Sunday! Birthday!! Double the fun, then!!! If only the weather would cooperate… But no, February is starting off gray and dreary. At least it’s reasonably warm and we don’t have to worry about snow, black ice, and public transportation strikes. And there’s a delicious birthday breakfast and lots of birthday wishes coming in through all kinds of channels. At lunchtime, we take a little trip to Porches and Praia de Nossa Senhora da Rocha with its chapel of the same name. The chapel juts out far into the sea on a rocky promontory and is embraced by two beautiful beaches. It’s just a shame that the weather isn’t suitable for swimming! On the way back, we stop at the German beer garden and enjoy – indoors! – a delicious Wiener schnitzel with a cold drink, and then, as the drizzle sets in, we head back on board. Otherwise, the day passes quietly, with numerous phone calls and congratulatory messages. Thank you all so much for thinking of me!
Even after my birthday, the stormy and rainy weather continues in Portugal. Large parts of Portugal are already in a state of emergency due to the hurricane-force storms in January. Now storm Leonardo is sweeping across the Atlantic and is expected to bring more heavy rain. The reservoirs and rivers are already at their limits, and we hope that the weather models might be wrong after all, so that there is no further damage to the land and its people.
Unfortunately, the images reaching us from the Guadiana, among other places, do not bode well. There, moorings have already broken loose and are now threatening to drift down the river. Not to mention trees and other flotsam. Where we parked in Alcoutim a few weeks ago, there is now only water. Perhaps you remember the photo of the giant trash cat in Alcoutim? Only its head is still visible above the water. Some yachts that were anchored in the Guadiana over the winter have broken loose and had to be secured by rescue services. Fortunately, we hear that our friends Thomas and Angelika from the Manatee left their anchorage in the Guadiana in time and are now hopefully safer in the marina in Ayamonte. Spain has also been affected by the storms, and in the Marina del Odiel in Huelva, the jetties have once again been damaged and boats have been damaged. One catamaran is even in danger of sinking! We cannot put into words how glad we are not to have spent the winter there.
It continues to rain incessantly, and the images of flooding in Portugal are becoming more frequent and more severe. Even our small Ribeira de Quarteira, which flows into the marina, is carrying more and more water. It is muddy and filled with branches and flotsam. We hope that the topography, with its large floodplains and marshlands, will prevent worse damage, but at some point these areas will probably also be flooded. There is water everywhere along the roads and paths, every furrow is filled. Wind and waves bring further trouble from the sea on the other side. Sand is washed and blown onto the promenades. Elsewhere, the beach is being washed away by the waves and some beach bars are already in danger of disappearing into the sea. As the water reservoirs and dams are overflowing, they have to be drained. This leads to further flooding. The old town of Silves is under water and the water is rolling towards Portimão. The situation in northern Portugal also continues to look dire, and Spain is also experiencing its share of catastrophic weather. Somehow it feels strange that we are actually still doing quite well. Sure, the rainy weather is slowly wearing us down, and we had imagined winter in the south to be different. But that’s all we’ve had to „endure“ so far. Our marina is the safest far and wide. We have electricity, water, and plenty of food. We have gotten to know and love Portugal over the last few months, and we are deeply sorry that the country, with its loving and friendly inhabitants, now has to suffer so much!
Here is an example of the power of the waves. Forte Novo beach in Quarteira. The first photo was taken in November 2024. Even then, the first signs of sand erosion were already visible. The second photo was taken in January 2026. Large parts of the beach have disappeared. The third photo was taken a few days later in February 2026. No more sand, just rocks. The wooden walkways are no longer passable or even exist. The beach bars have been partially destroyed.
Fortunately, storm Leonardo is actually followed by a sunny day! We take advantage of the weather and take a short walk through the dunes near Vale de Lobo. The temperatures are pleasantly spring-like and there is a haze of salt water and sand in the air. We are not alone in our idea of going for a walk. It seems that every vacationer is taking advantage of the brief opportunity to get some fresh air before the weather turns bad again. We also stock up on supplies for the boat and use the rental car before returning it to buy heavy items that are difficult to obtain in Vilamoura.
Following the alphabet, storm Marta is approaching just a few days after Leonardo. Marta is also expected to bring storms with gusts of up to 50 knots (wind force 10). And, of course, a lot of rain. So we are preparing for more rainy days on board and continuing to work on getting the boat ready for the start of the next sailing season. We have commissioned stainless steel fabricator Sergio to make the boat safer. Our saloon door is getting a sturdy bolt with a lock so that we can leave the door slightly open even when we are away or at night. And one of our saloon hatches to the front cockpit is getting a grille. This will allow Lucky to get in and out without any problems. It will also allow fresh air to enter the saloon at night on hot days without giving thieves the opportunity to take advantage of the situation. Sailmaker Duarte from Dune Sailmakers reports on the progress of our work and shows us photos of our new dinghy chaps. Our new genoa is also ready, but cannot be fitted yet due to the weather. Our mainsail is also waiting for better weather so that it can be washed and repaired. Not to mention the cockpit cover, which is still waiting for new windows and which we obviously can’t do without for a few days in this rain. But complaining won’t help! Better weather is sure to come eventually.
Another ongoing project on board is our extensive stowage lists and updating the ship’s medicine cabinet. Although we still have a lot of medical equipment from our tour with Hello World, much of it is hopelessly outdated, expired, no longer sterile, or no longer up to date. Fortunately, there is the brilliant book „Medicine at Sea.“ It not only contains countless tips for medical treatment methods, but also an extensive equipment list for the on-board first-aid kit. We order most of the new equipment from the yacht supplier Hansenautic in the form of a first-aid emergency bag from Sailpartner. We opt for the Transocean version, as it already contains numerous items of equipment recommended by the book. However, we already have a few items on board, but will use the duplicates in a so-called grab bag in future. The grab bag is quickly accessible in an emergency at sea and contains important items that are intended to enable or facilitate survival in a life raft on the high seas until help hopefully arrives quickly. We can take refuge in the life raft if La Ola is no longer seaworthy for any reason. There are also recommendations for the contents of a grab bag, e.g., from Trans-Ocean e.V., which we not only follow but also supplement with a few additional items. Not that we expect we’ll ever need it! But, as the saying goes, better safe than sorry!
Since the weather is too bad to go out for dinner, we „have“ to cook on board. Which we are very happy to do, of course! We continue to practice baking pizza and, in our opinion, are getting better and better at it. We are slowly getting used to our oven, „Giovanni.“ Since I also ordered a pasta attachment for our new food processor, we are venturing into making pasta dough. We start with simple lasagna sheets and are very pleased with the result. For our next pasta project, Axel is already printing a ravioli press as a precaution. Black ravioli with shrimp filling and saffron sauce immediately come to mind as a test project. And thanks to our SCOBY tea fungus, we are now also well equipped when it comes to drinks. While the first batch of kombucha contained very little carbon dioxide, the second generation was much more fizzy and, thanks to its orange-lime flavor, also tastier. Now the third attempt, with orange-passion fruit and raspberry-lime, is waiting for the end of the second fermentation. After Marta has passed through, we venture out for another walk on the beach. The waves crash powerfully onto the beach like white horses. On the other side, the actually small stream of Quarteira flows like a raging torrent of brown and muddy flotsam towards the marina entrance. Added to this is a dark sky with a brief interlude of sunshine. How beautiful, powerful, and destructive nature can be at the same time! We are also on the other side, heading towards Quarteira, and are delighted to see that all the flotsam seems to have found creative friends and been turned into „works of art“ on the beach.
One great order we’ve received is the host country flags for our next travel destinations. Of course, we already have Portugal and Spain, but most of the countries after that are still missing from our collection. We still have a few flags from our trip with Hello World for the Caribbean, but some of them are very worn and could do with being replaced. So I ordered a whole set for all the Caribbean islands from HanseNautic and am already looking forward to flying them at some point. However, after Portugal and Spain, the flags of Cape Verde, Brazil, Guyana, and Suriname will be used first. French Guiana belongs to France, so unfortunately there is no new host country flag for it. Incidentally, we fly host country flags under the port spreader when entering the respective country. Before clearing customs, the yellow Q flag is flown to signal that you have not yet registered. The Q stands for quarantine, and in some countries it is not permitted to go ashore until the authorities have been on board and approved the stay. This is the case in New Zealand, for example, where there are special quarantine jetties that have no connection to land. Fortunately, clearing customs is much easier in most countries. However, you have to familiarize yourself with the formalities and requirements for each country. And sometimes you have to be very patient! I label the host country flags – 25 of them – with the respective country names so that I don’t have to memorize them all, and store them away. Samba, steel drum, and reggae music, jungle sounds, the smell of nutmeg, cocoa, and tropical flowers, and the taste of rum punch are already running through my head. It’s just anticipation, which you definitely need in this gray, drizzly weather.
Finally, in mid-February, the time has come! Instead of gray skies, we suddenly see the sun and a beautiful light blue in the morning. Wonderful!!! The first ice cream of the year tastes especially good. And the finished kombucha passion fruit-orange and raspberry-lime also tastes like summer. Mmmhhh! Unfortunately, only Axel doesn’t like it. Well, then I’ll just have to enjoy it on my own. With the drier weather, Valentine’s Day and Carnival are also just around the corner. In Quarteira, there is a „big“ Carnival parade and we are right in the middle of it, instead of just watching. Instead of „Wo mir sin is Kölle“ and „Viva Colonia,“ Portuguese music is played here and the revelers dance samba rather than guard dancing. Confetti and the occasional candy are thrown. There are numerous beer and food stands, and we get Superbock beer in environmentally friendly reusable cups. Back on board, there is a fine Valentine’s Day menu consisting of Fosh n Chops, as the Kiwis say. Unpretentious and unconventional, just right for us.
Our boat projects are continuing to progress well and the to-do list is getting shorter and shorter. Duarte delivers our dinghy with the new dinghy chaps back to us and we have to maneuver La Ola back and forth a little to get the dinghy back into its davits. We take the opportunity to remove our life raft from its holder and place it on the jetty. It needs regular maintenance and we will take it to Portimão a few days later. After installing the sunshade for the saloon, another sunshade for the helm cockpit is ready and is installed. This means that the summer sun will no longer beat down directly on our heads. At the same time, the trim is removed from the helm cockpit and finally gets the long-awaited repair check and new windows at the sailmaker’s.
Every day, numerous packages find their way to us. It’s a bit like Christmas. They contain additional equipment for the planned Atlantic crossing. For example, we ordered a device from our weather provider PredictWind for better weather forecasts and tracking of our routes. The so-called Datahub receives and transmits a wide range of data. In the future, we will be able to use it to display the AIS signals of other ships outside our radio range – known as over the horizon – on our navigation electronics. This will provide greater safety on the high seas. On the other hand, our movement and weather data will be recorded, enabling more precise weather routing. And yes, our position is now always displayed accurately and in real time on our website. Our favorite yacht outfitter, SVB in Bremen, is also sending us numerous spare parts and equipment items. In addition to spare parts for navigation and the autopilot – we know from our own painful experience how annoying a breakdown in the middle of the Atlantic can be – we are also receiving a JonBuoy. The JonBuoy is a rescue device that can be used to mark the position of people who have fallen overboard. The person can also lie down on this small raft and, hopefully, be found quickly and brought back on board safely. But of course, we don’t want to try that out! In any case, there’s no chance of boredom on board with us.
One big advantage of life on board is that you have much more time to make things like kombucha, pizza, and pasta yourself. But we now make other foods ourselves too. Last year, for example, we switched from buying orange juice from the supermarket to squeezing our own. With our new slow juicer, we have expanded our juice repertoire once again and now get a good amount of vitamins every day. However, juicing produces a lot of pomace, i.e., the juiced remains of carrots, celery, etc., which are actually too good to throw away. So I’m thinking about how I can use these leftovers. Carrot cake would be one option. Or bread?! I’m going to try the latter first. Since we have whole grains on board for baking bread, I’m also putting the new grain mill from the food processor to use. I’m quite happy with the first result. However, the bread is a little too „mushy“ for my liking, so I’ll definitely have to do more tests with different pomace compositions in the future. This time, the pomace was a bit „wild,“ consisting of carrots, celery, apples, and pears. We also use the grains to make our granola muesli. It’s quick to make in the air fryer, super delicious, and definitely much cheaper than the gourmet muesli from the supermarket.
On February 20, things will get sporty at the marina. The Volta ao Algarve—a cycling race—will pass through Vilamoura on its third stage, starting right at our jetty. Well, not right at the jetty, of course, but only about 100 meters away in front of the Tivoli Hotel. In the morning, numerous tents and a huge event truck are already set up. Cyclists, support vehicles, and press motorcycles whiz wildly around the marina. The usual one-way street rule is suspended, so pedestrians have to be extremely careful not to get run over. We soak up the atmosphere before the start and take a look at the team trucks. Two German teams, Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe and Lidl-Trek, are at the start alongside their international competitors. Unfortunately, we are not cycling experts, but we know one of the participants from the press in our old home town. Lennard Kämna from Fischerhude is competing for Team Lidl-Trek. The riders start individually and have to cycle a distance of 18.51 km. To our great delight, the roads for the race have been „spruced up“ in recent weeks, with potholes and bumps removed. We are ready right on time for the start and cheer on the riders. Not all of them, because the riders start individually at one-minute intervals. In between, we take a look at the paddock and cheer on the first finishers at the finish line. However, the individual riding style does not really create a great atmosphere. Back on board, we relax in the sun after an afternoon of sport and enjoy the good weather. Incidentally, the stage was won by Italian Filippo Ganna in 21:53 minutes. Lennard Kämna, whom we unfortunately miss at the start and finish, comes in 16th, one minute behind. The best German is Florian Lipowitz in ninth place. We would probably have needed about an hour to complete the course and would have needed e-assistance. Well, I guess that’s the end of our next sporting career. The racing circus is now moving on quickly and tomorrow the cyclists will ride from Albufeira to Lagos. We have peace and quiet again in the marina and are looking forward to more sunny days.
Fortunately, at the end of the month, we have another opportunity to socialize a little. We meet Henning and Jonathan from the catamaran Leon. First for coffee at our place, then for an aperitif on Leon. The two are stopping in Vilamoura for a few days before continuing their voyage to the Mediterranean. What a shame! Why does everyone always want to go to the Mediterranean? And to our great delight, we also meet up with our buddy Jens from the Marieke again. He is attending a family reunion in the Algarve and stops by with his mother Nell and brother Jan. And of course, there’s pizza! I receive high praise for my pizza and a few tips from Jens on how to achieve even better results.
In the meantime, the sailmakers have also completed most of the work for us. The new genoa looks great and will hopefully allow us to sail a few knots faster. Our winter garden has been checked and repaired where necessary. The steering cockpit has been fitted with new windows, so we now have a clear view again. All that’s missing now is the mainsail, including the lazy bag, to be repaired and cleaned, and we’ll be fully seaworthy again. But we’re slowly getting restless and are ready to go. And there are only a few weeks left until we leave Vilamoura again.
At the end of the month, we go shopping again and take a rental car to Faro. Unfortunately, Axel’s bike battery has also given up the ghost and needs to be replaced. This time, we don’t need to discuss whether it’s covered by warranty. But somehow it’s strange that the batteries are breaking down one after the other after just over a year. In the evening, we invite our new neighbors Scarlett and Adrian from the ZaZoe over for pizza and spend a nice evening together. The two Dutch sailors are also heading west, so hopefully this won’t be our last evening together. The next day, we use the rental car for a little trip inland. We drive to São Bartolomeu de Messines and visit the Saloio oil mill there. The oil mill is certainly not fancy, but you can buy very good and very inexpensive olive oil there. We continue through the hinterland via Alte, Benafim, Salir, and Querença towards the east. The Algarve’s hinterland is so lush and green and blooming magnificently that you can’t get enough of the landscape. At São Brás de Alportel and Santa Catarina da Fonte do Bispo, we head to Santo Estevão and finally to Tavira. In December, we drank a nice Algarve wine at the Alxama restaurant and now want to visit this winery. The Al-Lagar winery in Tavira belongs to the Casa Santos Limas group, which operates other wineries in Portugal. We sit in the sun and enjoy a small lunch snack and try another rosé. Then we go shopping and restock our supplies on board. Back on board, we take advantage of the afternoon sun to replace our flag lines before it gets cool again in the evening and we return to the saloon.
Looking back, February wasn’t so bad after all in terms of weather, bringing us not only storms and lots of rain, but also some wonderful spring days. We’re ready for more sunny weather so that we can finish all our remaining boat projects.
PS: Since you may have noticed many product mentions in this blog post, we would like to point out that we are not sponsored by the companies mentioned and that the statements reflect solely our own opinion and selection.