I was awake early so we departed Cascais for Sesimbra at just after 0730. We put the genoa up and had a gentle sail for an hour before losing the wind and reverting to the engine. A pod of common dolphins came by us, heading out to sea but they didn't stop to play. We rounded Cabo Espichel just after 11am, so we decided to continue on to Sines (pronounced Cinch), some 30 miles further south. After half an hour, the wind was picking up and behind us so we could sail on the foresail only. We averaged around 5.5 knots with a determined swell allowing us to get up to speeds of 10 knots, surfing down the waves. I am happy to report that I suffered no sea sickness at all, so appear to have retained my sea legs, despite 11 and a half months on dry land. Sines, where we arrived at 1730 hours, was a pleasant anchorage, alongside a small marina and a commercial port. We chatted with Kate and Chris, from the yacht moored close by but declined to go ashore with them for a beer, so we could have an early night before setting off for Cabo de Sao Vicente next morning. The forecast was for light winds in the morning but 24 knots gusting up to 33 at the Cabo (cape) by early evening. I wanted to leave at 6am but Pete insisted on waiting for daylight, due to the fishing pots, so we departed at 0630, half an hour after a group of 4 larger yachts. There was very little wind but an uncomfortable swell on the beam, so we motored for the first seven hours until we had 15 knots of true wind to fill the foresail without it collapsing in the swell. Pete overdid the salt on our lunchtime sandwiches, so some of them went over the side, attracting a small pod of common dolphins, who had tinned tuna for the first time in their lives. A little later, as we surfed down a 4 metre wave, I saw two bottlenosed dolphins swimming through the wave behind us, so very close but only a fleeting glimpse. It wasn't long before we saw our third species of dolphin, as a small pod passed directly behind the boat, in our wash. We have yet to identify the species. The foresail went out not too long after lunchtime, giving us a more comfortable ride in the horrendous swell, which was constantly changing its direction. OK when it was on the starboard quarter but not so much when it was hitting us broadside. Wave heights varied from 1.5 to 5 metres. The wind was slowly building as we neared Cabo de Sao Vicente, the most south western tip of Portugal. We listened in on a VHF conversation between the 4 yachts that departed Sines bafore us and they were reporting that the sea state at the Cabo was no worse than it had been all day and the wind was blowing around 20 knots. With that we left the full genoa up. 2 miles north the wind was 19 knots and we were sailing great. The wind strengthened a little more but I was handling the helm without any trouble as we passed the Cabo about 2 miles offshore. We gybed to head south east to pass the second point and the wind started to increase. Pete took the helm and the wind continued to increase, gusting up to 34 knots. He handled it well and once round the second point I retook the helm so Pete could reduce sail, no mean feat in those conditions. It was a windy and choppy last couple of miles to our planned anchorage at Sagres and I was drenched on the helm, taking 3 waves of salt water in the face. The wind was blowing 30 knots in the supposedly sheltered anchorage and there was no need to put the engine in reverse to go backwards and dig the anchor in. It had been an exciting final hour or so. We were definitely on but set an anchor drag alarm, just in case. The boat was rock steady, no rolling around, as the wind was so strong it held the boat firmly against the anchor. However, with the wind howling, there wasn't much sleep to be had until it died around 4am.