Passage from Sines to Cabo São Vincente

For our planning around Cabo São Vincente and Sagres, where all the high winds are the constant issue, we looked at three forecasts and they all predicted 15-17 knots; gusting 23-24 knots for Sagres. We know the gusts can be higher than the predictions down this Coast. We have learnt then weather forecasts can be interesting on this Coast!

Having being cautioned about the winds getting up around the Sagres headland we set off too early! It was 1 hour before any glint of light and 2 hours before sunrise.

Lesson 1 : Never do that again! The fishermen were going out, the harbour pilots and tug boats were bringing in two large container vessels, thank god for AIS. We did manage to identify our green and red at the entrance to the harbour and being mindful of the submerged breakwater safely negotiated our way out.

Njord was soaked with early morning dew, we had wet bottoms already from our helmsman's seat and we had poor visibility through our plastic windows in our spray hood. Njord's shopping list request when this spray hood dies is get one with a window section like our Lisbon friends and SY Fenicia.

Lesson 2 : We should have stayed until Sunday when the wind forecast was for much lower wind speeds .... And apparently there is a fabulous restaurant in Sines that we missed out on by only staying one night and getting up too early the next day and you must be missing Njord's restaurant reviews by now!

The photograph is of the cliffs at Ponta da Groto just before Cabo Sao Vincente.