I have been reflecting on the differences between sailing along the coast of Portugal and Britain. The UK was all about tides, currents, and precise timing. Our notebook was filled with calculations of when locks could be entered or tidal gates avoided, and each day had a carefully planned strategy for getting from point A to B, often with predawn starts. Our sail along the Portuguese coast has been leisurely and Latin by comparison. The tides are typically only 1-2 meters and don't really impact your ability to enter most harbors. The current is all one way, south - it turns out that a branch of the Gulf Stream hooks down from the British Isles and produces about a knot southerly current all along the coast.

The winds are mostly reliable; the "Portuguese Trades", come up around 11am and are typically 10-20 knots from the NW, N, or NE. Not that Portugal is missing challenges... offshore of "cabos" (headlands) you typically find wind acceleration zones, where winds can gust to 30-40 knots or more. Portugal is also famous for heavy swells originating from storms in the North Atlantic, often hundreds of kilometers away. Under adverse conditions harbors in Portugal actually close to entering traffic - it is safer to stay offshore than navigate the surf at the harbor entrances. There is a reason why Portugal hosts some of the best surfing in the world. Luckily, the conditions we experienced were mostly benign.

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After Sam and Meaghan left for their flights, Katherine and Kitty and I sailed about 50 miles down the coast to Peniche. The moderate winds made for good downwind practice, and in between turns on the winches Katherine enjoyed sunbathing on the foredeck and photographing the dolphins that played on our bow. Docking in the Peniche marina was interesting... the town is on a small peninsula which sticks out into the ocean, with little to block the winds which were howling down the coast that evening. Luckily no paint was left on the pier this time.



A day or so later we sailed to Oeiras, a seaside town on the outskirts of Lisbon. The sail this day was a little "spicy", especially around Cabo Raso, the last cape before the Lisbon estuary. The winds got up to 30 knots, and we surfed down 6 foot swells and hit speeds of 10 knots. Again, all good practice for our upcoming Atlantic crossing.




Once we rounded the cape the winds died, and we sailed and motored the last few miles up the Tagus River with the Ponte 25 de Abril bridge and Christ the King Statue silhouetted on the horizon.

A highlight of our stay in Oeiras was a trip to the Palacio da Pena in nearby of Sintra. Our tuktuk driver described the palace as the dream of a 23 year old with too much money, without explaining that the 23 year old was King Ferdinand II. He built the castle in the 1840s as a summer palace for Portugal's royalty, and it sits on top of limestone mountains with spectacular views from Lisbon to the sea. It is a disney-esque combination of pastel stucco, ornamental tiles, and architecture ranging from moorish to Renaissance and has to be seen to be believed.

The surrounding gardens are equally impressive, and includes sequoias, ginkgos, cypress and even a sugar maple from Canada.





We also got a chance to visit the Poet's Park in Oeiras. This large urban garden is a celebration of dozens of Portugal's most favorite poets, each with their own statue and sculpted symbols highlighting their art and interests. We have been impressed by the public art throughout Portugal, but this was our favorite so far.

We said goodby to Katherine in Oeiras, as she headed off to her next adventure in Austin Texas. We will miss her company dearly, but the cabin sure is a lot tidier with just Kitty and I in residence.