pino. The guide book stated the entrance was shallow but that a boat with a draft of two metres should make it through the entrance okay. When we radioed ahead to check we were informed that the entrance was only one point five meter and so it was on to the next marina at Puerto de Fuengirola. The marina looked as if it was in need of a lot of love and attention, there was no assistance provided with mooring and so this was our first attempt at mooring stern to on our own and I have to say we did a pretty good job, however we were packed very tightly between two other boats.

We decided to stay here for two nights as we had time to spare, and so I got to go shopping, have to say Kevin was very patient, while I browsed around usually he walks off. After a while I got to purchase two dresses which met with Kevin’s approval, so all in all a good days outing. Shopping done it was back to the boat and chores; I did the washing and cleaning whilst Kevin mended the Head (toilet) pipe and fitted non slip surface our plank so that it was no longer slippy.

High Tech boarding plank!

Our next stop was  Puerto Caleta de Valez, when we arrived the reception pontoon was festooned with seagulls and the whole pontoon was covered in guano. Whilst waiting to be allocated a birth the most dreadful noise of birds of prey could be heard all around the marina, apparently it’s supposed to frighten the seagulls away but it didn’t have much effect because all they did was look up at the loud speakers and took no notice.

Although the marina staff were lovely we decided to only stay one night in this very run down marina, the following day we got up fairly early had breakfast and then started to prepare the boat for casting of. When I popped my head outside the cockpit wouldn’t you know it the whole of the starboard side was covered in seagull poo and so Kevin had to give the boat a good wash before we could set sail.

Our next port of call was Marina del Este, a privately run marina which was absolutely beautiful, our mooring although tight between two other boats was right in front of two Restaurants.

Steps from the boat to the restaurants

At night the marina was lit up and it had a very romantic feel to it. Whilst there we met another couple making their way to the Med, Dave and Julie, they left England only a few days after us but apparently had awful weather for most of the way down France and across North Spain, so I think we obviously chose the right time to leave. Surprisingly when they arrived in La Rochelle they moored next to Joe and Yvonne, the Irish couple we met in La Rochelle.

We stayed in Marina del Este for three nights and spent one of the nights with Dave and Julie, the evening started at 19:00.  Dave and Julie weren’t able to gain access to their boat as they had been using the chap’s next doors dingy to get on their boat, and he had taken his boat out for the day, and so Kevin invited them on board for a drink. By 2200 we still hadn’t eaten so it was off the boat to one of the restaurants for a Pizza. At one point one of the waiters came to inform us that the restaurant was closing but we could stay at the table as long as we wanted, it was one o’clock before we went to bed, one of the latest nights we have had.

After Marina del Este we set of for Almerimar, where we had arranged for Kevin’s daughter Rachel and family to join us. The pilot book gives the place a good write up, and we were contemplating staying here for winter. However when we arrived the whole marina felt dead, most shops  were shut or empty and there didn’t seem to be much of a live-a-board community as described in the pilot book. When we looked at the beaches they didn’t look very nice and we felt were unsuitable for very small children, so we decided to stay for just three nights and move on to the next marina at Puerto Aguadulce to see if that was any better.

Dave and Julie had also headed down to Almirimar and on the night before we left we were invited on to their boat for drinks, this time it was a more respectable 23:30 when we left for bed.

We are now in Puerto Aguadulce, which we feel is better suited for two small children, yesterday we took the local bus into Almeria so that we could suss out the best way of getting Rachel Mike and the kids back to the marina.

When we arrived at the bus station in Almeria we asked at the information counter where we would need to catch the bus for the airport, we were informed we needed to catch a number 20 bus in Central Square and was pointed in the direction we needed to go. Well we couldn’t find where to catch the bus so decided to locate the tourist information office, that in itself was a feat and a half, the sign posts were sending us in all directions so in the end we asked at a hotel. It was a good job we did or we would never have found it, it took us nearly an hour to locate the tourist information office where they provided us with a map and indicated where we would be able to catch the bus to the airport. When we found the bus stop it was only a few hundred yards from the bus station so we had clearly been sent in totally the wrong direction.

After locating the bus stop we headed off for lunch and ended up at an American restaurant that served huge burgers, we settled for the medium sized one but even that was filling. After lunch Kevin agreed to look round the shops, I thought this was very amenable off him until I realised they were nearly all shut. So it was back to the marina where we spent the remainder of the day on the beach.

Today has been spent getting the boat ready for Rachel’s arrival tomorrow, it will be the first time on this trip that we have had more than one person staying with us for a week. This has meant both of us condensing our wardrobe down even further and looking for further places to stow various items.

This evening we plan to spend quietly on the boat in anticipation of early mornings, excited children and potential chaos, but were looking forward to it.

 

Distance travelled to date: 2129 nautical miles

Our present location: https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=36.815263,-2.560759&hl=en&sll=36.813099,-2.555823&sspn=0.026043,0.062742&mra=mift&mrsp=0&sz=15&t=m&z=15

Gateway to the Med

We have now reached Gibraltar the gateway to the Mediterranean, since arriving we have seen more clouds in the past three days than we did the whole time we were in the Algarve, but I suppose the weather had to change at some time, though it is still quite warm.

Our last few days in Vialmoura with Madeline, Steve Sophie and Harry was packed full of fun, Steve treated the Kids (Kevin included) to a go on a Jet Ski, as usual Kevin got the duff one and therefore was unable to give it some real welly, as they came back in they all appeared to be smiling and all thought it was great fun, although Sophie said she had a few dubious moments.

Sophie and her old uncle

Another day we sailed round to the beach we had gone to on our first day together, we started off by having a dingy race, boys versus girls, the person rowing was blindfolded ( goggle's had tissue paper in) and had to be guided by the other member of their team. The boy’s team was Harry rowing with Steve giving instruction, the girls team was Sophie rowing with Madeline giving instructions, the girls won by two minutes.

The boy's team - Stephen & Harry

The girl's team - Madeline & Sophie

It was then off to the beach, Steve, Sophie and Harry swam to shore, whilst Kevin rowed to shore with Madeline and myself, I sat at the front and Madeline was at the back with strict instructions to keep the bags dry. As we approached the shore the waves started to get bigger, Steve started to wade out to help us in. As I looked back at Madeline, I saw this huge wave about to break right behind us, the next minute we were hurtling towards shore completely drenched, but Madeline managed to keep the bags dry.

That night Steve treated us all to dinner as it was Madeline’s birthday on the day they flew back.

Our final day with them all was spent lazing around the Pool at Steve and Madeline’s hotel, it made a nice change from swimming in the sea, and at one point we nearly cleared the pool as our game of ball became a bit boisterous.  At night we said our goodbyes and a few tears shed all round, both Kevin and I so enjoyed our time with them all, and have certainly missed their crewing skills.

The following day we headed off to the Spanish Boarder and Ayamonte, which is a village of Greek origin, the Marina was lovely and quiet, a big change from Vilamoura, and the small town with its cobbled narrow streets was bustling, we really liked the place. On our way into Ayamonte we were stopped by the Portuguese police, the first time this had happened to us as we had been informed it was a usual occurrence when sailing around Portugal, all they wanted to see were ships papers and passports. We had intended to sail up the river but we couldn’t find any charts indicating the depths and as we were aware the river contained some sandbanks that we could get stuck on we decided not to take the risk.

We then moved on to Chipiona, the pilot book said it was a well-run marina, backed by a pleasant holiday town, both of us would beg to differ and were quite happy to move on to our next destination in Cadiz.

Cadiz is an ancient city and has links with the Phoenicians, Romans and the Moors, it has long been a major port and until recently yachts could not be accommodated but this has all changed now. The marina is set amongst the giant docks and isn’t particularly nice, the walk from the marina into the old town is desolate and uninspiring.  The city itself is vast and could not be covered in a single day, so we took a walk along the sea front into the town where we saw some really beautiful and unusual old trees.

The Cities Cathedral looks very Moorish and very big, unfortunately we decided not to go and have a look, on hindsight I now wished we had.

From Cadiz it was on to Barbate, we only stayed here one night before heading of for Gibraltar nick named “The Rock”, at one point on the voyage to “The Rock” we thought we could see some islands off to our starboard side, but it was actually North Africa we could see, at one point we were only eight miles away from the African coast.

The mooring in the marina is stern too with what’s called a lazy line at the bow, this was the first time we had attempted this type of mooring in our boat which we managed without difficulty, (we did have some assistance from one of the marina staff). Our mooring in Gibraltar is right next to the runway so we get to see all the planes land and take off at close range, one of which included a Hercules. Apparently the Easyjet is not allowed to moor though.

Whilst in Gibraltar we have done the touristy trip and walked to the top of the rock, although it was cloudy it was very hot and humid. First we visited St Michaels cave, which was full of stalagmites and stalactite’s it was truly magnificent, and apparently they now hold concerts in the largest of the caverns.

It was then off to see the Barbary monkeys, which varied in sizes, there were quite a few mothers walking around with their babies clinging on. There are numerous notices telling you not to touch or feed them, but we saw lots of people ignoring this request, and we had no intention of sharing our chocolate bar with them.

Caption competition - who can send us the funniest

It was then off to look at the Siege Tunnel, the history behind the making of the tunnel was fascinating, and apparently is not the only tunnel. During world war two the tunnels were extended and now 52Km of tunnels exist inside the rock. With this much tunnelling it’s a wonder “The Rock” is still standing.

Tomorrow we head off around Europa Point into the Mediterranean, so in preparation we took a trip to Morrison’s, where we have stocked up on several of the items we can’t get anywhere in Spain, and Kevin has treated himself to a few cans of one his favourite bitters whilst for me it was a big bar of Cadbury’s chocolate.

 

Total distance to date: 1945 Nm (2238m)

 

Our present location: https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=36.149762,-5.355449&hl=en&sll=36.15489,-5.346951&sspn=0.02131,0.049567&mra=mift&mrsp=0&sz=15&t=m&z=15

Our Algarve Experience

 Since arriving in the Algarve the weather and sea state has been much improved, to the point that we have both put our wet weather gear away and brought out our summer gear. Our first stop in the Algarve was Lagos, it’s situated on the banks of the Rio Bensafrim and was once the capital of Portugal, it is a crowded active tourist, trading and fishing town, with lovely narrow cobbled streets. It was here that we had one of the best peppered steaks in a restaurant since leaving England. Whilst we were there, we sailed out to an area just outside the harbour where there are numerous caves, once anchored up we launched the dingy to explore. The waters were crystal clear, and we could actually go into one cave and come out a different way.

Lagos Caves

One thing we had to be careful of though was the numerous tourist boats as they zoomed at high speed between the caves.

Having spent three days in Lagos we moved to an anchorage, approximately seven miles away in Alvor which is an inland lagoon, some careful navigating was required due to shallow waters and shifting sands. Alvor has a lot of history which dates back to the Roman times, and is now a small tourist village with a picturesque sea front where we sat and had the best Pizza of the trip so far, it was so good we went back for another the following day. Whilst there we tried to find a petrol station to fill up the small petrol canister we have to fill the outboard motor, we ended up walking about seven miles in the heat, will we never learn.

In the afternoon the wind would pick up and at around 4pm the kite surfers would be out in their droves, which provided us with some entertainment until about 8pm.

Kite Surfing at Alvor

After leaving Alvor we headed off to Albufeira, which is a holiday resort with an old town, we expected the marina area to be very busy and noisy but it wasn’t, it was a little out of the main town. There appeared to be a lot of unfinished buildings, over a hundred, overlooking the marina, which apparently is a sign of the economic problems they are facing. One day we took a walk into the old town looking for a supermarket but after a few miles in the heat we gave up, found a bar and sat down and had a drink, picking up a few bits at a small shop on the way back to the boat.

We spent three days in Albufeira, which frankly was enough for us before setting off for another anchorage just past Faro called Ilha Da Culatra which is basically a large sand bank where a village has been built. There are no actual roads, so no cars, just a few tractors to move things around, the streets are sand with concrete slabs for ease of walking and cycling, it is only last year that the streets were allocated names and they only had fresh water and sanitation in 2009.

On the day we arrived it was Fiesta time so we went ashore to have a look round, mostly it was lots of loud music and beer drinking, so we partook in a beer before heading back to the boat. For the rest of the afternoon and the following day there was a lot of toing and froing between the mainland and the island, with speed boats zooming past us at close quarters making the boat rock quite a bit. We were also directly under the flight path for planes landing in Faro, and one night Both Kevin and I turned into a couple of anoraks and did a bit of plane spotting. Kevin wanted to turn it into a competition and the loser would have to make a forfeit, I had an inkling what this would be if I lost and so declined to play the game.

Whilst there we tried to get a bit of exercise and so we would go ashore and walk along the beautiful beach and back each day which was approximately 7 miles in total.

Even though there was a lot of activity within the lagoon it was still very tranquil and once again we were able to watch the lovely sunsets.

From our anchorage in Ilha Da Culatra we sailed west to Vilamoura in readiness to meet Kevin’s brother and his family who were due to arrive the following day. Vilamoura has a large well established Marina backed by a vast tourist complex, here in the marina there are several, and I mean several what we call Gin Palaces, many of them British as well as the run of the mill sailing boats.  Some people back in the UK still have plenty of money!

On Thursday the 9^th August we met up with Kevin’s brother and family, the kids Sophie and Harry seemed very excited to see us and wanted to go sailing straight away, we managed to persuade them that the following day would be better. That night we all ate on the boat, which was fun, as by the time the meal was ready it was dark and as we had no deck light we had to eat in the dark. The kids were still excited and so Kevin erected the hammock for them to have a go in.

Sophie & Harry "chilling"

We have been out a few days sailing with both Sophie and Harry wanting to get very involved in casting off and mooring up, they have both become very adept at tying fenders, throwing mooring lines and securing them, and having a go at the wheel.

Sophie in control

Unfortunately on our first venture out Madeline was a little unwell, and became very familiar with the guard rail as she hung over the side of the boat, once she had thrown up she felt a lot better and was ready to head for the beach. Steve, Sophie, Harry and I swam to shore whilst Kevin and Madeline went in the dingy, there were quite a few rolling waves and this made for a great time playing in the surf.

Getting back in the dingy to go back to the boat proved to be a little bit difficult as we needed to get the dingy out past the waves otherwise it would just bring us back to shore, Madeline, Harry and Kevin got in OK, but as usual I made a spectacle of myself as Steve was pushing me up and Kevin was yanking me in, I ended up head first in the dingy with my legs in the air.

The following day we headed in a different direction and found a secluded cove where again we launched the dingy and headed for the shore. Sophie Harry and Kevin went snorkeling whilst Madeline and I had a dip in the sea, after a bit we saw the boat was bobbing about quite a bit at anchors as the swell was getting bigger so we decided to head back. Getting in the dingy wasn’t a problem this time, but trying to secure the dingy to the boat so that we could get back on board was not very easy as the waves slapped into the back of the boat, but eventually we made it.

Everyone was enjoying swimming off the boat, the water is nice and clear and once you have made the plunge you quickly get used to the temperature.

OK no prizes for elegance

Whilst here we have met a British couple, Colin and Tanya who have a motor boat moored next to ours, and are considering exchanging their motor boat for a sail boat, so one day we took them out for a sail, they reciprocated this by taking us out in their motor boat. Their boat is 39 feet long and has two 265hp inboard engines, at full throttle it felt like being in a plane at take-off, apparently top speed is 34 knots with a clean hull, both Kevin and Steve took to the helm for a short while, and not to be outdone Harry also had a go.

Harry at the wheel of Colin's mean machine

Sailors would not like to meet this wake!

We have also all had a go at parasailing, which I have to say was good fun even though I was a bit apprehensive, Madeline Steve and Harry all went together followed by Kevin Sophie and I. Unbeknown to us Madeline urged the young lad driving the speed boat to give us a good dunking rather than just trailing our feet in the water as he had done with them. He did not need much encouraging and dutifully obliged, after the third dunking I was ready to get back on the boat.

If you look close you can see Bev's white knuckles

Madeline, Harry & Steve on a high!

We are going to spend a few more days here until Steve, Madeline and the Kids go home and then we will start moving east again in order to get to the south of Spain in time to meet up with Kevin’s daughter Rachel, husband Mike and the two granddaughters Summer and Taylor, which we are both looking forward to as we have missed seeing them.

 

Our present location: https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=37.076545,-8.118896&hl=en&sll=37.063122,-8.033066&sspn=0.168486,0.396538&mra=mift&mrsp=0&sz=12&t=m&z=12

Distance to date: "To add when available"

Arrived In Lagos

We have internet access at last, since arriving in Portugal access to the internet has been none existent in the harbours/marinas, hence a delay in updating the blog. Now we have arrived in the Algarve, still Portugal I know but they tend to cater more for our needs down here.

After leaving Portisan in North West Spain we continued to explore the Rias, we first went to Ria De Arousa, this is the largest Glaician Ria and one of the most attractive there are lots of places to moor up either in a marina or at anchor. There are also numerous Viveros, which are large mussel farms which you have to navigate through so wouldn’t like to enter this Ria in the dark.

Viveros (Mussel Farms)

 We initially found  a quiet anchorage off the beach, nestled amongst some rocks, there is something magical about being at anchor its usually very peaceful especially if you find a secluded beach, and you feel that you have the world to yourself for a short time anyway, plus the other benefit is its cheaper. The following day we moved onto another anchorage, again just off a wide sandy beach, this time there was a small village nearby, so we hopped into the dingy and rowed ashore, well Kevin did the rowing I just sat and admired the scenery. The village was quite small with narrow cobbled streets, with no shops or cafes to speak off, so we decided to go back to the boat. It was such a hot day I decided to swim back, the distance being about three quarters of a mile, this was my first venture into the sea this trip and boy was it cold, Kevin thought it would be very funny to take photos whilst I showered off on the back of the boat after getting out of the water.

At both anchorages when we lifted the anchor it looked as if we had a large flower arrangement attached to the anchor, as it was covered in seaweed.

From there we moved to Vilagarcia which is a town with a marina, as we approached the back drop looked quite impressive with its mountains and forests behind the town, and so we decided to climb one the following day. First however we had to find our way to the bottom, once found we started our ascent, the tracks were wide and not too steep and so we didn’t find it as hard going as we thought we might.

On the way down we came across some tin shacks which at first we thought were derelict but no people were actually living in them, then a few hundred yards further down the road we came across several gated posh looking houses the contrast was phenomenal.
That night Kevin took over the cooking, it was steak night and he cooks them to perfection.

From Ria Arousa we sailed to our final Ria. Ria De Vigo and Baiona, this would be our last port of call in Spain before heading to Portugal. Baiona is a small thriving tourist resort steeped with History, apparently it was Columbus’s first mainland landfall after returning from the new world, and there is a replica of the “Pinta” permanently moored in the marina. The town also has a castle and within its grounds a rather posh looking hotel, the view from there is spectacular and would be a great place for a wedding venue, (hint to my son Steven who has just got engaged).

From Baiona we sailed to Lexeos in Portugal, the marina and town were not much to speak off but we took the metro and went to Porto for the day. Porto is apparently the second city of Portugal and sits on the river Douro, the architecture is magnificent, with lots of large old buildings, large squares and narrow cobbled streets. Whilst there we became tourists for the day and took a river cruise and then visited the Croft port wine cellar which was really interesting and we came away with a bottle of Pink port wine to try when Kevin’s Brother and family come out to join us next month.

From Lexeos we sailed to Aveiro where we anchored for the night, due to its position, it’s, an inland waterway, we were sheltered from the wind and you couldn’t tell we were actually on water it was so calm. Unfortunately there was no real town or village to speak of, its actually next to a military base, so we only stayed there for one night, the sunset was spectacular though.

 We set off for Nazare at 5am the next morning as we had a long days sailing to get there, when we arrived we were met by a grumpy old English man who told me off for not radioing in on channel 9 to let him know we were coming. The harbour is a good 1.5K from the town and is quite bleak so again we only stayed the one night. Getting off the mooring the following day was a bit hair raising, the wind was pinning us to the pontoon and it wasn’t long enough for us to spring of from the back of the boat, and there was an obstacle at the back so we couldn’t reverse, all the time we were being watched by the grumpy old man who professed to be a dab hand at sailing not one of our finer moments.

From Nazare it was off to Peniche another anchorage although we could have gone into the harbour, but there were reports that it was noisy due to the numerous fishing boats coming and goings at all times of the day and night so I think we made a wise choice.

The following day was another early start as we headed south to Cascais which was a good 46 miles away, again we decided to anchor as we had heard that the cost of mooring in the marina was astronomical. Cascais was traditionally a fishing village but since the 19th century it was transformed into a fashionable summer resort when the king of Portugal converted the Fotaleza da Cidadela into his summer residence. I have to say both Kevin and I loved Cascais with its narrow cobbled streets its old buildings and the friendliness of the people.

We anchored of one of Cascais numerous beaches along with several other yachts, it was a great position to watch the various posers in their speed boats speeding across the bay, one boat in particular caught our eye as it looked more like some sort of hydrofoil.

On our last day there we took a trip in the dingy to shore to have a walk along the beach and have a coffee, on the way back tough the wind had whipped up and we got absolutely soaked from head to toe on the way, talk about a wet T shirt completion.
That evening before moving further south there was a hive of activity in the bay as numerous tall ships left Lisbon and sailed across the bay, as well as several other sail boats, some old some new which were part of the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Race event anchored in the bay. At one point it reminded us of the chaos in the river estuary at Portsmouth.

The next day it was another early morning start as we headed off to Sines, the town can be tracked back to Roman times and until the 70s was a quite fishing port, now it has become very industrialised and handles 5000,000 ton tankers. You can see its many chimneys and storage tanks for miles off, and as you approach the harbour you can smell the petrochemicals. However when you get into the harbour it’s like you are in a different place, it has a beautiful wide sandy beach and you can’t see any of the industry. The marina staff were very helpful and there was an old English guy who has been there for 8 years and was hoping to stay for another year. The town again has very narrow cobbled streets and in some areas it looks as though it has been lost in time. We also saw some old tin shacks perched precariously on the hillside which people lived in, showing us again the contrast between poor and wealthy. The music and food festival was due to be held in the town, the food section had started but they were just completing erecting the stages around the town for the various performances, it gave the whole town quite a buss.
From Sines it was another long days sail to Lagos, 77Nm so again another early start, this time though we were in thick fog, you couldn’t see more than a few boat lengths in front of you, at the same time two other boats were also leaving but they seemed to be hanging back, their tactic was to wait for us to go out and they would follow our navigation lights.
The fog cleared at about 9am and we had beautiful clear blue skies, the waves swell was still around 2 meters and there was no wind and so we had to motor the whole 77 miles making a very bumpy ride again. As we approached Cabo de Sao Vicente, once classed as the end of the known world, the landscape becomes very dramatic and looks almost pre-historic. The area is known for its windswept and wild seas, however as we had no wind we did not encounter any difficulty in getting round the headland and into the Algarve.

Cabo de Sao Vicente

The whole trip from north Spain has taken us just less than two weeks, we are going to spend the next month in the Algarve and on the 9th August we are being joined by Kevin’s brother and his family so we are really looking forward to that.

Total distance to date: 1538 Nautical Miles

Our current location: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=37.109476,-8.673706&hl=en&sll=37.108244,-8.680658&sspn=0.044219,0.104885&mra=mift&mrsp=0&sz=14&t=m&z=14