Figuiera to Porto

Figuiera da Foz is a nice enough place but he marina is a bit pricier than some of the others on the coast, the river water is pretty dirty and lastly when you go to an internet cafe for a nice cheap meal and decide to finish it off with a Portuguese liquor then ask the price first before you buy – that’s all I’m saying.....

We waited for fuel at the fuel pontoon which we had booked for 8 but the guy didn’t turn up to serve us so we emptied one of our back up drums of fuel into our tank and set off as it seemed as though a miracle had occurred and the wind was Southerly...

Of course as we got out of the harbour we realised that this was not the case it was just an illusion and the wind was Northerly, blowing quite strongly and there was a lot of turbulence at the harbour mouth for about a mile out.  This certainly woke us all up anyway!  We decided to bash into the waves anyway.  For the first hour or so this looked pretty hopeless and we quickly revised our plans to sail to Porto and plumped for the closer port of Aveiro.  As the day progressed the girls felt a little better with each tack and devised a game call ‘Big Wave Sliding’  This consists of sittin on a pillow on the windward (upper side) of the boat and waiting for a big wave to ‘boof’ them off and slide down into the cockpit.  Although they get a little bruised at least it means they aren’t worrying about big waves, rather more looking forward to them! 

We got into Aviero just as darkness was falling and you have to go a mile or so  up the river to an anchorage which was difficult as the river and tide was against us so we were only making ! knot at some points! 

Our painful tacking course to Aveiro, we sailed 55 miles to get 35...

We anchored had a late dinner, went to bed and got up very early the next morning to set off to the new marina in the Douro river and our Spiritual home of Oporto......

At first it was all calm and then thick fog came down so we had to get the radar on again, thankfully this lifted and there was even a good wind for sailing in the right direction for once. 

The entrance to the river Douro has been improved since we were around here before and also since our computer charts were drawn up to so all the advice in our pilot book was null and void but we got in quite easily following the beacons and tied up in the new Marina de Douro.  It is very new – well actually not finished yet but eh pontoons and electricity and water are here and wifi in the marina office and showers and toilets and a fuel dock so it is all good.  Put it this way we have paid much more for less!  The marina booklet suffers from some translation issues though as it states  -

“Douro Marina is the port of departure for your voyages and the Douro entrance for great emotions.  So that the best of arriving is to sail out again”  ? ! ?

Next blog Porto Pics!