After arriving in Leixoes, we went ashore to explore this town in the rain. Neil spotted a small bar for a drink; Neil ordered a conservative 20cls of lager whilst Paul and I ordered the red wine option which turned up in two chipped coffee mugs! The next day we took the bus to the interesting city of Porto. What a treat! We were enchanted by the narrow streets and ancient buildings, sadly many were derelict and in ruins. We climbed up a tall tower of a beautiful church, what a long way up and steps becoming very narrow as we reached the summit. At the top I gave Neil a fright and vertigo by climbing through one of the turrets to see the wonderful view. Well I am too short to see over the wall like normal size folk!
Soon after arriving we noticed this was no ordinary day in Porto. The streets were bursting with thousands of students, all dressed up and having immense fun at their annual festival. At Neil’s suggestion and with Paul’s apprehension we entered a posh, empty restaurant for lunch. A delicious 3 course meal with water and coffee included for 12e each. A great choice, well done Neil! Afterwards, more exploring, a visit to Sandeman’s port cellars and after a tantrum by Neil, a trip in the cable car!
A great day but due to the festival we were unable to catch the return bus back. Thankfully a kindly Portuguese lady walked us to the metro station and we lighted a train. The train did not take us all the way and in total we ended up walking approximately 8 miles that day! To break the journey we stopped at a local bar and Neil tried to order some food. Unfortunately the girl did not understand Neil’s Portuguese ( That is English spoken very slowly and loudly) and he ended up with an awful hotdog Panini!
After a long motor to Figuera de Foz, our port engine failed so we took a sheltered anchorage by the harbour instead of attempting entering this difficult port on only one engine. Whilst Paul was changing the fuel pump (thought to be the problem) we had a visit by the local maritime police. They explained we could not stay there and insisted we move as soon as possible. Paul worked furiously along with our British engineer giving instructions over the phone and got the engine going for a short time. With the help of a pilot boat we managed to get tied up to a pontoon, very difficult and stressful with the fast running tides. Whilst I cooked a Sunday roast on board, Paul and Neil continued to work on the failed engine until nearly midnight!
Next morning we decided to leave with only Starboard engine working and made our way to Peniche. What a sail that turned out to be! The roughest seas Paul has ever been in, 6 to 8 m swell with an average speed of 8 knots and fully reefed to the 3rd at that! We were all relieved to safely anchor up just outside the harbour. The next morning dawned and we set off in force 6 winds that gushed to 7 that increased to force 7 gusting to 8 as we reached the headland. Neil has named this the ‘headland effect’. We surfed along the waves at 9 to 11 knots and had to anchor up in a force 6 on one engine only! In Paul’s words - Good Grief!