We had a fantastic sail up the River Tejo towards Lisbon, light winds and regular adjusting of sails but bright sunshine, good views of the shore and lots to see as you progress. We went slowly, almost drifting along sometimes until, as we approached the ‘25th April Bridge’ there was clearly something going on in the river. We had run into the Volvo Ocean Race fleet on one of their preparation races for the next stage from Lisbon to Lorient. We had to detour to the other side of the river under motor but we had a great view of the teams hurtling downriver. We then approached the sights along the bank, Tour de Belem, the monument to the early Portuguese Navigators , under the bridge itself with what looks like a copy of Rio’s ‘Christ the Redeemer’ statue off to starboard. It was a good intro to the city. We chose to berth at the Marina Parque de Nacoes, its the furthest up the river but rated as quiet and reasonably priced. The entry through a lock on ‘freeflow’ was a bit interesting, we are 6.7m wide and the lock is 9.0m, the mariniero said we needed to take it at speed as the tide was strong inside...................................just! The stern was being pushed rather too close to the concrete as we exited. We’ll go out when there’s no tidal movement! That night we had a moderate meal on the quay near the marina in a bar called The Lighthouse and strolled along the promenade. The complex around the marina here was build for Expo in 1989 (and possibly used for other events, maybe even some Olympic s from what people say) but the area has clearly never taken off to the extent envisaged and there are multiple empty shops and a sense that maintenance has been lacking. Nevertheless it’s a relaxed place and the marina staff are friendly and there are bus and metro links into the city close by. We liked the place and decided to stay for a few days to see Lisbon.

The image is the Tour de Belem from the River Tejo