The Algarve

Monday 28th Baleera - Lagos

We set off as soon as we got up to motor around to Lagos as we got a text saying George and Linda Simpson were meeting us there at 12.30. It was a beautiful morning without a breath of air and no hint of swell at all. It was so flat I managed to clean out the whole boat on the way and even write out the postcards I had bought way back in Porto!

We got into Lagos marina and Ali got a real shock when he went to the office, 50 (yes 50) Euros per night! And this was the ’mid’ season. That definitely guaranteed we would be only spending one night in Lagos marina. We got tied up just in time for George and Linda getting off the train and they came along the boat for a cup of tea. Alisha and Kaylee gave them get well cards for their granddaughter Maisie who has broken her foot and is stuck with a pink leg cast for a few weeks - peerie wife. We went for a walk around town with Geordie and Linda showing us around as they have been there a few times before. We had lunch in a fine pub then went to the centre of town for some more refreshments. It was fine to hear all their news and speak away without knapping!

After Geordie and Linda got the train back we went to the supermarket and the girls found some marmite - something we have been missing having on our toast since France. It was 4.80 Euros for a small tub so we said no even over the ensuing wailing but it was just too much of a rip off!

When we got back to the boat we met Penny and Charles again and they had got even more of a shock at the marina office as they are just a bit longer and a bit wider than us and they were charged 56 Euros! We all agreed to head to Portimao the next day and anchor until the 1st of October!

We had a quiet night with a pizza for tea.

Tuesday 29th Lagos - Portimao

Lagos marina has a policy that you have to check out by 12pm (first time we have come across that!) but we asked and they said we could stay until about 2pm as they weren’t busy. We made the most of it washing the boat etc (making the most of our money!) then went to a café and spoke briefly to some of the other crews we had sailed down with who were all having ‘the full English’ some were staying in Lagos for the winter so we said goodbye and maybe see you next ear somewhere.

We set off at lunch time expecting to have to motor the whole way but we had a very pleasant sail , not very quick mind you but we were only going 6 miles! (Took about 2 ½ hours!!) Rosetta was sailing alongside so of course Ali was tweaking the sails every few minutes to get just a tenth of a knot more!

When we got to Portimao we decided to go up the river to see if there was anywhere more central to anchor/berth. There were already two boats anchored at Ferraguido which is a bit of a nook up the river just off the old town and we decided we wouldn’t go there as there wasn’t much room to swing in. We did try to sneak to a pontoon in town but were told in no uncertain terms that we weren’t allowed, oops! So we retreated back to the big anchorage which was very busy, about twenty odd yachts.

We took the dingy up to Ferraguido to find something to eat and go for a little walk. We found a play park and a very nice restaurant. We got back to the dingy in darkness and realised that we had no light with us so we stayed as close to shore as possible to avoid the fishing boats come speeding up the river leaving a huge wash behind them. We had left on Ali’s new LED cockpit lights so at least we could see our boat easily! During the night we realised that we were once again at the mercy of the local fishing fleet as the wash that they produced every time the went past our boat started banging up and down and there was absolutely no chance of sleep!

Wednesday 30th Portimao

We got up to a lovely sunny day and decided to go to the beach. The beach alongside the anchorage is lovely, lots of rocks and little cave to run around and it is sheltered from the swell too so Alisha felt brave enough to try a little swimming. The only problem was the current of the river and we had to keep catching Kaylee before she floated off up stream (the tide was coming in) Kaylee of course thought it was all a big game and tried to get into the position that she would need rescuing!

When we got back to the boat a Norwegian yacht was just anchoring nearby and we realised it was the SS Unique who are friends with Grethe our pal in Bergen, she had told us to look them up if we came across them. Ali went over with the dinghy once he was de-sanded for a chat and they invited us over at night to gets some tips on cruising the med as they have been doing so for 10 years!

We decided to go and look for a super market which turned out to be a very long dinghy run into town being thrown about b the wash from yet more fishing boats. To give them their due some actually did slow a little as they passed us (probably once they had spotted the kids.) We were a bit worried on the way back from the shop as we had very little fuel left in the outboard and it would have been a very long row back to the boat!

We went back along SS Unique after tea and had a chat about all the places they thought were the best to stay/visit over a glass of wine, it was very interesting and once again we got a different view of some places so now we are really confused!! The girls were playing up so we left saying we hoped that we would meet up in Greece next winter, it seems a really long way off although it will likely come round soon enough.

Thursday 1st Oct Portimao - Albufeira

We weren’t sure whether to go to Albufeira or Villamoura but we plumped for Albufiera as that is where Geordie and Linda were staying. It was about 18 miles so we just set off after breakfast. It was a lovely sunny day with no wind so we didn’t even bother to put the sails up. We saw dolphins along the way, quite big ones and loads of sandy beaches and high rise developments - well it is the Algarve after all. The cliffs are all made of sedimentary rocks and are full of caves, some of the properties at the top of the cliffs looked great until you looked at the chasm below them, a bit too close for comfort is how I would describe it! They are actually undertaking a programme of blowing up some of the cliffs as five people have died on the Algarve this year whilst sunbathing under over hanging cliffs that have collapsed.

We got to Albufiera marina at lunch time, it is a totally manmade harbour, blasted out of the rock. Quite impressive. It is a bit gaudy to say the least all the apartments at the side of the marina are pink blue and yellow. I think they would make you feel quite queasy if you had a hangover. The marina felt quite desolate because of this now being the ‘winter season’ - tell that to the weather, if this was winter we would melt in summer. We sheltered form the sun onboard all afternoon and finally ventured out into town to meet Geordie and Linda later on.

Albufiera town was a lot busier than the marina which was nice. The main square where we waited to meet the Simpsons is very lively and would be a great place to spend a Saturday night, preferably without kids! They took us up to the area near their apartment which is called ‘the strip’ if I had landed there first I would have thought that it was the town centre as it was again very busy with loads of pubs, cafes, and restaurants. Lots of people on the streets trying to entice you to their tables to eat. We plumped for a Chinese restaurant for tea so the kids would eat I was very good, cheers for that Geordie. After dinner we went for a stroll to a café for a nightcap and to walk off some of the dinner. We met the ‘pop corn man’ along the way! The lasses were very good (for them) and Ali and Geordie even managed to try some Portuguese brandy, apparently very smooth. We said wir goodbyes and got a taxi back to the marina after a very enjoyable night.

Friday 2nd October

Albufiera - Olhao

We realised we had got up too late to make the tide going into Rio Guadiana in one day and we thought we better not try it in the dark so we set off at about lunchtime for Olhao to anchor for the night. It was a good sailing day with the wind hitting us on the side instead of coming from behind for the first time in ages. We saw lots of dolphins again and did a lot of buoy dodging. When we got to the entrance to Olhao there was a lot of jumbly water because of the tide but we sailed in past it and managed to sail the whole way to the anchorage off Culatra island.

Once we were sure all was well with the anchor we went ashore for a look around. There is a new pier which Ali was very interested in as it was sheltered by two single rows of sheet piles driven into the sand. The whole island is only a few miles long and at the most 4 or 5 metres above sea level. It is inhabited by a fishing community (hence new pier) and there are lots of small boats fishing for shellfish the traditional way - no multi million pound trawlers round here. We were surprised to find a few shops and cafes etc as it was about the same size as Skerries. We thought it only right to spend a few euros on a beer or two as they have to transport all the goods by boat themselves to the shops/cafes because the ferry only takes foot passengers.

We went for a walk around the island and came across the lagoon - a drying pool into the sea where a few bilge keelers and catamarans full of hippies had obviously washed up a long time ago and stayed!
We went back to the boat for tea wishing we had a couple more days to spend in this area but time was pressing on and there was an impending Tulloch invasion in two days another 20 miles along the coast and we had to get there before them or there would be trouble!!

Sat 3rd October Olhao - Villa Real do Santo Antonio (VRSA)

We had a much more peaceful night at anchor as the boats that fish from Olhao don’t pass as closely and are much smaller than the ones we had previously encountered. We did stir hearing a small boat circling ours but he was just laying nets and thankfully had lifted them by the time we got up in the morning.

We set off after breakfast to be able to get to the Rio Guadiano just before high tide as it is very shallow at the entrance. It was a flat calm so we motored the whole way being entertained by dolphins again and dodging buoys and fishing boats. We were watching some haul up there nets with very little in them and wondered how the make a living but maybe it was just a bad day. When it is a hot calm day I always clean out all the nooks and crannies of the cockpit for want of something to do. You would be amazed how dirty it all gets even with Ali’s ‘no shoes on board’ rule. Ali spent the time sunning himself (all of) up on deck until I alerted him to an approaching fishing boat and he scrambled to get decent!

When we got near the river entrance it became apparent that the buoys on our laptop did not correspond at all with the port and starboard buoys we were seeing. We just stuck close to the red buoys and all went OK but it was a bit disconcerting as the computer charts had been brilliant up until then.

The marina in VRSA has a lot of current running through it which can be quite tricky as some other boats found out during our stay but thankfully not us! We went exploring and to find out where everything was so we were ready for the Tulloch’s the next day. The girls were getting seriously excited that their big cousin Alannah was coming the next day and they only had one more day to stroke off on their ‘Countdown’ to Alannah chart. The only thing left to do after tea was have some vino branco and sit on deck enjoying the ambience with the anti mossie lamp burning, don’t know if it works but I feel better having it on.