We are back anchored off Culatra waiting to be lifted out while we go home for a while and resting after an overnight sail back from Sines. By the time we approached Cape St Vincent conditions had developed into a lively 6, gusting to a 7 and to make things more interesting the lighthouse beam was not shinning. Steve was on watch while we went round the cape and although we have GPS, his chart calculations and radar it would have been reassuring to see the rocks lit up and know you are nowhere near them!


This is an ideal place to try out the new dingy and outboard and also to get me used to using it. We have been over to the island several times and tied up in the small fishing harbour which smells vile. The quays are heavily encrusted with shellfish, barnacles and weed and we have seen our first sea slugs in the wild. After looking on the Interent I am pretty certain it is Aplysia fasciata, a dark black-brown sea hare which moves as if jet-propelled.

The island is very long and thin (6 km x 0.9 km approx) with lovely, golden beaches on its southerly, seaward side. There are a number of fishermen's cottages, holiday homes and a hotel with a handy small shop and several cafes/restaurants. It lies on the flight path to Faro Airport but we did not find it especially noisy. It is served by a ferry from Olhao and lots of water taxis scurrying about. The inhabitants number about 1000. You have to be careful leaving a dinghy there, we have heard of a guy from Lagos who has had his dinghy stolen two years in a row!