Small boats in the basin at Alvor.


Salara had been at anchor off Bonanza in the Rio Guadalquiver for a day while I lazed about getting over the long trip down river from Sevilla. However today, suitably rested, I would take her the short distance to enter Chipiona Marina where I would refill her tanks with diesel fuel it would also give me the chance to visit the local supermarket for more food.

I checked into the marina for one night and after filling Salara with diesel I steered Salara to the well protected basin and tied up before having a bite to eat and a siesta. I am in Spain after all. Later I had a pleasant stroll along the seafront while visiting the supermarket.

The next morning I left the marina and set course for Mazagon motoring over a flat sea with no sails hoisted. It stayed this way for the rest of the thirty mile trip and I arrived in the anchorage outside Mazagon Marina halfway through the afternoon. My plan was to anchor for the night and leave for Ayamonte in the Rio Guadiana early in the morning. I made myself a good meal after watching the sun go down and then toddled off to bed.

It was still dark when I got up and lifted the anchor to set off down the channel but for some reason I became disorientated with the navigation lights and gave myself a fright. I quickly put my brain into gear, sorted myself out and all was well. Even thinking about it now I do not know how it happened. Familiarity breeds contempt?

The rest of the trip all went according to plan and Salara motored all the way over a calm sea arriving at the entrance bar to the Rio Guadiana at High Water. I anchored her off Ayamonte for the night and then continued up the river to Alcoutim the following day. I moored Salara in the only available space alongside the town pontoon. It was rather tight but with the help of a couple of yachties I managed quite well.

Salara stayed at Alcoutim for a week while I socialized with other yachties, drank beer and went for one or two walks in the surrounding countryside. It was then time to go as the tides were favourable so I moved Salara out to anchor in the river overnight and left early the next morning to head for the sea and another night at anchor at Ayamonte.

The following morning Salara was on the move again and after clearing the river bar on the ebb tide she sailed in fine style west along the coast. Unfortunately this did not last very long for the wind died quite soon and once again I had to turn on the engine to maintain the passage plan which was to stop at Culatra Anchorage for one night before heading onward to Portimao. Which was what Salara did, the only downside was encountering a fair bit of fog on the way from Culatra to Portimao. I used the engine as circumstances demanded and when she arrived I anchored her just behind the main breakwater along with the crowd of other yachts already there.

The next day I again moved Salara, this time to the cruise ship basin a little higher up the river. There were some other yachts anchored there but it was not too crowded and is much more convenient for the centre of Portimao. Eventually, after about a week, the Marine Police put in an appearance and moved us all out with dire warnings of fines if we returned.
Apparently cruise ships were expected to start operating again quite soon.

I decided to move to Alvor a few miles to the west along the coast as the tides were favourable and it would be a pleasant sail. I had not been into Alvor for some years so it would be a welcome change of scene. When Salara arrived there were quite a few yachts at anchor and as I searched for a suitable space to anchor I ran Salara hard aground and I had to deploy the kedge anchor to haul her back into deep water. I then anchored successfully and rewarded myself with a cold beer, it had been many years since I had used the kedge anchor.

The river at Alvor is very shallow with shifting sandbanks so local knowledge is a great advantage. It is possible to take a yacht such as Salara as far as the pretty little fishing village but I prefer to anchor just inside of the entrance and go to the village in the dinghy.

I stayed in Alvor for a few pleasant days before heading back to Portimao to anchor once again in the public anchorage behind the breakwater from where I had a good view of the various crise ships as they arrived as well as the sailingship Danmarc which is operated as a training ship for naval cadets.

It was the end of October when I sailed from Portimao back to the anchorage at Culatra where I would prepare Salara for lifting out a Faro for winter maintenance. The weather during the month had been glorious and the next day I enjoyed a walk along the ocean side of the island paddling in the surf. As November approached it started to change and for a few days I was confined to Salara due to highwinds and rough water. Luckily on the day when I had arranged for Salara to be lifted out these winds had eased and so the operation was carried out easily and Salara was once more snug ashore in her steel cradle for the winter months.

It was the 2 November and at these times I always wonder what the coming winter will bring and if I will sail Salara next season. We live in strange times and I am not getting any younger.

The bullfight themed restuarant where I had lunch in Sevilla.


Salara was anchored in the Rio Guadalquiver opposite Puerto Gelves, Sevilla having come up the river the previous day. After eating breakfast and at high water slack I lifted the anchor and moored Salara in a convenient space on the marina river pontoon. A firendly Spanish yachtie gave me a hand to tie up and directed me to the marina office where I booked Salara in. There was no chance of getting into the marina basin as it is almost completely silted up and despite the fact that there was lots of dredging equipment on site nothing seemed to be happening.

I spent four very pleasant days in Puerto Gelves during which time I replenished my food stocks at the local Aldi which is within easy walking distance. I visited the centre of Sevilla, catching the bus from the stop just outside the marina which dropped me close to the Torre de Oro at a cost of 1.60 euro each way.

I had visited Sevilla before so I knew my around to some extent. I strolled along the riverside sucking on an icecream as visitors do and in no particular hurry, just enjoying myself. I eventually turned right into the city and the Cathedral Square. I gave the cathedral a miss as I had been in there before and carried on walking into the narrow streets of the old Jewish quarter which is full of small cafes and bars. The day was hot so I eventually stopped for a cold beer and sat at a table in the shade to drink it and watch the passersby. I reckoned that I had earned it.

Soon the pangs of hunger started to invade me so I made my way back towards the Cathedral as earlier I had marked down a restuarant where I was going to eat. It was themed around the bullfight and as I had planned to visit the Plaza de Toros this afternoon it seemed a suitable place to have lunch. I enjoyed an excellent meal of various tapas with several beers to wash them down.

Afterwards I continued on a round about route to the Plaza de Toros and the Bullfight Museum which I found extremely interesting. The building itself is very impressive and I stood on the sand in the centre of the bullring imagining how the matador must feel. Many of whom had ended their days here. Fascinating but undeniably cruel. Anyway what would Spain be without the bullfight?

I wandered back to the bus stop deep in thought and sucking another icecream so much so that I walked a couple of hundred metres too far before realising my mistake and retracing my steps. Once back at the marina I sat at a table sipping a large gin and tonic as the sun went down. I then ordered another one as a bird never flew on one wing. It had been a good day.

The next day the tides dictated that it was time for Salara to head back towards the sea and I had planned to leave during the morning but my Spanish friend and his wife invited me out for a lunch of yet more tapas and beer which was something that I could not refuse. Consequently my departure was delayed until the morrow.

In the morning I was up early and had a good breakfast to sustsain me for the trip back to the coast. I walked to the marina office and paid for the four nights that Salara had been there which was a very reasonable sixty euros. I said a goodbye to my Spanish friends and then concentrated on the forthcoming trip.

High water at Sevilla was at noon and so I planned to leave two hours before hoping to arrive at the anchorage at Bonanza before darkness. If I could not make it I would anchor for the night.

It was 1030 hours when I caste off, a little later than I had planned and I made a rather scrappy exit from Salara’s berth as the tide was running strongly up her stern. Once clear I turned her to stem the current and she was then on her way back to the sea. The forecast was for southwesterly winds during the afternoon which would head Salara on some of the stretches as the river wound its way to the sea. However for now it was calm and she was making good progress especially when she picked up the ebb tide some time later.

In the afternoon the the wind put in an appearance and steadily increased to over twenty knots
at times. It created wind over tide conditions on some stretches and progress became a bit of a battle. I tried to stay in the lee of the river bank where possible but was then concerned about running aground. I almost gave up at one point and actually dropped anchor in a small bay. Almost immediately there was a bit of a lull and so I set off again.

I was pleased to negotiate the last bend which then put the wind on Salara’s starboard side to gave her a reasonably easy run down to the anchorage opposite Bonanza passing three cargo ships as they made their way upriver to Sevilla. I noticed several jetski jockeys were right under the ships bows surfing the bow waves and no doubt giving the skippers heart failure.

It was 1930 hours when Salara finally dropped anchor at Bonanza nine hours after she had left Puerto Gelves. The trip down the river had taken two hours longer than the trip up river. I immediately cracked open a beer and sat down in the cockpit to drink it. It had been a long day on the helm and I was tired.

One of the glorious beaches at Rota with the marina beyond.



It was just after lunch on the 7 August when I paid the mooring fees for Salara and left the marina at Ayamonte. My intention was to toddle along the coast and anchor outside Mazagon Marina for the night and then continue along the coast to the Bay of Cadiz the following day. However when Salara had cleared the mouth of the Rio Guadiana and was properly at sea with a good sailing breeze from the southwest pushing her along I decided that I would make the most of it and sail on a direct course to Cadiz where Salara would arrive at about midnight.

This turned out to be the right decision as I enjoyed one of the best sailing days that I had experienced for a long time. The wind stayed steady all afternoon and increased a little to twenty knots for a while. Salara was charging along and occasionally touching eight knots which is a speed that I have not seen the old girl achieve for a long time. The wind held steady until Salara was approaching Cadiz when it went into the west and almost died completely. I made a slight alteration of course and motor sailed into the main ship channel that leads directly to the dock area where, once inside, I could easily drop the sails. I rigged lines and fenders, spoke to Marina Puerto America on VHF and at 0150hrs Salara was safely tied up in a berth, all paperwork had been completed and I was in my bunk.

I stayed in Cadiz for four days just reaquainting myself with the city which is one of my favourite places to visit. Beer and tapas for lunch most days after spending time strolling through the narrow streets and squares of this ancient city.

I needed to move on and rather than head through the Gibraltar Strait as I have done in pre covid years I decided to visit Sancti Petri I small port which has always interested me as Salara rushed by on her way along the coast. So I left Cadiz and motored against the westerly breeze out of the bay until I was able to turn south and sail Salara in the light breeze along the coast.

It did not take long to reach the entrance to Sancti Petri. It is a dogleg and looks difficult when viewed on the chart but in practice, provided you have enough water, it is quite easy.
I threaded Salara through the scores of small boat moorings off the village and once clear of them I was able to anchor Salara in 9 metres depth at the edge of the navigable channel which carries on to San Fernando. It is very shallow outside the channel so take care. I almost went aground as I was anchoring. It is an ideal place for birdwatching during the migratory season I believe. I stayed for three nights and then left to head back to the Bay of Cadiz and drop the anchor that evening in the bay outside Rota Marina.

The following morning I took Salara into the marina as I needed to attend to a water leak ,from the raw water pump and an oil leak from the engine both of which were thankfully quickly repaired. I have always enjoyed being in Rota which is a holiday town and has fantastic beaches. It was several days before I could tear myself away and head back along the coast intending to go to Mazagon but once again I changed my plan and instead went into the Rio Guadalquiver and anchored opposite Bonanza. The reason being that the tides were favourable to do the fiftyfive mile trip up the river to visit Sevilla which was also a place that I had wanted to take Salara to for years. So let’s go there now.

The Beach Bar at Alcoutim where we had our Noisy Yachtie Lunch.


In July after completing my course of Covid jabs I sailed Salara back to the anchorage at Portimao. I would still have to remain in the local area as I was expecting a new bank card to arrive at my address in Faro but like all things during the pandemic the postal service seemed to have slowed up. Anyway I lazed in the sunshine until such time as I received a message to tell me that it had arrived. Rather than sail Salara back to Faro to collect it I caught the train there and treated myself to a day out with a good meal and a couple of beers. It made a pleasant change as I had been trying to solve one or two maintenance problems on board Salara, the main one being the fact that the refrigerator had packed up which is not good at the height of summer. I had to strip it down a couple of times and replace the thermostat and the cooling fan which luckily were available in Portimao. I had also been having problems with my mobile phone which also needed to be replaced.

I had been out sailing in Lagos Bay a couple of times to keep myself sane and had spent a night at anchor behind the Lagos breakwater which was something that I had never done previously and with the breeze coming off the land I had enjoyed a comfortable stay.

Eventually with all problems solved I decided to make a move further afield. It was the end of July and I formed a plan to head for Spain without any more delay stopping overnight at Culatra and the Ria Formosa.

All went well and Salara was soon once more in the Rio Guadiana and anchored off Sanlucar on the border of Spain and Portugal where I enjoyed a pleasant few days including a noisy lunch with some yachties that I have come to know over my years of cruising.

On my way back down the river to the sea I took Salara into Ayamonte Marina for a couple of days so that I could stock up with provisions and visit the local chandler for some necessary bits and pieces for the boat. It would also give me time to plan for the rest of the sailing season.

The simple rig that I used for flying the self tacking staysail.



Well once again I sit down on board Salara to write the first blog of this year. Motivation has been in short supply and I had thought of giving up writing them altogether but today with the sun shining out of a clear blue sky and Salara at anchor off a sandy beach it seemed a shame not to carry on.

It had been a rather depressing winter for me and everyone else of course, what with the pandemic and the neccessary regulations that were in force to stem it`s advance. I kept myself busy doing maintenance jobs on Salara which included a major assault on the woodwork which has been sadly neglected for the last few years. I was working during the morning and keeping afternoons for exercise by walking in the nearby country park. I had also bought a bike so occasionally I went cycling but found that very hard on the bum and also dangerous as I kept getting buzzed by schoolchildren riding furiously. As I did at that age no doubt.

At the end of January when I had just got over a bout of Xmas gout which was the reason I had bought a bike, I found myself in hospital. I awoke one morning and was having difficulty breathing which quickly became worse. I thought immediately that I had got covid so I dialed for an ambulance, gave them the address and staggered out of the boatyard to collapse in the street. The ambulance was there in minutes and they gave me oxygen and drove me to the hospital where I was given a covid test and soon told that luckily I had not got covid but they thought I had suffered heart failure. ‘That’s OK then’ I thought. Anyway they kept me in for three nights and gave me exhuastive tests, ECG, Angiogram, Scanner, etc. My decade old heart bypass was OK so they adjusted my medication and sent me on my way. I was glad to go as the corridors were full of beds as a lot of the hospital was given over to covid patients.
The health sevice in Portugal is pretty good as far as I am concerned.

Once back at the boatyard I carried on with the work on Salara and kept taking the tablets. On 4 May I went for my first covid jab which was the Astra Zenica vaccine and I was given a date of 27 July for the second jab.

I managed to launch Salara on the 24 May soon after the covid regulation banning recreational boating was lifted but I was mindful that I could only sail locally as I had to return to Faro for my second covid jab. I spent the first week at the anchorage at Culatra just putting Salara back into cruising mode and getting used to life afloat once again. My plan was to sail west along the coast and anchor in Portimao which suits me quite well as I can go sailing in the bay whenever the mood takes me.

While in Portimao I ordered a new dinghy as the old one was long past it’s best and needed inflating every day. I had to take whatever the chandler had in stock as the manufacturers had been closed down due to covid. They had only one of the size that I wanted and the brand was unknown to me but I snapped it up anyway and made arrangements for it to be delivered to Portimao Marina. I booked Salara in for one night and took delivery of the dinghy that afternoon which gave me a chance ot inflate it and examine it. It was made in Korea and was a lot more robust than the old one, it also had an inflatable floor and keel which was an extra bonus, so despite the fact that it was more expensive I was well pleased.

The next morning I paid the marina for the night Salara had stayed and motored back out to the anchorage to play with my new toy. I fitted the outboard engine and spent an hour zooming about like a boy racer. In the evening I lifted it up alongside with the mizzen staysail halliard and although it is heavier than the old dinghy the lifting did not pose a problem.

As I had time on my hands I decide that I should try and make use of a self tacking staysail which I had inherited with Salara some twenty odd years ago. I had given it thought and had come up with a method which did not require the usual expensive deck hardware. So one day when there was a good sailing breeze I rigged it up and took Salara out into the bay to test it. It worked extremely well and Salara tacked beautifully with main and mizzen sails set. Even down wind with just the mainsail set it worked and I was sorry that I had not made use of it years before and saved myself a lot of hard work grinding on the sheet winches.

In early July it was decided by the authorities to accelerate the vaccination programe by reducing the Astra Zenaca waiting period between jabs to eight weeks which meant that I could go and have mine now so off I sailed back to Faro and anchored at the head of the Faro Channel. The next morning I was up early and after going ashore I walked to the Vaccination Centre and joined the long queue of people waiting. It took me three hours to get into the centre to present my documents then two hours inside to get vaccinated so it was an all day job. On the way out I was given a goody bag with an apple, a cake and a bottle of water which I have to say was most welcome. I returned to Salara in high spirits despite getting soaked during the dinghy ride back as the wind was gusting to 20 knots. So I treated myself to two glasses of wine and cooked some dinner.

The next day I moved down the channel sailing under genoa only to an anchorage close to the Faro/Olhau Entrance and on the opposite side to the lighthouse which is where Salara is now.

A local fishing boat returning to port. They served as my early morning call most days.


After launching Salara off in late July I had headed her west along the Algarve coast and anchored among a score or more of other yachts behind the breakwater at Portimao where the Rio Arade enters the sea. I had decided that this year I would remain in the local area and just potter about. The sailing season was halfway through and my usual cruise through the Straits of Gibraltar to the Balearics would have been too much of a rush. There was also the covid 19 regulations to take into account, so three months on the Algarve would have to do. To be fair most people would happily settle for that.

I used Portimao as a base for my coastal pottering as yachts can enter and leave at any state of the tide and there is ample room in the anchorage. Most of the yachts anchored were doing the same. Just making the best of the shorter season.

For my part I only had one notable trip during that time when I sailed Salara to Sagres Bay close to the tip of Cape St Vincent. The last hour was quite exciting as she was charging along close hauled throwing spray across the decks and it was satisfying to sail into the bay and anchor under sail. I stayed there overnight and in the morning after a comfortable nights sleep I sailed Salara in what little breeze there was out of the bay and back along the coast. I stopped for lunch at a suprisingly deserted cove near Ponto do Burgau and then continued to view the caves and rock formations at Ponta da Piedade close to Lagos. As expected they were mobbed by small tourist boats. By this time the breeze had left us and Salara was motoring so the last hour or so was spent chugging back to the anchorage at Portimao.

Later in my stay at Portimao I moved Salara a little further up the river to anchor in what is, due to Covid 19, the redundant cruise ship basin where yachts are now allowed to anchor. It is better protected from any southerly swell and is more convenient for the supermarkets. Plus the fact that for me a change of scene was welcome. Generally speaking this season has just been an exercise in saving yard fees and I have just been pleasantly living life aboard Salara with no great motivation to do much more.

Towards the end of September and into October I had noticed that I was having to run the engine more often than usual to keep the domestic battery bank topped up. Normally this is taken care of by the solar panels. I checked it out and came to the reluctant conclusion that the three very expensive AGM batteries were rapidly failing. I checked with the local chandler about replacements but the cost was astronomical so I decided that I would make them last until it was time to return to Faro at the end of the month. The engine battery was still good and I carry a portable mains generator so Salara would never be dead in the water.

My idle life carried on for another week and then panic gripped the anchorage a deep depression was approaching with winds starting in the SE and veering to the SW accompanied by gusts of 45knots and heavy rain. As usual there was a rush to get into the marina which I did not join as I had been in there in similar conditions years ago and the resulting surge was quite damaging. Salara stayed put and I veered sixty metres of chain.

The gale arrived as forecasted during daylight hours which is always a plus, it lasted four hours or so and all was well by nightfall. It had been quite violent for a short while and I did see 45 knots at one point. Salara had rode it out at anchor with no problems.

A coulple of days later and with the the domestic battery bank virtually useless I left Portimao and motorsailed back to Culatra Anchorage from where I made arrangements to get Salara lifted ashore a week earlier than planned. A few days afterwards I met the boatyard pilot at Buoy No. 23 at the top of the Faro Channel. He joked that I should know my own way in by now and he is probably right as I have been here a number of times previously. Salara was soon in the slings and hoisted out to be pressure washed and fitted into the same steel cradle that she had vacated three months ago.

The first task I set myself was to source three new batteries for the domestic battery bank and after asking around I managed to get three 115Ah 12volt Exide Batteries for only a little more than I had been quoted for one in the chandlers at Portimao. I have now installed them and Salara is ready once again to be my winter home.