With only 30 miles to run to Sines we could afford a slightly later start and so raised the anchor at 0830 to again press South. Sines has a small inner harbour inside a much larger anchorage, a berthing port making the approach busy and with potential danger from larger vessels, tugs and other traffic….
Sesimbra – Navionics After a few days rest we were ready to head South again and with a Northerly wind we made good progress under sail. In the early afternoon we had enough wind to reef and with a strong bow wave we were treated to dolphins at the headland. The coast itself was more…
With Cascais our next port of call, we pressed early to get ahead of the stronger winds that were expected later in the day. Cascais is extremely well protected from the North and so we rose early and headed to sea by 0730. The forecast never really came true. Little wind and most of…
It was a great night’s sleep and we rose early to prep for our trip towards Peniche. We needed both food and fuel so Andy went in search of an open market and I pulled Eclipse alongside the fuel point ready for opening time. Just ahead was a Dutch family on a yacht called ‘Free’. …
A disturbed night but enough sleep to continue, we raised anchor at 0730 to push South. There aren’t many anchorages or marinas on the Atlantic coast so we where aiming for Figuera and the marina as the next stop. Just after departing we saw a pod of dolphins who stayed with us for about 15…
Baiona has 2 fuel pontoons listed but only one seemed to be active. It is also alongside a pump out station for grey and black water which looks very much like the fuel jetty. So be cautious and make sure you don’t make the same mistake I made and have to move. Fuel was the…
As we slipped from the marina, we met our German shadow also heading South. They had either anchored off or stayed at the alternative marina North of the Bay. We headed out of the bay and South but our shadow pressed West and that was the last we saw of them. I suspect they were…
A calm and restful night on the hook and dawn was clear and warm with clouds to the North. An indication of the stronger winds to come. We slipped under engine and main again, with a companion German yacht that we’d been shadowing for several days. The entrance to Muxia has some shallow rocky areas…
Rested after a few days in Puerto de Viveiro we stored ship and secured for sea. It’s amazing how quickly you move from a seagoing vessel to a more caravan mode of life. So securing for sea took longer than expected but we slipped into calm seas with the engine on. The wind was on…
The festival ran on until early morning. So as sleep became available, the clock and tide demanded we press on. So we sliped anchor at 0600 with a much reduced swell in the bay. Picking our way through the rocky entrance we headed NW to the northern Spanish coast. As the sun broke over the…