Med Bound Blog 12 (The Algarve to the Spanish border)
Two days were spent anchored off a superb beach and in sight of the Forte de São João. The anchorage was packed with boats and the beach packed with tourists and with open-air beach bars and restaurants. It was however not at all spoilt and very nice to dinghy to and from, so much so that we never made it across the river to Portimão itself. We took the advice of the pilot guide and went instead to Ferragudo, a fishing village just up river with narrow cobbled streets and a large central square with many restaurants serving charcoal grilled fish and other marine delicacies. The kids were happy and we were chilled.
From here we headed for Vilamoura, reputably one of the best marinas in Portugal. It lived up to its reputation and had a price to go with it. We had been talking to an old friend from Hout Bay who lives near Faro. We invited her to the boat for dinner. The original plan was to do this in Faro but much consultation with the pilot guide and other yachties led us to the conclusion that this was going to tricky, as there are only anchorages at Faro and nearby Olhão. We opted to stay at Vilamoura for another night to facilitate the dinner and an easier transfer to the airport for Jimmy, Josie and Tayo. Vikki came over with her daughter Danielle and showered us with hospitality by bringing all-Portuguese traditional food and wine. We huddled in the cockpit on a hot August night, illuminated by our boat candles and lantern, and were indulged. Thank you!
The Vilamoura marina was lined with upmarket shops and a hive of tourist activity with high-speed boat tours and parasailing leaving from there. Veronica bought a new bikini, the kids found MacDonalds all things that you do not come sailing for but nice to indulge in occasionally. I took the top of the Hydrovane mechanism off and spent a lot of effort fashioning a block of wood and a teak cap to allow the dinghy to be pulled up on the back of the boat again. I had decided that Juluka, the Hydrovane had done his steering work and as no more long passages were anticipated we would put him in hibernation. This allowed us the convenience of being able to pull the dinghy up on the back arch again, a much easier operation that hauling it onto the foredeck.
The kids departed for London at 07.00. Many thanks to all three of you for the help and sharing the adventure. Veronica headed off to finish the last load of washing and we then headed for the much talked about and highly recommended Ilha da Culatra, just inside the Faro/Olhão entrance. The island is in a nature reserve and the island is a combination of a beach bar (the geographical type), tidal lagoons and channels. It did not disappoint. We entered the main channel entrance against a 3 knot ebb. Luckily there was plenty of wind, 20 knots to be precise, so we could reach into the entrance. We had the motor running with the sail up to get us out of trouble if we lost the engine. As we went in, we were reminded why this was a good strategy as there was a Princess motor cruiser almost on the breakwater. It looked like he had lost the engine and just got his anchor down in time, which took in the shallow but leaving him only about 5m off the wall. There was another boat standing by and then the rescue boat arrived. As we had entered, I had seen there was a smooth patch of water on one side, and as that was the windward side, it also favoured the most “get out of trouble” space. Behind us a Dutch boat did not make the same judgement, he went straight through the area of the worst over-falls. It got pretty hairy for them, Veronica got some pictures on her iPhone, which I will post in the gallery… check them out. I think they must have totally underestimated the turbulence and they very nearly broached on 2 occasions and with their rudder out of the water, went right angles to the channel axis twice.
We anchored amongst at least 50 other boats, close to the South Africans we had met in Vilamoura. Mike (an Oil and Gas engineer, a youngster of 32, graduated from Stellenbosch) with his girl friend and they had been joined by their folks who ran a game lodge on the border of the Kruger National park. We saw a lot of them later in the restaurants ashore and on our boat for drinks.
Our first anchoring attempt at Ilha da Culatra failed and we dragged between the forest of boats. It is the first time this has happened in this boat. Our second attempt held first time and held big time. Later the wind dropped and we went ashore. The village comprised sand, dry vegetation and simple very modest fishermen’s houses with unflattering architecture. Somehow the simpleness of it was a charm, the basic restaurants, bars, one basic shop and an island with no cars drew you in. Boats, and tractors that plough their way through the thick sandy tracks, are the only forms of transport that link with the mainland and the supply base. The real charm was the boardwalk over the salt marshes to the beautiful, open sea-facing, beach. Well that and the fact that the simple seafood and drinks were dirt cheap.
We stayed two days. Interestingly, Veronica had met a Hawaiian couple in Vilamoura who had stayed 10 days because they liked it so much. That seemed a long time but they had crossed the Atlantic via Barbados and the Azores, making landfall in Lagos. It was their first visit to Europe, so perhaps the novelty of it and the need to just chill after an ocean crossing made 10 days there an appreciation treat. It is that kind of place.
After two nights we left on the falling morning tide for the Spanish border. We struggled to sail for the first hour, going a long way out to sea with a poor VMG to the waypoint. The wind dropped and as the sea turned to glass, the motor kicked in. We were joined by a huge school of dolphins, definitely a bigger species than those we had seen before. The Rio Guadiana divides Spain and Portugal. It is described as a must do. I had had high hopes of exploring 25NM or more into the beautiful valley but 3 days before I realised that there was a problem in a suspension bridge with only 18m clearance. We are 21m. I did not close the option until I reread the pilots guide which warned this was 18m AMSL not 18m HAT (Highest Astronomical Tide). We arrived in the river wary of all the warnings about the hectic tidal current. Despite best estimates we were about and hour before the slack tide. I was both surprised by how hard the tide was running and (self praise is no recommendation) chuffed with the way we managed to get through the 20m wide entrance in a 3 knot cross current and get onto the berth.
We toured town, quaint, cobbled streets but not the tourist traps we had experience elsewhere. As we could not go up the river on our own boat we decided to take a tourist tour. This totally exceeded both our expectations. The river was beautiful, hot, barren, landscape reminiscent of the South African Karoo. The old double decker boat, complete with bar and basics ploughed its way up. We had a tour of one of the villages, partially deserted by people that had flogged to the city. We ended up at a tourist farm, an oasis in the searing heat, complete with pool and a large restaurant. We were treated to a mega feast of Portuguese food and wine, where the rule nao obrigado/obrigado applied, that is if anything on the table ran out, just ask. The real treat was the performance and festivities during lunch by the restaurant staff and the boat crew doubling as a pretty formidable singing troupe that really got the wine flowing.
More cold beverages were necessary on the boat on the way home to keep the searing heat at bay. Tomorrow we head for Mazagón in Spain a fitting place to start a new chapter of my blog. Adios!
From here we headed for Vilamoura, reputably one of the best marinas in Portugal. It lived up to its reputation and had a price to go with it. We had been talking to an old friend from Hout Bay who lives near Faro. We invited her to the boat for dinner. The original plan was to do this in Faro but much consultation with the pilot guide and other yachties led us to the conclusion that this was going to tricky, as there are only anchorages at Faro and nearby Olhão. We opted to stay at Vilamoura for another night to facilitate the dinner and an easier transfer to the airport for Jimmy, Josie and Tayo. Vikki came over with her daughter Danielle and showered us with hospitality by bringing all-Portuguese traditional food and wine. We huddled in the cockpit on a hot August night, illuminated by our boat candles and lantern, and were indulged. Thank you!
The Vilamoura marina was lined with upmarket shops and a hive of tourist activity with high-speed boat tours and parasailing leaving from there. Veronica bought a new bikini, the kids found MacDonalds all things that you do not come sailing for but nice to indulge in occasionally. I took the top of the Hydrovane mechanism off and spent a lot of effort fashioning a block of wood and a teak cap to allow the dinghy to be pulled up on the back of the boat again. I had decided that Juluka, the Hydrovane had done his steering work and as no more long passages were anticipated we would put him in hibernation. This allowed us the convenience of being able to pull the dinghy up on the back arch again, a much easier operation that hauling it onto the foredeck.
The kids departed for London at 07.00. Many thanks to all three of you for the help and sharing the adventure. Veronica headed off to finish the last load of washing and we then headed for the much talked about and highly recommended Ilha da Culatra, just inside the Faro/Olhão entrance. The island is in a nature reserve and the island is a combination of a beach bar (the geographical type), tidal lagoons and channels. It did not disappoint. We entered the main channel entrance against a 3 knot ebb. Luckily there was plenty of wind, 20 knots to be precise, so we could reach into the entrance. We had the motor running with the sail up to get us out of trouble if we lost the engine. As we went in, we were reminded why this was a good strategy as there was a Princess motor cruiser almost on the breakwater. It looked like he had lost the engine and just got his anchor down in time, which took in the shallow but leaving him only about 5m off the wall. There was another boat standing by and then the rescue boat arrived. As we had entered, I had seen there was a smooth patch of water on one side, and as that was the windward side, it also favoured the most “get out of trouble” space. Behind us a Dutch boat did not make the same judgement, he went straight through the area of the worst over-falls. It got pretty hairy for them, Veronica got some pictures on her iPhone, which I will post in the gallery… check them out. I think they must have totally underestimated the turbulence and they very nearly broached on 2 occasions and with their rudder out of the water, went right angles to the channel axis twice.
We anchored amongst at least 50 other boats, close to the South Africans we had met in Vilamoura. Mike (an Oil and Gas engineer, a youngster of 32, graduated from Stellenbosch) with his girl friend and they had been joined by their folks who ran a game lodge on the border of the Kruger National park. We saw a lot of them later in the restaurants ashore and on our boat for drinks.
Our first anchoring attempt at Ilha da Culatra failed and we dragged between the forest of boats. It is the first time this has happened in this boat. Our second attempt held first time and held big time. Later the wind dropped and we went ashore. The village comprised sand, dry vegetation and simple very modest fishermen’s houses with unflattering architecture. Somehow the simpleness of it was a charm, the basic restaurants, bars, one basic shop and an island with no cars drew you in. Boats, and tractors that plough their way through the thick sandy tracks, are the only forms of transport that link with the mainland and the supply base. The real charm was the boardwalk over the salt marshes to the beautiful, open sea-facing, beach. Well that and the fact that the simple seafood and drinks were dirt cheap.
We stayed two days. Interestingly, Veronica had met a Hawaiian couple in Vilamoura who had stayed 10 days because they liked it so much. That seemed a long time but they had crossed the Atlantic via Barbados and the Azores, making landfall in Lagos. It was their first visit to Europe, so perhaps the novelty of it and the need to just chill after an ocean crossing made 10 days there an appreciation treat. It is that kind of place.
After two nights we left on the falling morning tide for the Spanish border. We struggled to sail for the first hour, going a long way out to sea with a poor VMG to the waypoint. The wind dropped and as the sea turned to glass, the motor kicked in. We were joined by a huge school of dolphins, definitely a bigger species than those we had seen before. The Rio Guadiana divides Spain and Portugal. It is described as a must do. I had had high hopes of exploring 25NM or more into the beautiful valley but 3 days before I realised that there was a problem in a suspension bridge with only 18m clearance. We are 21m. I did not close the option until I reread the pilots guide which warned this was 18m AMSL not 18m HAT (Highest Astronomical Tide). We arrived in the river wary of all the warnings about the hectic tidal current. Despite best estimates we were about and hour before the slack tide. I was both surprised by how hard the tide was running and (self praise is no recommendation) chuffed with the way we managed to get through the 20m wide entrance in a 3 knot cross current and get onto the berth.
We toured town, quaint, cobbled streets but not the tourist traps we had experience elsewhere. As we could not go up the river on our own boat we decided to take a tourist tour. This totally exceeded both our expectations. The river was beautiful, hot, barren, landscape reminiscent of the South African Karoo. The old double decker boat, complete with bar and basics ploughed its way up. We had a tour of one of the villages, partially deserted by people that had flogged to the city. We ended up at a tourist farm, an oasis in the searing heat, complete with pool and a large restaurant. We were treated to a mega feast of Portuguese food and wine, where the rule nao obrigado/obrigado applied, that is if anything on the table ran out, just ask. The real treat was the performance and festivities during lunch by the restaurant staff and the boat crew doubling as a pretty formidable singing troupe that really got the wine flowing.
More cold beverages were necessary on the boat on the way home to keep the searing heat at bay. Tomorrow we head for Mazagón in Spain a fitting place to start a new chapter of my blog. Adios!
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