Lagos – Praia Grande Ferragudo 7,6 nm
After a quiet night at the shipyard dock, we take one last chance to enjoy a long, hot shower on shore. Since we’ll be at anchor for the next few days, we’ll have to conserve water again. Back on board, we’re just getting ready for a nice breakfast when we’re more or less rudely asked to cast off. A large catamaran needs the space. Take your time, but get moving already! So, we quickly get the bikes on deck, clear the lines, say goodbye to Rita and Peter, and off we go. Under engine power, we make the short trip to Portimão and drop anchor off Praia Grande in Ferragudo. Five minutes later, the breakfast table in the front cockpit is set, and we enjoy the sun and a light breeze. It’s wonderful to finally be back on the water. Okay, it’s a bit choppy, because numerous tour boats and fishermen are creating quite a swell in the anchorage. But at least we can see that our “swim noodle” solution worked, and the lines are barely rattling against the mast anymore. Next to us are “old” acquaintances from the Bigfoot. Steffi and Jörg also come zooming right by in their dinghy and once again invite us to a barbecue on the beach on Thursday. Then Corinne and Matthias from the Seren Wen call out to us, and we make plans for the following evening as well. So the schedule for the next few days is already set. In the afternoon, I finally inflate my kayak again. The new—improved—floor can handle 3.5 PSI more pressure and feels much sturdier. Inflating it is quick, but the first paddling trip is postponed until the next day. The wind has picked up considerably in the meantime, making it quite chilly and unpleasant on the water. So we have time to watch countless surfers off Portimão. That’s where the iQFoil Windsurfing European Championships are currently taking place. And they’re moving pretty fast in this wind. In the evening, we fire up the grill for the first time in a while. Nuremberg sausages (no need to mention that here in Portugal!), grilled potatoes, and guacamole are on the menu. Afterward, we enjoy the evening in the cockpit and get to watch another beautiful sunset.
The night passes quietly, and even Lucky sleeps through (almost) the whole thing. But as the first light of dawn breaks, he decides he’d rather ask for some food. And of course, he gets it. I’m up early as a result and enjoy the peace and quiet at the anchorage. A glass of water, some Tai Chi in the cockpit, the first cup of coffee, and then, eventually, cereal for breakfast. In the meantime, I check the weather, scroll through social media, and handle my admin duties for the TO-Seefrauen WhatsApp group. It’s a great way to get through the morning. At noon, I get my kayak ready and manage to get in without splashing. However, my attempt to paddle a bit through the anchorage ends pretty quickly. Too much wind, and I can’t make any headway with my kayak. The wind keeps pushing the bow around, and I struggle to move forward in a zigzag course. So back to the catamaran to wait and see if the wind dies down at some point, as predicted. Of course, it doesn’t let up until around 4:30 p.m., which is unfortunately too late today for another kayaking attempt. Because at five o’clock, we’re heading ashore to Praia Grande in the dinghy to meet up with Corinne and Matthias from the Seren Wen and Guido from the Playmobil at Club Nau. Landing is easy with the water now as smooth as glass, but no sooner have we dropped the anchor than a lifeguard comes running over. Anchoring is prohibited here! Because of the danger that a swimmer or beachgoer might trip over the anchor. We should just pull the dinghy up onto the beach so it doesn’t drift away. Well, our inflatable boat weighs at least 200 kg—we can’t just pull that up like that. So we try to negotiate, but in the end, all we manage to get is help pulling it up. And we get the tip that we should land around the corner instead. The beach there isn’t supervised, so we’re allowed to anchor there. Makes sense! At Club Nau, our waiter from Sunday greets us like old friends, and we get a nice table with a view of the dinghy and the anchorage. A little later, Corinne, Matthias, and Guido arrive, and we’re happy to see the three of them again after so long. We enjoy a lovely evening together, as always with delicious food and nice drinks. Eventually, the live band starts playing and finally drives us out to the beach. Not because of the music, but because of the volume, which makes conversation almost impossible. Together, we manage to maneuver our dinghy—which is now sitting very high and dry on land—back into the water. On our own, Axel and I would probably have had to give up. We say our goodbyes, hoping that we’ll see each other again someday, somewhere in this world. Both Seren Wen and Playmobil plan to set sail for the Mediterranean in a few weeks, while we intend to sail in the opposite direction. Back on board, we enjoy the lovely evening atmosphere and the live music from shore for a little while longer before turning in for the night.
Another peaceful night with surprisingly few meows from Kater. Let’s hope it stays this way. The morning weather is calm, but the sky is overcast. It seems the weather pattern is bringing us not only warm temperatures but also dust from Africa once again. In the cockpit, we’re already measuring 24°C at 9 a.m., and it’s supposed to climb toward 30°C over the next few days. Not a trace of rain anywhere. That’s just how we like it. After breakfast, we prepare a salad for the barbecue and pack our picnic basket once again. At 1:30 p.m., we take the dinghy to the unguarded section of Ferragudo Beach and meet up there with numerous sailors. We already know the organizers, Steffi and Jörg from the Bigfoot. Joining them are many other sailors who are anchored off Portimão or moored in the marina. It turns into a fun barbecue with lots of nice conversations. The tide finally drives us out of our cozy little spot between the rocks in the early evening and floods our barbecue area. Back on board, we first have to give our dinghy a thorough cleaning. The sea has washed in vast amounts of sand, and we could build an entire castle out of it. We really need to come up with a new plan for the dinghy. It’s actually too heavy for us because of the steering console. We can’t just pull it up the beach. The wheels we attached sink too deep into the sand because of the weight, making it impossible to roll the dinghy on them. And unfortunately, anchoring it out in the water doesn’t work either. Today we landed at low tide and left again at high tide. If we’d anchored it, we would’ve had to swim quite a long way out to get back to our dinghy. Not much fun with a water temperature of 16°C. So, with the help of the other sailors, we kept pulling it a little further up the beach. The result was that the surf flooded the dinghy with sand and salt water several times. We’re spending the rest of the evening cozy in the cockpit and hoping that the strong winds forecast for tomorrow won’t be quite so unpleasant.
Fortunately, the strong winds hold off and the night is calm once again. So we wake up refreshed in the morning and enjoy our delicious homemade muesli for breakfast. Then it’s time to get to work. I prepare pizza dough for the evening. I also try my hand at making baguette dough. Meanwhile, Axel heads to the port guest cabin. The pressure switch on our fresh water pump isn’t turning off anymore, causing the pump to run continuously. Luckily, we have a spare pump on board. However, the pump is installed in such a hidden spot that it would practically take a contortionist to remove it. By joining forces, we manage to do it in the end. Our boat yoga is getting more and more acrobatic. Bruises, scraped skin, and bleeding fingers are, of course, part of the deal. Luckily, we’d filled a small canister with water beforehand; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to continue my dough projects in between. Both the dough and the installation of the new pressure pump take until evening. That’s one way to pass the time. Meanwhile, the sun is shining outside and it’s a summery 31.8°C in our cockpit. Working in these conditions quickly creates a sauna effect, which we really don’t need right now. After everything is installed, we unfortunately realize that the problem probably wasn’t the pump after all. The new pump is still running non-stop. Damn! So what else could it be? A broken cable? The relay? We’ll postpone further work until tomorrow, because in any case, we’d now have to laboriously remove everything we installed today. Boat life in its purest form! In any case, we’ve certainly earned that cool wheat beer at the end today! And even the baguette and pizza aren’t turning out quite right today. The baguette is black on the bottom, the pizza is almost black on the bottom and not yet crispy on top. Well then, we’ll just have to call it a day. By the way, there’s a great weather window to Madeira for the next two days. But without a working fresh water pump, we’ll probably let it pass and wait for the next opportunity.
The next morning, work on repairing the fresh water pump continues in full swing. After breakfast, of course! The homemade baguette tastes pretty good, but I think I’ll look for a different recipe. And tweak the baking technique. While Axel repairs the pump, I take care of cleaning the house—uh, no, the boat. The dust from our time at the shipyard needs to be removed ASAP. By noon, we’re both done with our work. The pump is running again, has good pressure, and isn’t running continuously anymore. Meanwhile, the anchorage is coming to life. One tour boat after another is anchoring around us, each carrying dozens of loudly bellowing tourists. Screams as they jump into the cool water. Thumping music with booming bass. None of it’s bad, but rather invigorating. Then, however, the bane of anchorages sets in. Two jet skis are circling, wailing loudly. Unfortunately, that’s just part of the deal. We still enjoy our ice cream, the sundowner, and finally dinner in the front cockpit, and we’re glad to have running water again. Tomorrow we plan to put the watermaker into operation. Let’s see what goes wrong in the process.
Pentecost Sunday. Everything’s pretty much the same as always; weekdays have long since lost their significance for us. We only glance at the calendar again when it’s time for the lottery drawing or the latest episode of Tatort on ARD. Speaking of the lottery drawing, I won! No, not the 20-million-euro jackpot. No, not even the 120-million-euro Eurojackpot. I won the new Lagoon 47 from Lagoon! A catamaran we’d buy right away if we didn’t already have La Ola. Unfortunately, I didn’t actually win a real catamaran, just a puzzle. Well, at least that’s something! I really love doing puzzles. Every day, in fact. Via an app. They’re supposed to be good for the brain and they’re fun, too. Otherwise, Pentecost Sunday starts like any other Sunday with a delicious breakfast featuring eggs. Then Axel starts up our watermaker. We still have plenty of water in the tanks, but we want to test whether the watermaker starts up without any problems after the long winter break. Fortunately, everything works smoothly, and we let it run for an hour. Even though the watermaker is running and using electricity, our solar panels are still charging our batteries. By noon, we could already put up a sign saying “Free Electricity” again. It’s always nice to be able to live so self-sufficiently in a world with skyrocketing energy and electricity prices. Given the good electricity yield, we also treat ourselves to running our hot water boiler for an hour every day. This way, we can take pleasantly warm showers over the next few days and also handle the dishes more easily. Otherwise, we’re keeping busy with the latest weather forecasts and planning the route to Porto Santo and Madeira. While in 2006 we simply set sail on Hello World whenever the wind seemed suitable, today there’s a vast amount of weather data to consider. The forecasts sometimes give the impression that they are significantly more reliable due to the volume of data, but in many cases this is a fallacy. The various weather models sometimes diverge from one another, both in terms of wind strength and wind direction. In addition to the weather, we must also continue to be mindful of the orca issue. The orcas are very active at the moment and have already destroyed numerous rudders on sailing yachts off the Strait of Gibraltar. It is assumed that some of the orcas will now migrate northward, following the tuna. In doing so, they will pass by the Algarve, meaning that, if we’re unlucky, we’ll cross their path when we set sail for Madeira. Since the recommendation is to take the shortest possible route to deep water with a depth of more than 1,000 meters and to avoid underwater canyons, we will likely not sail directly from Portimão to Madeira, but instead take a small detour via Sagres and Cabo São Vicente. From there, it’s only 7 nm to deep water, whereas from Portimão it’s about 30 nm and we’d have to pass the Portimão Canyon. But first, the weather has to cooperate. Otherwise, with a pleasant 30°C, we’ll just laze around all day and enjoy life at anchor; in the evening, we’ll have grilled cheese with baked potatoes and a glass of rosé to go with it.
Whit Monday, and once again not a public holiday in Portugal. After breakfast, we set off in the dinghy and head to Ferragudo. There, we tie up our dinghy next to the water taxis. Of course, not without asking permission first. From there, we take an Uber to Parchal. At the yacht supplier, we pick up a few parts for new projects on board, then walk to Lidl to buy some fresh groceries. We take an Uber back to the dinghy so we don’t have to lug the heavy stuff nearly 2 km through the heat. The driver drops us off right at the dock, and we quickly load all our groceries into the dinghy. We head back to La Ola against a strong wind, and I get thoroughly showered with cool seawater. Back on board, we notice that one of our front cockpit cushions has blown away in the wind. It’s hanging over the stern, half in the water, and threatens to slip off and float away. How it got there remains a mystery at first; it’s only a few days later that we learn our neighbors from the Santos rescued it from the water and stowed it at the stern. Thank you so much for that! We stow all the groceries, and I get right to work: marinating the meat for the grill, preparing potato salad and tzatziki, and chilling the drinks. We’ve invited Steffi and Jörg from the Bigfoot, as well as Heike and Frank from the Mariposa, over for a barbecue this evening. The four of them arrive right on time at 6 p.m., and Heike and Frank also bring their dog Käppi along. Lucky the cat, however, isn’t too happy about this and flees inside for the time being. Käppi, meanwhile, stays with us in the cockpit, so that both animals end up content, each in their own space. Otherwise, it turns out to be another very nice evening with lots of stories about the sea and life in general. That’s how we like our evenings at anchor!
The next morning, we’re woken up by loud honking. A cruise ship is pulling into Portimão and feels compelled to wake everyone up at 7 a.m. Thanks a lot! Anyway, now that I’m awake, I get right out of bed. Well, to be honest, I was already awake before that—thanks to a very hungry cat. So I sit out in the sunny cockpit early in the morning and enjoy the morning. A few hours later, Axel joins me and we have breakfast. The wind has picked up again and is blowing through the anchorage in gusts of force 6 to 7. Not good weather for a trip ashore. So we stay on board and once again focus on weather forecasts and route planning. Through the NoForeignland (NFL) platform and the Finding Dory group, I became aware of the BRally. A group that organizes casual sailing rallies in Brazil and supports foreign sailors with local information and assistance. I sign up on the website and then realize that we actually met the group’s founder, Silvio, and his yacht Matajusi in French Polynesia back in 2009. The world is sooooo small, and somehow you always run into each other twice in life. We quickly get in touch via WhatsApp and set up our first meeting in Brazil! A little later, Astrid, who is currently in Brazil with her catamaran, gets in touch through the same group. Not only does she share lots of information and tips, but she also knows our friend Sanni and lived in Ritterhude until a year ago. Did I mention that the world is small?! Ritterhude, where we lived from 2001 to 2006, and most recently Langwedel from 2026 to 2024, seem to be hotspots for blue-water sailors; we now know three other blue-water sailing couples from both Ritterhude and Langwedel. Otherwise, I’m spending today planning a few new sewing projects. I need to sew a storage bag for our stainless steel grille for the front hatch in the saloon, and a protective cover for our spare gas can for the dinghy. I’m looking through our boat sewing book and getting video inspiration from the American supplier Sailrite. In the end, I’m theoretically much smarter and at least have a plan for the two sewing projects. Now we “just” have to dig the sewing machine out of its hiding spot. In the evening, today’s cruise ship bids farewell to Portimão with about twenty blasts of its horn. Is that really necessary? In any case, it doesn’t really increase our enthusiasm for cruise tourism. In the evening, I prepare everything for homemade hazelnut milk for the first time—that is, I soak hazelnuts in water. We’re invited to join the other sailors for coffee and cake at Heidi and Robert’s in Ferragudo on Thursday. Everyone is bringing something, and I want to try making homemade Ferrero Rocher. For that, I need hazelnut milk and the pulp from our slow juicer—the main thing is that the experiment works!
Lucky wakes me up at 6:30 a.m., presumably just to show me the beautiful dawn. And since I’m already awake and up, I go ahead and feed him his breakfast right away. The weather looks set to be nice and sunny again, though it’s still quite windy and gusts are howling through the anchorage. But the wind is supposed to die down over the next few days. Otherwise, the weather is acting up again across Europe this year. Record temperatures of over 30°C are being recorded, even in Germany. This is rather unusual for late May. Parts of Portugal are under a warning for dry thunderstorms over the next few days, posing a significant risk of wildfires. In many places, the snapped and now-dry trees from the winter storms still lie on the ground. Add to that dry grass and bushes. If lightning strikes without rain, this can quickly ignite a brush fire or wildfire. The number of wildfires is already on the rise. In the Doñana Nature Reserve, where we anchored so beautifully in the Rio Guadalquivir last year, several hundred hectares are currently on fire, destroying the unique ecosystem. Fortunately, however, the fire now appears to be under control. After breakfast, it’s time for some kitchen work today. I use our slow juicer to make hazelnut milk from the soaked hazelnuts, then produce a 3-day supply of juice. Next up are the Rocher. I soak dates and chia seeds in nut milk, make oat flour, and then mix all the ingredients with cocoa into a nice batter. I roll these into small balls, each with a hazelnut in the center, and finally roll them once more in the nut pulp. The result looks impressive and tastes quite delicious, but to be honest, it doesn’t have much in common with the real Ferrero Rocher. While we’re at it, we also make some granola, and a delicious scent of cinnamon fills the salon and the cockpit. Whether lured by that or not, a bird suddenly flies through our salon, but luckily quickly finds its way out into the cockpit. I can identify it as a nightjar. A pretty bird, but one that leaves us just as quickly before I can take a photo. That wraps up our day’s work for today, and we can turn our attention to relaxation. Reading, doing puzzles, petting the cat, lounging lazily in the sun. We bravely stick with it until evening. As the sun sets, we watch from the aft deck—yes, you can sit there too—as dolphins frolic in the harbor entrance. A lovely way to end the day!
Thursday is the traditional “Sailor’s Sunday,” and we’re enjoying a lovely breakfast in the front cockpit in the morning sun, just as the day calls for. Afterward, I check the weather forecast for the next few days again. Unfortunately, the outlook for a trip toward Madeira has worsened, and we’ll probably have to wait at least another week before we can set off. That is, if—and I say if—the whole situation doesn’t change again. A stable high-pressure system near the Azores is still nowhere in sight, though. But we don’t have much to complain about while at anchor and can enjoy life here as well. In the afternoon, we set off for Ferragudo in the dinghy. We have a whole mountain of trash on board, which we can easily get rid of in Ferragudo near our dinghy mooring. It’s amazing how natural it feels as a sailor to stroll along a bustling tourist promenade with your trash bags without feeling the least bit self-conscious. In Germany, people would probably look at us very strangely. Well, of course, Germany doesn’t have these numerous public trash stations where you can easily get rid of your trash. In Portugal, they’re everywhere, and you can even sort your trash by type. After we’ve gotten rid of our trash, we head up the stairs toward the church and on to what is probably the prettiest alley in Ferragudo. That’s where Heidi and Robert live; they’ve invited us over today for coffee and cake. We’re the first guests and are first served water on the terrace. Little by little, Heike and Thomas from De Barben, Heike and Frank from Mariposa, and Steffi and Jörg from Bigfoot trickle in. A little later, Jens from Tendrel Aurelie joins us as well. Everyone has brought something, and we indulge in apple and orange cake, pasteis de nata, strawberry tiramisu, and my nut balls. Delicious! Along with plenty of nice conversation and, later on, a glass or two of wine. We’re having such a good time again! Around 8 p.m., we head home and are met with a pitiful meow from Lucky as we board. He claims he hasn’t had anything to eat yet! He meows while standing in front of the bowl that was already filled when we left and is still full. We enjoy the sunset in the forward cockpit and then chill out a bit more in the aft cockpit before eventually heading back to our bunks.
I’m up early again and enjoying the sunrise. At Praia Grande, people are already hard at work tidying up the beach for the tourists. A small tractor with a roller is driving around, raking the sand until it’s nice and even. It’s still pleasantly cool in the morning at 17°C, but the day promises to be sunny and warm again. My first glance goes once again to the weather report and the forecasts for our trip to Madeira. For the next four days, however, things still don’t look good. Too much wind, waves too high from the side, making for uncomfortable and noisy sailing. In our weather app PredictWind, every route is marked with a red warning. We really don’t like sailing in such conditions and only do so if there’s no other alternative. So we’ll just keep waiting for better weather for the crossing. While I’m still checking the forecast, sea fog rolls in around us, casting an eerie filter over the landscape. After less than half an hour, the spooky scene is over and the sun has burned away all the haze. Time for breakfast. Today we’re having pancakes made with our homemade hazelnut milk. It works, and the pancakes have a slightly nutty flavor as a result. Afterward, I finally grab my kayak, because for once the wind isn’t blowing at 25 knots through the anchorage today. So I paddle off cheerfully, explore a nearby beach, and stop by the other German yachts to say hello. I bring Petra and Tom from the Santos a bottle of wine as a thank-you for rescuing our cockpit cushions from the water a few days ago. Finally, after successfully testing the new kayak floor, we head back to La Ola. In the afternoon, Axel gets into a cleaning frenzy and, while floating, cleans our rather grimy waterline. Now La Ola looks spick and span again. The water temperature is a pleasant 20°C, so I let myself be tempted into a quick dip. Afterward, we take a nice warm shower using our new outdoor shower setup. To dry off, we head out into the sun in the front cockpit. Other than that, we don’t have much to do for the rest of the day—except enjoy life. Which, let’s face it, can be pretty exhausting sometimes…
It’s Saturday, and we’re getting up early. Well, I’m getting up as early as usual, enjoying the sunrise and watching the cruise ship Norwegian Dawn drop anchor just off the harbor entrance. Today, though, Axel is also out of his bunk earlier than usual. We want to go shopping and get it done before the heat sets in, so after breakfast we head straight to Ferragudo by dinghy. As always, we tie up our trusty vessel near the water taxi stand and take an Uber to Parchal. This time we’re going to Aldi, where we buy fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as other fresh groceries. We take an Uber back to Ferragudo, just in time to see the second cruise ship, the Amera, pull in. It’s going to get crowded today. We’re quickly back on board, stow the groceries, and retreat into the shade. It’s already quite warm, and the weather service has issued a yellow heat warning. Luckily, besides relaxing in the cockpit, we don’t have much else planned for today. Unfortunately, though, it’s pretty chaotic at the anchorage. The Norwegian Dawn is spitting out passengers every minute, who are taken ashore by shuttle boats. On top of that, there seem to be twice as many tour boats as usual—and, of course, our beloved jet skis. A beach bar in Portimão blasts music at us all day long, and we wonder how people can stand it inside the bar. Even against the wind, we can hear the music so loud that it easily drowns out our radio. In the late afternoon, Axel prepares some delicious shrimp fritters. We take them along in the evening to our neighbors on the Santos, who have invited us for drinks on board. It turns out to be a lovely evening with our hosts Petra and Tom, as well as Steffi and Jörg from BigFoot. The whole evening is crowned by a spectacular full moon rising. A Blue Moon, since it’s already the second full moon in the month of May.
I’m starting the day a little later today and don’t get into the cockpit until 7:30 a.m. The sun is already beating down, and that’s not the only reason our workout is going to be quite a sweat-inducing one. Shortly after 9 a.m., the Santos sails past us and heads off to Albufeira. It’s a shame our paths are parting ways so soon. After breakfast, we’ll be making juice again today. We also prepare a strawberry-mango spritzer for the afternoon, which we plan to take along with some Prosecco to enjoy with our afternoon coffee and cake. Then it’s time to do the dishes, and finally, it’s off to a well-deserved siesta. It’s warm like the height of summer, and all around us people are paddling, swimming, and stand-up paddleboarding. We, too, enjoy cooling off in the water and are delighted by this wonderful Sunday. At noon, instead of a cruise ship, a freighter pulls up today. The ship from the Spliethoff shipping company—the same one we used to ship Hello World from New Zealand to Europe back then—has a rather large specialized fish farming vessel loaded on deck. I wonder if it will be unloaded in Portimão? We’ll see… At 3 p.m., we head over in the dinghy to visit our neighbors on the Mariposa. Heike and Frank have invited us over, and numerous sailors show up. We spread out across the saloon and cockpit, chatting, feasting, and sipping the occasional glass of Prosecco and wine after coffee. Before we know it, the afternoon turns into a long evening in good company. The sailing community here at anchor is truly wonderful and makes waiting for good sailing weather very, very easy.
It’s June 1st, and I’m sitting in the cockpit again just before seven. The cruise ship Norwegian Dawn has once again taken up position off the harbor entrance. So it looks like it’s going to be another somewhat restless day at anchor. We’ve now been at our anchorage off Praia Grande in Ferragudo for two weeks, and time has flown by. There’s still no sign of a weather window, so we’ll probably be here a few more days. Strong winds are forecast for the next few days, so we’re considering heading back to the marina for a few more days. It would not only be more comfortable and less rocky there, but we could also unpack our bikes and go for a ride around the area. Portimão, however, turns us down outright, as they have no space for us. We also inquire in Lagos, but get turned down there as well. So, back to Vilamoura? That’s actually the opposite direction from Madeira. But of course, that way we could see our friends from Seren Wen and Playmobil again. We go back and forth on it and then decide to stay at anchor after all. After all, a night in the marina would cost us a whopping 175 euros. We’d rather go out for a few more delicious meals and stay anchored for free. After a light lunch, we head briefly to the beach to try out a new dinghy anchoring technique. For this, Axel bought a long, looped line that we can now use to pull the dinghy out to the anchor and back to the beach. In principle, the system works well, but the long line gets tangled up and makes pulling it out quite difficult. We’ll probably have to think of an improvement. Back on board in the afternoon, we also have an online meeting for the first time in a long while. Our friend Dietmar, whom we met in the South Seas in 2008, organizes the Ocean Posse, of which we are, of course, members. The Ocean Posse is a casual association of sailors who are cruising in the same area and offers many benefits, such as discounts at marinas and group insurance that provides good coverage for worldwide travel. The membership fee is reasonable and usually pays for itself quickly thanks to the discounts. While we’re still in the meeting, a sudden commotion breaks out in the anchorage. The wind has picked up considerably, and a yacht that arrived this morning apparently didn’t set its anchor properly. Not only is it drifting, but a yacht that has been anchored here for quite some time is also threatening to drift toward the outer breakwater. Various inflatable boats, the coast guard, and a large tugboat are quickly on the scene, working together to untangle the anchor mess and avert a major disaster. Phew! You really don’t want that to happen! And yet we’re only dealing with 25 knots of wind—so, strictly speaking, not even dramatic wind conditions. In the evening, we grill ourselves another delicious hamburger with beef from the Azores. Add some homemade fries, and we’re happy. The wind eventually dies down, and we enjoy the rest of the evening in the cockpit with summery temperatures.
I don’t really know why I always get up so early. But I don’t need an alarm clock—I’m just wide awake in a flash. And so, once again, I’m sitting in the cockpit at 7 a.m., enjoying the morning calm. Eventually, I do a little exercise; the first sounds of the day drift over from shore, and the first outboard motors start up in the anchorage. The fishermen are coming in from the sea with their catch, and a sailor is making his way around the pier and further upriver at a snail’s pace. There’s only a very light breeze. Clouds have clung to the ridges of the Monchique Mountains, covering the slopes like a bedsheet. At 9 a.m., Axel finally emerges from his cabin, and we enjoy a lovely breakfast together in the cockpit. A glance at the weather forecast shows no change. There’s still too much wind and swell for the trip to Madeira. “Why don’t you just head north after all, as you originally planned?” some of you might be wondering. Quite simply because the strong wind keeping us away from Madeira is coming from the north, and we’d also have to sail into it. Not a good option, especially when you also have a swell from the northwest and would have to sail along a very exposed, steep coastline. Of course, we could head a little further east, but who really wants to go in the wrong direction? Although…?! Do we really have to keep going west? For now, though, we’d rather wait it out here in Portimão, even if there are surely more exciting adventures for us to experience and for the readers of this blog to read about. That’s just the life of a sailor. Always dictated by the weather and rarely predictable. You have to like it and learn to be patient. But we’re not getting bored, though. In addition to the many social interactions while at anchor, there are always little projects and DIY jobs to tackle. Not worth mentioning every time, but we muddle through the day like this quite often. Today, for example, Axel noticed while operating the watermaker that the water smells musty. So he checked the filter and found it to be in bad shape, as it’s already completely clogged. Since we’re currently anchored in the mouth of the Arade River, there’s simply a lot of sediment dissolved in the water here, and the filters need to be replaced more often. The filter is quickly swapped out, and the water already smells a bit better. But not quite right yet. So we clean the watermaker as well. That takes longer, but in the end, the water smells and tastes good again. I also received a new sourdough starter from Heike and Frank on the Mariposa, which I now have to nurture and care for. And, of course, I can bake something with it eventually. I’m having a bit of trouble finding the right temperature on board. At home, you’d simply use the oven on a very low setting. Here, my only option is to look for a warm spot in the cockpit. Luckily, with summery outside temperatures, that’s not too much of a problem, so the sourdough is getting its first use today. I’m making pizza dough and enhancing my recipe with sourdough. Let’s see if it works! After the water tanks are finally full again and the filter is, unfortunately, already dirty again, we have Mediterranean vegetables with baked feta from the air fryer for dinner. Delicious and healthy! The wind, which has picked up steadily throughout the day and is sending one gust after another through the rigging, is holding steady today until late in the evening. Supposedly, it’s supposed to die down overnight, which would suit us just fine in terms of getting some sleep. But when does the wind ever follow the forecast?
Amazing—the wind actually did die down! But only until 2 a.m., when it started blowing again. So I got up briefly, took a look around—everything was still okay and in place—and went back to bed. That woke Lucky up, and he wanted a few rubs in bed. Of course, he got them. Eventually, we fall back asleep. And eventually, Lucky wakes up again. Couldn’t we have breakfast already?! No, but there’s still plenty of food in the bowl. He keeps meowing, though, until I get up and take him to the bowl. After that, it’s quiet until just past five. Then dawn breaks, and it’s definitely time for breakfast. At least in Lucky’s opinion. So, get up, fill the bowl, and back to bed. Either Lucky is already suffering from progressive dementia, or he’s training me for the upcoming night shifts. Either way, by 7 a.m. I’m awake and alert as usual and get up. Lucky and Axel are still fast asleep. So this day starts just like yesterday. Otherwise, today’s agenda includes doing laundry, making pizza, and preparing sourdough bread. Not much else happens, and we just laze around all day. The wind picks up considerably again in the afternoon, making life at anchor a bit rough. The evening pizza with sourdough turns out well, but it doesn’t make much of a difference from the previous pizzas. I’ll probably have to keep experimenting. The rest of the evening goes by just like last night, sitting in the cockpit. Including the daily beautiful sunset over Portimão. It never gets boring!
Groundhog Day all over again? The morning weather check still doesn’t allow for a trip to Madeira. Too much wind, too high waves. So we continue to exercise patience. After preparing the sourdough for my bread yesterday, I can continue working on it today. Every few hours, I stretch and fold it so it can build up a nice tension. This goes on for over 24 hours before it can finally be baked. Until then, we tackle the mountain of dishes, make some fresh juice again, and brush Lucky, whose fur coat is clearly too warm for him. Every day I brush half a cat out of him and send a little ball of cat fur out to sea. It’s funny how it drifts through the anchorage and doesn’t sink. In the afternoon, the bread goes into the air fryer to bake for an hour. The result is a crispy, airy loaf with a lovely hearty flavor. Once the bread is done, we take the dinghy over to Steffi and Jörg, who’ve spontaneously invited us for coffee on BigFoot. Heike and Frank, along with their dog Käppi, are there too, and it turns into a lovely afternoon. Around 8 p.m., we’re back on board La Ola and let the evening wind down in the cockpit. Of course, once again accompanied by a stunning sunset.
Finally Friday. Not too long ago, we probably wouldn’t have believed it. Here at anchor, it’s a day like any other. Morning exercise, breakfast, and grooming. That’s a great way to start the day. The wind is strong and gusty again. My little inflatable boat has to tackle huge waves and then gets blown apart into four pieces by a gust. With this wind, we decide to postpone our plans to go shopping today until tomorrow. Instead, we’re taking a little office day. Various internet and software tasks need to be taken care of. And we need to sort out the insurance for La Ola. Currently, we’re only insured for Northern Europe; Portugal is included, but unfortunately, Madeira and the Canary Islands aren’t. So we’re getting a quote from our insurer, Pantaenius. Not just from them, but from other insurance companies as well. The terms from Pantaenius seem a bit off-putting to us. We get through the day quickly this way. In the evening, we have fried fish with homemade fries, followed by a quiet evening in the cockpit.
The weekend kicks off with a lovely breakfast in the cockpit, followed by washing up and a nice hot shower. Around noon, we head out to Ferragudo in our dinghy on a gentle breeze and, as usual, moor next to the water taxi stand. The grill master at one of the seafood restaurants points out that we’d be better off moving our boat a bit further away, since the water from cleaning the fish might otherwise end up in our dinghy. We decide to do just that. Then we refuel at Restaurante Borda do Cais with grilled sea bream and octopus. Well-fed, we continue on foot today. We walk the route to Parchal and to Lidl along the road and are once again amazed by the number of stork nests along the way. The young birds—sometimes three or four per nest—are already practicing their first wing flaps and will likely be ready to fly soon. At Lidl, we restock our fresh supplies and buy barbecue ingredients. We’ve invited our sailing friends over for a barbecue aboard La Ola on Sunday. We take an Uber Tesla back to the dinghy and are quickly back on board. We stow everything away and tidy up the cockpit a bit so the guests will have room tomorrow. Fortunately, the mess is quickly cleared up, and so we can spend the rest of the day taking turns enjoying the sun in the forward cockpit and the shade in the aft cockpit. In the evening, we quickly watch the sunset, and just like that, the day is over again.
Sunday—Eitag. After breakfast, we prepare a Mediterranean tortellini salad and tzatziki, chill the drinks, and fire up the ice maker. Our guests arrive around 1:30 p.m. Heike and Frank come over from the Mariposa with their dog Käppi. Inge and Thommy speed over from the marina. Heidi, Robert, and Jens are picked up from the beach. Later, Steffi and Jörg from the BigFoot join us with their guests Petra and Christoph. It turns into a lovely barbecue Sunday with way too much food, way too many drinks, and plenty—you can never have too much of this!—of shared laughter and conversation. Our Captain Blaubär, of course, mingles with the guests at some point and is happy to make new friends. It’s well after sunset before our guests leave, and we quickly tidy up the mess a bit before collapsing into our bunks, exhausted but happy.
Has it really been three weeks since we got back in the water from the shipyard?! We haven’t really gotten very far yet! We’ll see if we end up anchored for another four weeks or if the weather gods will eventually smile on us and open up a nice weather window to Madeira. Right now, it actually looks like there might be an opportunity this weekend. But the forecast is still too uncertain for us to get our hopes up just yet. And first things first, we have to tackle the dishes today. A big stack of plates and lots of glasses are waiting to be washed. The Brit dishwasher and Axel’s automatic dryer take care of everything in no time, and we can get back to more relaxing things. To be fair, we should also mention that our guests did offer to help with the dishes yesterday, and we politely declined. At lunchtime, we use up the leftovers from yesterday’s salad and tzatziki. Luckily, only a small amount was left this time. In the afternoon, we have a call with an American insurance broker who wants to give us a quote for worldwide coverage. In the evening, there’s an interesting webinar on the topic of provisioning and medical equipment, followed by an otherwise quiet end to the day in the cockpit.
After a very quiet Monday, we start Tuesday feeling fresh and energetic. As usual, our first glance goes to the weather forecast. And lo and behold, the weather window is still open. It looks like we’ll be able to set sail for Porto Santo on June 14 or 15. Probably more likely on June 15, because that way we could anchor comfortably off Sagres the night before with no wind or waves—and, not unimportantly, watch the German men’s national soccer team’s first World Cup match against Curaçao on Sunday. Around noon today, we’ll take the dinghy to Portimão, where we’re meeting up with Anne and Pete from the sailing yacht Moonfleet. So far, we’ve only known the two of them “virtually” through the Finding Dory group, and today we’re meeting in person for the first time. Like us, they’re planning to sail toward Madeira, the Canary Islands, and across the Atlantic, though their boat is currently still in Portimão for maintenance work on land. We have lunch together at an Indian restaurant and look forward to meeting up again somewhere on our way west. Afterward, we pick up a few groceries at Pingo Doce before heading back under the scorching sun. Back on board, we need to recover from the outing first. For once, there’s hardly any wind today, and the heat is intense even above the anchorage. It’s a good thing we can just jump into the water to cool off (in my case: it takes me only 10 minutes to climb down the swim ladder into the water, centimeter by centimeter). Otherwise, I’m busy planning our excursions to Porto Santo and Madeira. We definitely want to go golfing on both islands. We also plan to rent a car in Madeira and take a few island tours. I’ve already gathered a few suggestions and ideas, but with our destination now so close at hand, I can finally get down to the nitty-gritty planning. We’re also starting to inquire about berths for the Kanarem. Even though it’s still a few months away, many marinas are already fully booked in October and November. We’ll see if we get lucky somewhere. Unfortunately, the evening weather report doesn’t look all that great again. But planning a trip isn’t easy either! And we’d really love to head to Porto Santo as soon as possible. That’s where our friends Uli and Imke from the Eiland are currently staying—we’ve known them since our Baltic Sea days with Blue Noot. It would be nice if we could finally meet up again in Porto Santo after all these years. Plus, our former neighbors Petra and Jens from Langwedel will be in Madeira soon. Of course, we’d love to see them again, too. But if the weather gods don’t want it, then so be it. In any case, we’re not going to argue with them. We’ve made that mistake too many times already and don’t need to repeat it.
New day, new weather report. It feels a bit like the lottery drawing. Did we win today? Jackpot?! Or just one number right again, and nothing to show for it but the cost of the ticket? And what’s a good weather forecast actually worth these days? The various weather models are often completely off the mark. Just like the lottery numbers. All information is provided without guarantee! Only once you’ve reached your destination or the winnings have hit your account do you know whether the numbers and weather forecasts were correct. But at some point, you have to decide whether to trust the data or wait a little longer. Or change your travel plans. Luckily, we’re completely flexible and under no time pressure. Well, of course we’d love to win the lottery soon! But whether we get to Madeira on Sunday, in three weeks, or even three years from now doesn’t really matter. Still, we feel like a racehorse in the starting gate and just want to get going. And we’re staying positive. I’m already thinking about what we might eat on the days at sea. I’m wondering whether I should prep some meals in advance or just trust that the calm weather will hold. I make a shopping list and am confident we won’t starve during the three-day crossing. Meanwhile, I’m waiting for the weather report. It’s updated morning and evening, but it’s running late today. Sometime after breakfast, the new forecast comes in and gives us hope again. But we don’t trust any weather forecast more than three days in advance. So nothing is decided yet. Today, once again, a bit of office work is on the agenda. I’m trying my hand at being a Microsoft 365 admin and hope that I can somehow figure it out so I can continue receiving my emails in the future. Meanwhile, Axel continues to take care of our yacht insurance. A questionnaire needs to be filled out, and there are numerous serial numbers and data points to enter that we don’t have memorized. In the end, we manage to tackle this task as well and can once again enjoy the beautiful sunny day. In the evening, we grill a nice sea bream and prepare a fresh salad to go with it. Life couldn’t be better!
Even though not much is really happening, the days are just flying by and it’s Thursday again. Sailor’s Sunday. I think I’ve mentioned this before, so we’re having eggs for breakfast. Today, for a change, it’s an omelet with feta cheese in a bell pepper. Very tasty! Along with that, the latest weather report still looks pretty good for our departure to Madeira on June 15. Late in the morning, we set out once again on a little dinghy shopping trip. As usual, we head to Ferragudo and then take an Uber to Lidl. A little later, we actually take the same Uber back to Ferragudo. Before we head back to La Ola, we make a quick fuel stop at Marina Portimão and refill our dinghy tanks. Unfortunately, the wind has picked up considerably in the meantime, and we have to struggle against it to get back on board. Soaked to the skin, we finally arrive back at La Ola and stow our groceries before having a sandwich for lunch to recharge. In the meantime, we’ve also sorted out our insurance matters and are now actually ready to set sail for Madeira. But, of course, it’s only Thursday today and the weather isn’t right yet. So we sit back and relax, enjoying the summer day at anchor. We prefer to spend most of the day in the shaded cockpit, though. It’s definitely too hot in the sun, and you get thoroughly roasted in no time. It’s too warm for this time of year, even by Portuguese standards. Could this already be the impact of the Super El Niño year? The heat and dryness of the past few weeks have also caused the risk of wildfires to be higher now than it was during the record wildfire year of 2022. It’s probably too warm for Lucky the cat with his black fur, too. He doesn’t really want to move around during the day and lies down voluntarily on his new cooling pad. In the evening, for a change, we make spaghetti Bolognese and then enjoy a glass of wine in the evening sun on the front deck.
Oops, it’s Friday again! A rumbling sound wakes me up before 6 a.m., and I’m rewarded for getting up early with a beautiful sunrise. I can identify the source of the rumbling right away—yet another cruise ship is sneaking into Portimão behind us. I take advantage of the quiet morning for a little exercise in the cockpit and work up quite a sweat in the 22°C heat. Eventually Axel joins me, and we start by having a leisurely breakfast. Meanwhile, the wind picks up quite suddenly and is howling through the anchorage at nearly 30 knots. The anchor of a small long-term mooring can’t withstand the wind pressure, and it drifts toward the boat in front of us. Luckily, a few dinghies are quickly on the scene to help and tow the sailboat back to a safe position. A little later, thick black smoke rises behind Ferragudo. There’s a fire! Fortunately, the smoke drifts away from us, and even better, the fire is quickly extinguished. But we really don’t need any more anchor drama or action for today! Before our planned departure for Madeira, we fire up the washing machine one last time and let the laundry dry nicely in the cockpit. I work on my laptop on the side, cleaning up data, tinkering with my new Exchange Server, and in the end, everything actually works seamlessly. In the evening, we have visitors on board again. Barbara and Max from Italy are also part of the Finding Dory group and arrived in Portimão two days ago on their Lagoon 400 Goat. They’re also heading to Madeira, and we have a lively chat about the weather, ports, and anchorages. It’s always nice how quickly and easily you find like-minded people while sailing.
After a nearly windless night, the wind starts blowing like crazy again in the morning. It’s rattling and whistling, so after getting up, I first close all the hatches and check that everything is tight and secure. We don’t want any more cushions blowing away. One of our beanbags on the upper deck has already been blown away, but luckily it’s tied down well and can’t go any further. Then it’s time to check the weather again. Everything still looks good for our departure on Monday, but a dark storm cloud is appearing on the horizon. We’d reach Madeira with good wind, but starting Thursday/Friday, southerly winds are expected in Madeira and Porto Santo. Depending on the weather model, it’s between a light breeze and wind force 5. Unfortunately, all anchorages and marinas on the southern sides of both islands are very exposed and open. So in a worst-case scenario, they wouldn’t offer us any protection. Simply anchoring on the northern side of the islands wouldn’t work as an alternative either, since the Atlantic swell is still expected to come from the north at 1.5 meters. Darn! That really throws our plans into disarray once again. But we’re not giving up hope just yet; instead, we’re waiting for the next weather reports before making a decision. Maybe the situation will clear up again. We spend the day relaxing on board. Thanks to the wind and the 2- to 2.5-meter swell off the harbor entrance, the number of tour boats creating swells is thankfully kept to a minimum today. But the waves from outside are still making their way into the anchorage and rocking us around anyway. C’est la vie. Around 4 p.m., the wind dies down and the noise from the party boats and beach bars picks up again accordingly. Yeah, that’s life in a vacation paradise. But it sounds worse than it is, and at night it’s usually nice and quiet. In the evening, our neighbors Steffi and Jörg stop by briefly. Actually, to say goodbye to us, but somehow, as we talk, we all realize that tomorrow isn’t a good day to weigh anchor at all. Steffi and Jörg can’t bring themselves to motor east, and with the weather report, we’re not really sure what we actually want either. And we’d much prefer a weather window with a northeast wind anyway. And anyway. Will we ever get out of here again?! Yes, yes, definitely! But maybe not necessarily tomorrow. We’ll wait for the next weather report. And in the meantime, we’ll try to figure out who we can watch soccer with on Sunday night. In the evening, we let the music from shore wash over us and marvel from afar at an Arabic-inspired fire show at Club Nau. No wind, no waves, no swell. Just beautiful!
It’s Sunday, and the sky is gray and overcast. We don’t even recognize this anymore! Good thing we don’t have any plans to go anywhere today. Except to Ferragudo in the evening to watch the soccer game. But first things first. We have breakfast, check the weather forecast, and make a decision. Tomorrow we’re heading to Sagres, and from there to Porto Santo on Tuesday. With favorable winds, we should arrive there on Thursday evening. Before a light southerly wind sets in. The southerly wind will pick up eventually, but hopefully it’ll be bearable in Porto Santo. After we’ve made the decision, we start getting a few things ready. I deflate my kayak and stow it in the locker. That gives us better visibility on the port side. In exchange, we take our Code Zero sail out of the same locker. With the forecast half-wind course, it should take us well south. We’re also securing a few things inside the boat that shouldn’t be flying around. Most things can just stay where they are, but some heavy appliances, like the slow juicer or the SodaStream, are being assigned a more stable spot. And we’re meticulously preparing for the crossing and rereading our blog post from September 2007. After all, we’ve successfully completed this route before. However, we sincerely hope that we don’t break anything this time and can sleep better too. And by the way, Porto Santo is supposed to be much nicer than we thought back then! We’ll see… In the afternoon, we’ll take out the trash and go shopping. As usual, we head to Ferragudo and to Lidl in Parchal. This time, though, we stick around in the little town for a while after shopping. We’ve arranged to meet up with the sailing crew at the 3 Macacos Bar to watch soccer. There, we can follow the Germany vs. Curaçao match on a big screen in a cozy setting alongside numerous other Germany fans. The atmosphere is already fantastic after the first goal in the sixth minute and stays that way until the end. A 7-1 win is certainly a great way to start the tournament, and Axel and I weren’t too far off with our predictions. After the game, we head to the beach together, where we enjoy a sundowner while sitting in an old fishing boat. The trip back to La Ola, however, turns out to be quite a challenge for us. Our dinghy is still tied to the quay wall in Ferragudo. However, it’s spring low tide, and the outboard motor is stuck in the mussels on the seabed. Working together, we finally manage to pull the dinghy to the steps, where, luckily, it floats again. A bit of a scare in the evening, but thankfully nothing happened, and we arrive safely at La Ola a little later.
After four weeks, we’re finally ready to set sail again. But the weather forecast has taken a turn for the worse yet again, and to make matters worse, there’s been a recent orca sighting right along our planned route. And not only is the forecast suddenly predicting stronger winds and waves from the northwest, it isn’t even sticking to that—instead, a gentle breeze is blowing from the southwest. Which is exactly the direction we need to head. So no trip to Porto Santo after all. The weather just isn’t any fun right now! And if you can’t even rely on the weather in the Atlantic, where can you? Waiting for a suitable weather window only to end up with completely different weather is really getting on our nerves right now. On top of that, Axel is becoming increasingly reluctant to leave Europe. And the course toward Madeira and on to the Canary Islands would be difficult to reverse. Staying in the Canary Islands would be an alternative, but you’re only allowed to stay there for a maximum of 18 months. After that, you have to pay taxes on the boat. We’re really not keen on that. Even though I’d love to keep sailing and head across the Atlantic toward Brazil or the Caribbean, Axel is even less enthusiastic about it right now. He’s genuinely dreading the long stretches at sea and the thought of everything that could break. Since we can’t simply split La Ola in two, we need a new idea and a compromise. We both completely rule out heading back north. Another season in the Algarve is out of the question as well. So what’s left? Exactly—heading east toward the Mediterranean. Even though we’re very skeptical about the Mediterranean, it’s starting to look more and more like a good alternative right now. And we don’t have to sail all the way to Greece. To Gibraltar and then a little further? We don’t know yet, but we decide together that we won’t be heading to Madeira for now; instead, we’ll set course for Gibraltar. The season is still young, and if necessary, we could always make another attempt to head west in the fall. Or stay in the Mediterranean. We don’t know, and luckily we don’t have to know. We can decide anew every day and turn the bow in a different direction. I think that’s what they call freedom! Today, however, we’ll stay at anchor for one more day. Tomorrow we’ll set off. Culatra, Mazagon, and then Cádiz. Nice and shallow, so we don’t end up sailing right into the orcas’ path. From Cádiz, we’ll head to Gibraltar at some point. By then, the tuna nets should be gone—right now, the only way to get past them is through deep water and orca territory. So that’s the new plan. Let’s see how long it lasts! Instead of making plans for Madeira, we’re now focusing on plans for Andalusia and Gibraltar. We’d love to take another closer look at the beautiful city of Cádiz. And in Gibraltar, of course, we want to see the famous monkeys on the rocks. Oh, there are so many wonderful things to see in this world. And back on board in the evening, we’ll have something delicious to eat again. We’ve become big fans of grilled octopus tentacles on potatoes with a hint—just a tiny bit—of garlic. Later, we’ll enjoy one last sunset over Portimão. Tomorrow we’re off.
