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"