Tavira was a stunning small Portuguese town and our extended stop by one day allowed us to explore the area more thoroughly. The improvement in the weather indicated time to move on one step closer to the Gibraltar Straits. The calmness of the anchorage both overnight and early yesterday morning prior to departing gave no indication of the onslaught that was about to hit us on departing the river exit into the ocean. I had heard a slight rumbling of the sea from the other side of the sand dunes before leaving but nothing as bad as the previous day. I also saw another yacht about the same size as us departing which is generally a good sign that things are generally OK at sea. This was a bad assumption! On heading down the river, swinging around to starboard (right) and seeing the sea crashing onto the two lighthouses marking the harbour entrance, I hesitantly carried on as all still looked OK. The yacht in front seemed to have vanished...then reappeared....then vanished..... Having just said to the crew '..doesn't look too rough, we'll be fine...', the size of the waves breaking on the sand bar across the entrance suddenly sunk in, by which time, it was too late to turn back. The imprint of Quasar IV heading straight into three 3 metre high breaking waves in rapid succession will remain with me for many years to come I suspect! The depth gauge was reading 4 metres, Quasar IV has a draft of 1.8 metres. This leaves 2.2 metres of 'room for error'. With 3 metre breaking waves hitting us in a triple salvo, for a fraction of a second I was wondering if it was all over for Quasar IV. Engine on, full power (first time ever) engaged, we just had to go for it. We live another day to tell the tale albeit I may have reduced my life expectancy by a few years. I do not think that I will award myself a medal for this harbour exit despite how spectacular it may have looked to the local fisherman on the harbour walls who would have seen our bow pointing towards the moon three times whilst laughing their socks off :-) Excitement over, we have now reached Mazagon, Andalucia, Spain and are enjoying some recovery tapas and Cervezas with the locals.