It was one of those days when the wind just couldn't make its mind up. The predicted forecast was for NNE4-5 going N5 gusting F6 so on that basis we thought that we'd be in for a cracking sail 'downwind' and we were looking forward to what the pilot books best describes as "roll out the genoa, sit back and enjoy the ride".

Unfortunately the wind started out as NE2 and stayed that way for quite some time. Eventually it increased and settled on NW4 so we rolled out the genoa and did sit back and enjoy the ride albeit for only a few hours but it felt good.

Visibility was excellent so we could clearly see from early on the isolated wind turbine out to sea.

Once again we had to dodge the lobster pots which appeared outside the main towns as we passed them by. The coastline changed quite dramatically as the mountains became significantly smaller to be replaced with beaches with forest backdrops and small villages against the shore. We even saw a few dolphins rush past us but they didn't linger.

Originally we were going to head for 'Povoa de Varzim' so we could catch the metro into Porto and subsequently an overnight stop at Leixoes however we found out that a new marina has been built in the river Douro just downstream of Porto. Our Pilot and Almanac didn't have too much detail about the port especially regarding river depths but after speaking to the helpful marina staff they were able to confirm that the river has been dredged and that a new breakwater has been installed that protects the entrance and helps 'scour' the river but they did recommend that we arrive on the flood closer to high water as the current can run at anything up to 7 knots. They then gave us a voucher that allowed us 20% off daily berthing. Excellent news! Even better because both 'Povoa de Varzim' and 'Leixoes' didn't look too inviting.

We arrived at the marina at lunchtime but shockingly weren't greeted by a 'marinero'. To be fare, he was probably at lunch! We received a really warm welcome by the lady in the harbour office who personally showed us the toilet and shower facilities, the laundrette and how to use the washing machine/dryer. If we didn't fancy doing our own washing then they could arrange for our clothes to be washed, dried and folder at €3 per kg. We were then provided with a bar of soap, produced locally as a gift (did we smell?) and were told that fresh bread would be delivered to the boat by 8.30am each morning during our stay then given a town plan showing where all the port lodges could be found.

Total distance this season: 777.29 nautical miles