We left Oeiras at 6.45 the next morning and motor-sailed for most of the trip to Sines as the wind was very light. The Atlantic was very calm and the swell, which is normally 1.5 -2 meters when we sail, was almost absent. The key bit of the trip was to round the major headland Cabo de Espichel before afternoon winds got up and we were comfortably clear by around coffee time. About 15 miles from Sines 12 knots of wind arrived on the stern and we were able to sail the rest of the way at only 4 knots. This did allow the season’s first fishing attempt (normally we are two fast for the fish to catch a lure) with two lines off the stern, however the fish clearly weren’t hungry at the time!
We arrived at Sines (pronounced Synch) after about eight hours and moored in the marina. The town is a big oil and cargo terminal but the marina is tucked away from the main commercial bit and is pleasant – we just had to avoid a number of big ships in the last few miles. Marinas often charge us 1.5 times the standard price as a catamaran which annoys Chris when they are empty or we are positioned such that breadth makes no difference. At least here, as the port was quiet, he waived the additional cost, so its E32.50 per night. You can also anchor in the inner harbour and there is a circa 25foot British boat anchored off to our starboard. The owner looks to be solo and least in his seventies though he is too far away for us to speak to him.
We walked around the town, had a beer in a bar and found what looked like a small restaurant on a street overlooking the harbour. We had bread and olives and then either pork ribs or chicken. They both come with salad, chips and rice- yes, both rice and chips seems to be a standard Portuguese serving, its normal here but we find it a bit odd. The food however was good and the staff friendly, we got the full tour of all the rooms, it’s a bit of a tardis and the owner was clearly proud of his establishment. The food cost about 35 euros and we sampled a few glasses of the wine too!
If you are in town then ‘ Restaurante A Restingvinha’ is worth a visit.

The photo shows the owner with fish and his grill (photo: Alan)

Saturday is relaxing and doing the ‘nav planning’ for the last trip in the main Atlantic. Tomorrow we plan to sail down to and round Cabo de Sao Vincente, the south western point of Portugal. When we round here we will be on the Algarve coast which is less impacted by swell and Atlantic weather. Its a 12 hour sail and we will need to leave about 5.00am to get round the Cape by early afternoon. The forecast is for westerly winds and 1-2 meter swell so looks OK for us to go! See you in Lagos. (pronounced ‘La Gosh’)