We have been having a great time here so far. Its been easy sailing between here and Portimao. Spending days at anchor and relaxing at the beach or by the pool in the marina.

Emily, Barney Nicky and Dave came out for five days and stayed in the marina club hotel. We usually started the day with breakfast on the boat before heading off. We went out to the grottos where we anchored then swam ashore and back to the boat for lunch. Whilst sailing back, Sean decided to do a sneaky man overboard exercise using a fender tied to a bucket. He said I was the skipper and the engine was stuffed so we had to sail back and retrieve the MOB. Initially he didn't help at all.

Nicky was given the job of pointing to the person (sorry, bucket and fender) so we didn't lose sight of it. It's amazing how quickly you sail away from it and even small waves make it difficult to sight in the water. Emily was very good at helping me organise the turnaround. After several attempts and Sean's help, we managed to retrieve it with a boat hook. Had it been a real casualty in cold water, they would probably be hypothermic by the time we got back to them.

The next day Nicky's friends Kerry and Tom came to meet us in the marina as they were on a surfing holiday in nearby Sagres. We had a lazy day which included lunch by the pool and dinner in town. The next day all eight of us sailed to the anchorage in Portimao and took the dinghy ashore for lunch in the lovely tropical looking beach bar called Kalu. They make great sangria and delicious food. We met Liz and Dave on the beach and they joined us too.

After a leisurely lunch, the six "youngsters" had a swimming race back to the boat and we took the dinghy back. The wind had picked up a lot so we got going quickly. I was a bit anxious at first with six extra people on board and most of them relative novices. The sky had turned grey and squally looking, which is unusual. Even Liz and Dave were concerned for us when they saw us leave, but we were fine and had an exhilarating sail back to Lagos.

It was so nice spending time with the kids and when the day came for them to fly home, we felt sad, so decided to have another relaxing day reading by the pool with the occasional swim to cool down.

(See photo gallery for pictures)