Cascais – Sesimbra 29,8 nm
Pattering rain wakes us up at 5 o’clock in the morning. What are you doing now? I hope it stops again! We fall asleep again and luckily it’s over the next time we wake up. As we all know, we don’t sail when it’s raining… But the weather doesn’t look that nice yet. Anyway, we want to continue and set sail from Cascais at 10am after 12 days. Definitely our most expensive stop so far. At just under 100 euros a night, mooring here is not really much fun. But we enjoyed it anyway! With little wind and grey skies, we continue south. Once again, there’s not enough wind for sailing, but the old swell is perfect for being rocked. We know enough about it by now and so we motor along the coast. Always around the 20 metre depth contour, just to avoid bumping into orcas again. We don’t see any of them all day. On the other hand, we see plenty of fishing flags and other net markings such as Coke bottles, plastic canisters and cork balls. Sometimes we zigzag and manage to avoid any contact with fishing nets or lines. I guess that’s what you call running the gauntlet. We pass a beautiful coastline. We leave great, long sandy beaches, cliffs and the geologically impressive Cabo Espichel on our port side and finally reach the small fishing village of Sesimbra. As there is no room for us in the marina, we drop anchor, which we actually prefer anyway. From the anchorage, we have a view of various beach bars, the fortress and various hotels and apartment complexes. Sesimbra seems to have developed considerably in recent years since our last visit.
Sesimbra – Sines 45,1 nm
The night is pleasantly quiet, apart from the music from some nightclub that echoes over to us. Apart from that, there is no breeze and no rocking disturbs our sleep. From 6 a.m., however, a fishing or fishing boat passes us every five minutes and the peace and quiet comes to an end. No matter, we want to leave early anyway. So we have a quick coffee and croissants and the anchor is up. We sail across a more or less smooth sea. Once again, there’s not enough wind for sailing. Today I take a cosy vantage point on the upper deck and direct Axel through a sea of fishing flags. We continue along an impressive cliff coast until just before the bar of Setubal. Then the landscape changes drastically. A flat beach landscape stretches along the Barre and the Troia peninsula. There are hundreds of small fishing boats in the water in front of us, preventing us from keeping the desired 20 metre line. We also zigzag through the net markings again. Fortunately, all of them are easy to recognise from my vantage point. At least that’s what we think. In any case, we manage not to catch any nets in the propeller or rudder. At some point, the coast rises again and the beach seems almost inaccessible. In any case, you hardly see a soul walking or sitting there. We finally reach our destination of Sines in the afternoon without incident. Sines is not only the birthplace of Vasco da Gama, but also a relatively large industrial harbour. Well protected by an impressively high outer pier, we should be able to moor well here. At least that’s what we think at first. We have announced our arrival at the marina and are given a nice berth without any problems. A marina employee helps us moor up, everything is fine. Except for the swell, which we quickly notice. Even if you can’t see anything in the water, La Ola turns from left to right like a wild animal and jerks into the lines. Well, that could be fun. Suddenly, super loud techno music is blaring through the harbour. Have we missed the fact that a festival is taking place here? Maybe it’s not the best place to moor for a few days after all? When our neighbour knocks and holds out our dripping wet shore power connection, telling us that it has just been ripped out of the power box by the swell, we reconsider our plan. Maybe we need to move on again sooner. The evening spoils us first with a beautiful vanilla and later with a super-intense pink-red evening sky. Kitschy, but oh soooo beautiful!!!
The loud music, which had initially stopped yesterday, starts up again after we are already in our bunks and accompanies us into the early hours of the morning. La Ola moves to it, jerking and tugging, creaking and squeaking, as if she wanted to dance to the bass rumble. A mosquito buzzes over our heads. What a marvellous night! Slightly exhausted, I get up at 7.30 a.m. and enjoy a coffee in the cockpit. The weather promises to be nice. The neighbours from the Meerlust, who docked shortly before us yesterday, are already busy casting off and are already leaving Sines after another restless night. Understandable. As I want to work today, we stay another day and change our berth in the marina for an anchorage just outside. It’s shaky there too, but at least the fenders and lines no longer creak. I work from the cockpit today and can let the sun shine on my back. There really are worse places to work! In the late afternoon, we take the dinghy into the marina and moor behind the Saga. Together with Dirk and Nicola, we go into the village, which isn’t very busy on a Sunday afternoon. Nevertheless, we manage to find a place for an after-work beer and later a seat in the restaurant. To be on the safe side, we have reserved a table at the A Nau restaurant in advance by phone, but we are the only guests that evening and so get the full attention of the waitress and the restaurant’s own grey parrot. The food is delivered quickly and the sea bream, sea bream and mini sepia are delicious. Well-fed, we head back to the marina, where we have a nightcap on board Saga before heading back to La Ola at the anchorage.
Sines – Sagres 64,2 nm
Lucky seems to have a bad dream and wakes up in the middle of the night and calls for us. He sits outside our door meowing loudly and won’t stop. At some point the cat-mum-education nerve wire snaps and I get up and open the door. The previously pitiful meowing sound changes to a loud „finally“ meow and Lucky is obviously happy that he hasn’t been left alone on board like he dreamed. And if you’re already awake, you might as well ask for food, right? There’s no food, of course, but there are a few crawls instead. Every attempt to sneak off is thwarted. Maybe play?! Yes, of course, if you’re already awake, you can also play! It takes half an hour before Lucky is happy again and I can sneak back into my bunk. And that’s at 3 o’clock in the morning… But today the alarm clock rings before sunrise. A first coffee and a croissant and we’re ready to leave. The anchor is up before 8 a.m. and we make our way further south. We have a long route ahead of us today and want to arrive in the Algarve before dark if possible. We leave the port of Sines at first light and sail along a kilometre-long quay wall. Eventually we reach open water and – if possible always at the 20 metre depth contour – make our way along the spectacular coastline. Rugged cliffs with the most interesting layers of rock and sediment alternate with sandy bays and river courses. As if in miniature, a lonely motorhome stands on some of the cliffs or a paraglider stretches his parachute into the wind. Fortunately, from my vantage point on the upper deck, there are fewer fishing marks to observe today and we don’t see any orcas. In the afternoon, we finally round Cabo Sao Vincente with its small lighthouse and turn east towards the Algarve. While it is still choppy and choppy at the cape, the sea calms down abruptly. But the wind picks up and blows cold across the water. So we are happy when we finally reach the anchorage bay of Sagres and are able to lie down on the beach relatively sheltered from the wind. There we swim, SUP and paddle. We have clearly arrived in holiday paradise. We have a delicious chicken fricassee in the cockpit for dinner, accompanied by a truly spectacular evening sky. Bright orange and turquoise blue alternating with dark red and purple. Beautiful!
Sagres – Portimao 23,7 nm
We spend a quiet night at anchor and the next morning starts again sunny and beautiful. While I still have some office work to do, our neighbours cast off early and continue on their way. We are almost the last to set off eastwards at midday. As we continue to follow the 20 metre depth contour, we can also enjoy a beautiful coastal landscape up close today. We pass a picturesque landscape along the rocky Algarve. The sandstone-coloured cliffs are interspersed with beautiful beaches and white villages clinging to the rocks. We pass the Ponta da Piedade lighthouse near Lagos and have fond memories of our last visit and the dinghy trip through the caves. As the marina in Lagos is too expensive for us, this time we continue in the direction of Ria de Alvor. With the water coming in, we want to anchor there in the course of the river, but it soon becomes apparent that the anchorage is already very crowded. As stronger winds from the east are forecast for the next day, we don’t think the spot for La Ola is safe enough and so we prefer to continue on today. However, a visit to Alvor is definitely on our bucket list for the coming weeks and months that we will spend here in the Algarve. We continue past chic villas and not so chic tower blocks near Praia da Rocha and into the Rio Arade. There we anchor off Praia Grande in Ferragudo and enjoy the sunny afternoon. In the evening, a delicious langoustine is once again cooked on the barbecue and the evening sky once again offers a spectacle fit for Hollywood. In case anyone is still wondering why we moved to the boat? Precisely because of moments like these!
The next morning starts as beautifully as yesterday’s ended. While I’m already sitting in the cockpit with a coffee at 7 a.m., Axel sleeps in until shortly before 9 a.m. and thus misses the beautiful morning sky. By breakfast, the sun has already warmed the cockpit and the second coffee tastes twice as good. Then it’s off to the office for me, while Axel takes the dinghy for a trip ashore. As the wind has picked up as predicted, I prefer to stay on board in case the anchor slips. Fortunately, nothing happens and Axel eventually returns on board with groceries from the local supermarket and a catalogue from the local shipyard and ship chandlery. The afternoon passes with tidying up and a nice piece of salmon ends up on the barbecue. We also enjoy a salad and a beautiful evening sky. You can get used to it.
Weekend at last! Oh no, it’s only Thursday. You have to be careful on board not to lose track of time. Weekdays no longer have the significance they used to. You work when you feel like it and have time. Well, sometimes when you have to. The weather determines everyday life rather than the calendar. Have we been anchored somewhere for two or three days or have we spent two weeks in the marina instead of two days? It doesn’t matter, the main thing is that we’re doing well. We’re in the final spurt to this year’s seasonal destination of Vilamoura, where we’ve rented a berth for the next few months from 1 November. It’s just 20 nautical miles from Portimao. Feasible. But at the moment we like it here at anchor. So there’s no great need to sail on. So we stay another day at anchor in the Rio Arade and enjoy the holiday atmosphere around us. Holidaymakers sunbathe on the beach and we practise wingsurfing in the water. Excursion boats pass us by and some annoying jet skis cause a lot of noise and swell in the anchorage. The neighbours change daily, a few persistent ones like us stay put. Everyday boat life. After work, tidying up and planning our cruise for the next season, we take the dinghy ashore in the afternoon. We enquire at Slickhull about the possibilities for winter work on La Ola and are well advised. We also walk to the supermarkets in the corner. First to Lidl, which, to Axel’s great disappointment, doesn’t have any Haribo liquorice on offer. Then to the China shop, which surprises us with a super-sorted and super-tidy impression. And then to Continente, where we buy some fresh food. Then it’s back on board. Unfortunately not without Axel giving me a nice shower in the waves. But seawater is definitely good for the skin… Back on board, we are treated to live music from the beach bar and grill ourselves a tasty hamburger. The rest of the evening passes quietly and with the plan to go to Vilamoura the next day.
Portimao – Vilamoura 21,0 nm
The night is once again more restless than planned. First, various mosquitoes annoy us. As soon as you think you’ve killed them all, the next ones appear. Then the wind picks up and it starts to rattle in the rig. And then the anchor alarm goes off with a loud blare. Fortunately only because Axel had set the Schwoiradius too small. Nevertheless, you have to have a look, of course. This calls Lucky to the scene, who thinks that 3 o’clock is breakfast time today. As soon as we’re back in bed, the next mosquito starts buzzing. But eventually we fall asleep again and don’t wake up until shortly before 8am. After a delicious cockpit breakfast, the anchor is raised and we head east along the coast. We sail past beautiful countryside with more or less pretty little villages along the coast in a fresh wind. We reach our seasonal destination of Vilamoura in the early afternoon and moor La Ola at her berth for the next three months. We have a berth in the middle of the tourist centre, numerous restaurants around us and almost as many golf courses in the immediate vicinity. It will certainly be a good place to stay for the next few months! Our first visit will be in a fortnight‘ time when our friend Teresa from Seattle comes over. We last met in French Polynesia and are very pleased to be able to welcome her on board briefly before her trip across the Atlantic with friends. Andrea and Pit will be visiting again at the end of November. Only the usual New Year’s Eve party is still a little undecided. But we don’t have to worry about a good party here. In Vilamoura, you soon realise that we have arrived in the high-life tourist centre. One restaurant follows the next. Every second one offers live music in the evening. There is also the option of karaoke or a DJ. We take the opportunity to eat Thai food again. Quite ok, but not a revelation either. Back on board, the barge roar of Pub The Brewery reaches us. Well then… The evening is still nice, because Alex and Peggy from Meerlust come round and we ignore the background noise from ashore while listening to lots of sailing stories.
