Aisling I

We had watched the weather carefully before leaving Nazare- we've gained a growing respect for the "nortada" that tends to pick up in the afternoon and blow fiercely late into the night. The weather forecasts here use the Beaufort scale, but I've developed a simple conversion system- 6 means "maybe not", 7 means "probably not" and 8 means "forget it, let's go sightseeing!" In the end, we had light wind for much of the passage to Lisbon- but during the last few hours the wind picked up, and Aisling was making over seven knots under only double-reefed main as we approached the mouth of the Rio Tejo (keeping red buoys on the LEFT as one must here).

For our visit to Lisbon, we chose to tie up at the marina in nearby Cascais - a huge facility where a trip to the marina office from Aisling's slip required ten minutes of brisk walking. As we motored toward the reception dock, we were met by a Zodiac- complete with four uniformed crew who led us to our slip, leaped onto the dock as gracefully as dancers, and had Aisling safely tied in her berth within seconds (which was greatly appreciated by the lone deckhand onboard Aisling).

After ten hours of sailing, neither of us felt keen on taking a galley shift, so we decided to walk up the dock and find a restaurant. With the nortada still whistling and howling around us, we examined the menus of over a dozen restaurants without even leaving the marina complex. Eventually we chose "Mr. Tail", a seafood restaurant owned and operated by a very welcoming Venezuelan/American/Portuguese entrepreneur, who helped us select a variety of appetizers. The smoked fish in vinaigrette, garlic coriander prawns and calamares Neapolitan were all delicious, as was the recommended Muralhas de Mon��o vinho verde.

On Sunday, we decided to spend some time getting Aisling washed down and tidied up, and made an appointment to have our broken wind instrument repaired. In the late afternoon, we walked around the town of Cascais, which, in spite of its proximity to Lisbon, has all the essential elements of a European resort town- a 17th century fortress, a sandy beach and a multitude of caf�s and pastelarias.

On Monday, we took the 30 minute train ride into Lisbon to do some exploring in the Alfama district. Old Lisbon was devastated by an earthquake in 1755, and most of the buildings in the central area of the city date from a systematic restoration that occurred at that time. One exception is the Alfama district- an old Moorish residential area, where colourful "azulejos" (hand-painted ceramic tiles) decorate the exteriors of many of the buildings. After fortifying ourselves with "galaos" (latt�s) at a caf� overlooking the city, we plunged into the alleys of the Alfama. We passed fado houses, small courtyards decorated with festoons of colourful garland, sad-looking street-dwellers rummaging in garbage cans and miniscule grocery stores. We walked through streets that went up when we thought we should be going down, streets that transformed themselves into narrow stone staircases, and streets that seemed like they should lead somewhere, but didn't. The illogical street layout of the Alfama is famous for confusing tourists and predictably, we lost ourselves several times before finally reaching the Castelo de S�o Jorge. This castle dates from the 11th century, but was largely destroyed by the 1755 earthquake. The castle itself (rebuilt by Salazar during the 20th century) was not particularly noteworthy, but the view of the city was superb. The park-like environment inside the castle walls was a lovely place to take a short rest and watch some senior Lisboans playing cards on a small stone table under a tree. Our circuitous exit route eventually led us to the beautiful Praca do Comercio, with its huge triumphal arch leading to the Baixa district. From there, it was simple to find the train station and make our way back to Cascais.

The next morning, the Raymarine technician arrived promptly at 1000 as promised, and within two hours we were up and running with a new masthead fitting for our wind instrument- but 487 euros poorer! (Since this is only the second major repair we have had to make since leaving Halifax, we can't complain too much.) By early afternoon we were on our way to the Belem district to visit the Mosteiro Dos Jeronimos and the adjacent Museu de Marinha.

The successes of the great Portuguese explorers were directly responsible for much of old Portugal's astonishing wealth and power- even today an armillary sphere is a prominent feature on the Portuguese flag. The marine museum chronicles the voyages of these great adventurers- Vasco da Gama (marine route to India) Cabral (Brazil) Dias (Cape of Good Hope) and others. It also houses the largest collection of nautical instruments in the world, an exquisite collection of ship's models and enough fascinating displays to keep us wandering happily for over two hours. (Rick's favourite- Vasco da Gama's sea chest!) The monastery itself was a fine example of the "Manueline" style of architecture that we are beginning to recognize. The imposing gothic structure, towering arches and intricate stone carvings were glorious. Vaco Da Gama's tomb also rests here.

By early evening, we had made our way back to Cascais-the day only slightly marred by the loss of one of Rick's favourite ballcaps into the gap between the train and the track (we decided we'd better leave it there).

We had intended to do more sightseeing yesterday, but instead opted for a relaxing day in Cascais- a long run along the coastal bike trail, some puttering on the boat, and a little shopping. By 7 a.m. this morning we were underway to Sines, where we arrived at 4 p.m. and anchored off the beach after an easy sail. Tomorrow will be a longer day- we'll continue past Cape Sao Vincente (please..no nortada...) and on to Lagos, where we will eagerly await Katherine and Christopher's arrival!

Comments

Vessel Name:	Aisling I
Vessel Make/Model:	Slocum 43
Hailing Port:	Halifax, NS, Canada
Crew:	Rick and Bonnie Salsman
About:	Crew from Halifax to Horta: Bonnie and Rick Salsman, Dave Morse, Wally Fraser Crew from Horta to Spain: Bonnie and Rick Salsman, Al Salsman, Rob Salsman We left Halifax, N.S. in June 2007, sailed to Horta, and explored the Azores for a month. [...] More
Extra:	The info below is a copy and paste from some literature about the Slocum 43. Please excuse the platitudes. Although I may like them , they are not truly mine. Aisling I is a 1987 Slocum 43, designed by Stan Huntingford. She has been designed to satisfy the sailor who wants the blue water, "get [...] me there" ability with the amenities for great comfort at anchor and at sea. It's a combination of engineering, performance, comfort and safety, wrapped in high quality Burmese teak finish, teak and holly cabin soles and rich upholstery. She is meant to be easily handled by a couple under almost any conditions. She was built in Taiwan to exacting standards using some of the latest technologies of the time that are still admired today. LOA: 42'6" LWL: 35'10"" TYPE: Sailboat - Cutter Rigged BEAM: 12'11" DRAFT: 6' 5" BUILDER:SLOCUM DISPL: 28,104 lbs. SAIL AREA: 808 Sq.Ft. DESIGNER: Stan Huntingford BALLAST: 9,000 lbs. HULL MATRL: Fiberglass ENGINE: Perkins 4108 TANKAGE/FUEL: 120 gal TANKAGE/WATER:150 gal GENERAL INFORMATION: Naval Architect Stan Huntingford has incorporated into this sturdy double ender, both seaworthiness and ample interior space that offers steady and comfortable cruising. Below the water line, the hull shows a fine entry with a long cutaway forefoot followed by an efficient and modern keel section and a deep profile skeg hung rudder, just forward of a tapered stern section. This design combination readily separates the Slocum 43 from other traditional yachts and offers ease of handling and lively performance. This yacht is a perfect example of a classic offshore design and has a warm, roomy and comfortable interior . Incorporating a tumble home stern, bulwarks, dorades, opening ports, oversize rigging and quality construction, This yacht is a modern classic. ACCOMMODATIONS & LAYOUT: Headroom is 6'4" or better, throughout the boat and storage capacity can only be noted as "more than ample". Beautiful Burmese teak joinery throughout, solid teak staving , all doors are beveled and hand fitted, lockers are teak lined and the glossy varnished cabin sole is teak and holly plank. The interior is finished with a satin varnish with high gloss accents on the trim. Teak doors are louvered. This yacht sleeps up to six people in accommodations with the forward cabin, main salon and owners quarter berth cabin. The forward cabin design is a signature of the Slocum and incorporates an upper and lower twin bunk to port, with the top berth extending into a a settee and to port, there is extensive storage in the form of shelves, hanging locker, drawers and louvered doors. Naval Architect Stan Huntingford has incorporated into this sturdy double ender, both seaworthiness and ample interior space that offers steady and comfortable cruising. Below the water line, the hull shows a fine entry with a long cutaway forefoot followed by an efficient and modern keel section and a deep profile skeg hung rudder, just forward of a tapered stern section. This design combination readily separates the Slocum 43 from other traditional yachts and offers ease of handling and lively performance. This yacht is a perfect example of a classic offshore design and is one of the warmest, roomiest, most comfortable interiors available in a 43' cruising yacht. Incorporating a tumble home stern, bulwarks, dorades, opening ports, oversize rigging and quality construction, This yacht is a modern classic. Underneath the starboard countertop is a Stainless Steel automatic internal lighted freezer controlled by an opening top or door. Additionally, the refrigerator box opens from the front. The refrigerator and freezer have large capacity plates which were built to be easily removed for future servicing. There are 2-deep stainless steel sinks, fully gimbaled stove and generous counter space. Overhead cabinets have a moveable peg system, which allows you to custom fit spaces inside to the size and shape of your dishes. Over the galley is a large opening hatch for light and ventilation, also, there are two opening ports over the stove area for added ventilation. Directly across from the galley, to starboard, is a proper offshore, forward facing navigation station and chart table with tremendous room for an exceptional compliment of navigation and electronic equipment for easy use while navigating. The large nav table/desk has a generous storage locker under the desk top and room for the additional electronic navigation and communication equipment outboard. The nav seat is contoured for ease of use underway and the electrical panel is flush mounted here, on a swing-out door for easy access. Overhead are two additional opening ports for excellent cross ventilation with the galley and Nav area. Just aft of the nav station and to starboard of the companionway, is a large pilot berth that will be your favorite berth when offshore. There is a teak grate built into the teak and holly floor at the bottom of the companionway, to catch water from wet gear. With the wet locker and teak draining grate, which drains to the bilge, all foul weather gear is kept aft and away from the main living quarters. All locker doors are ventilated. At the bottom of the companionway stairs is additional storage behind bottom two steps. Next, to port is the owners aft cabin with a queen sized berth with storage below as well as drawers for him and her. Various shelves and locker with removable shelf and enclosed storage locker, as well as ample book storage and large teak framed mirror, mounted on the bulkhead. The aft stateroom also has excellent ventilation provided by two opening ports and an opening hatch overhead. There are 11 Stainless steel opening ports with screens and 5 opening deck hatches, plus the companionway hatch, with screens, which provides a tremendous amount of light and superior cross ventilation. There are also 2 dorade vents, one over the head and one over the chart table. Below deck ventilation far surpasses the standards in the industry. There are light colored curtains at the ports for privacy, interior cushions are a blue HULL AND DECK Hull hand laid-up Fiberglas with 20mm R62-80 Airex Sandwich. Cast iron ballast - 4.08 tonnes, flooded with resin and 100% glassed over ( encapsulated keel). Deck- hand laid-up Fiberglas with 3/4" Baltek balsa-wd sandwich core. Teak side decks - seasoned timber, quarter sawn with black bedding compound below and in seams, secured to Fiberglas by 1" sheet metal screws, countersunk and plugged. Inlaid teak on cabin top. 1 1/2" s/s shaft, tapered to ABYC std ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Conforms to United States Coast Guard and American Bureau Yachting regulations governing wire type, coding and load capacity FRP battery box, ventilated cover with quick release tie down NEWMAR (USA) electrical panel with panel light, circuit breakers with "ON" light and battery test switch, both 110v AC and 12v DC, volt Fuel tanks - New April2000, 120 gallons in 2 Aluminum 60 gal tanks with baffles, clean out ports, complete with dipsticks, inter tank connectors with valve, take off from top with s/s ball valve on each labeled and grounded More
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