10th and 11th August – Cascais to Sines - then finally Lagos
Posted at 2:22 PM, Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Well we've completed this years sailing adventures having arrived off the river / harbour / marina entrance at Lagos Marina at 5 pm on Tuesday 11th August. We've only managed to sail 405 miles of the total 1520 covered from Lymington in the UK to get down here to the Portugese Algave.
We could have almost been a motor boat this year with the light winds, but we weren’t. Those legs of the trip we did get good winds were just great and locked away in the memory banks.
Below is a shot of the river / harbour entrance with us following another yacht and a tourist dinghy in, and one of the local flower power painted tourist boats charging out.
Immediately on the port side of this recontructed entrance, there is the 13th century castle that orginally protected the small tidal harbour and town that once nestled behind it on the sandy shore. Today the oppoosite side of the river has been reclaimed from the sea to help create some super beaches and sand dunes, and in those they then dredged to build a fishing boat harbour and further in, the marina.
Todays town and its long promenade run up the dead straight river entrance to the marina - you can see the palms on the hand bank and town behind. We've been here lots of times before - notably keeping our old Grand Soleil here for the winter of 2003 - and it is invariably full of holidaymakers. Nice point is there areusually more Portuguese than foreigners, allowing the place to retain a style and charm that is hard to beat (in my view) around the Med.
Lots of narrow streets and a great location just over the water from N Africa - and a reach will see you in Madiera in 2 days, Canary Islands in 3. For local night life (which we always appreciate) a goodly mix of restuarants, bars, boutiques and buskers. And the street music we love.
The modern glass plated reception for Marina de Lagos is accessed from a pontoon about half a mile up from the river entrance, just past the entry to the fishing boat harbour and Sopromar Ship Yard on the right hand side. The river ducks under a footbridge and then shallows dramatically once past the marina, as it then winds away across some plains towards the foothills.
The foot traffic gets to the town via that narrow lifting walk bridge which they open and close from reception to either let yachts pass through - or allow pedestrian traffic over. The staff all go home at 2200 so if you arrive too late with a yacht, it's a night on the reception pontoon for you!
Saving grace is it does has 220v power and water. Oh, fuel pontoon also alongside.
We always found Marina de Lagos to be well run - but it is not cheap. The reception (and the showers etc) are all shiny glass and polished tarrantino stone. Its surrounded by bars, has a luxury swimming pool which yacht owners can use, and good washing / drying facilities. It is a favoured spot for many exiting N Europe and heading for the Med or away over the Atlantic - and lots reach here at the end of the EU summer and either stop on for the winter - or sotp here for good. They have a organised expat 'Navigators Club' that organises winter get togethers.
We've arrived during high summer, when there are lots of boats big and small running from the town and it's adjacent fishing boat harbour. The mraina is equally packed - and charging its highest yearly rates. Ouch.
The tourist boats take people out to view the grottos and caves formed by the wind and waves in the cliffs off this headland or alternatively the faster big RIBS go five miles off where one is almost guaranteed to see dophins.
We love these big mammals. We've luckily had multiple dolphin experiences on these last few days heading south, sometimes eight or nine at a time of the larger species as opposed to the smaller zippier versions who visited further north.
We find they never fail to entertain, ducking and diving alongside our cockpit or playing under our bow. For us it's a real feel good thing and despite the repetion, not something we'll ever get bored with.
With the dolphines one can kid oneself they are probably coming to say hello and we feel to have them with us is lucky. I know in my heart of hearts that is a bit far fetched, but having a pod arrive to swim alongside just as we were about to go in this river entrance made this last leg somewhat special - kind of approving our choice of location for the winter.
Ah well.
The previous day sail down from Cascais to Sines (on the 10th) saw zip wind, hence motorsailed the whole way. The seas were calm with a gentle swell and the weather was getting warmer every mile we pushed further south. Even the fishing boats seemed to find it hard to press through the warm air and flat oily seas offshore.
.
Sines is just a small fishing, tourist and regional loading town with a huge harbour, but the town has a fabulous atmosphere and locals who seem to know how to enjoy themsleves. No where close to being as posh as Cascais or Lagos but we always like stopping there. This year a friendly marinaro lured us into the small marina (as opposed to us anchoring off in the harbour itself) and then helped us tie up to their still rickety old pontoons.
The pontoons must be years old but this year the town sports a brand new marina complex on what was previously waste ground alongside the pontoons. Very swish building and whilst the downside was the young guy doing the paperwork proved very very slow - the welocme he gave was just as good as in previous years. Refreshing to see him give the entry code for the showers to others who were simply anchored off - not many marinas givesuch access to those not paying for it. Just went to reinforce our feelings about the place.
That evening Sue and I hit the small town and ended up having a super fish / steak meal (at Neuvo La Loto at the other end of beachfront) and ended up enjoying a cleansing ale and even dancing with the locals at a open air festival on the beachfront - way up to and beyond midnight.
The location was right opposite the marina and a pretty improptu affair - but packed with localsof all ages. Seems they have a big well publicised and formal international music event each July and thw words got around that the council leave the stage and refreshment kiosks standing afterwards. The locals then take over. Admittedly half those small kiosks selling food and drink were closed this night, but others were open and doing very good trade. Amatueurs - and cheap.
This night we all enjoyed listening to a very talented local duet singing and playing some great music on the huge stage.
Local music. Local people. Local lovely.
We got up early again and as dawn broke with the sun rising behind us over the mainland we chugged off to complete the 75 mile leg down and then around the bottom of Portugal towards Lagos.
Passage Weather said there would be very light from the north, and we especially wanted to arrive up the canal at Lagos daylight hours - not to avoid any pots, but simply to enjoy arriving. It was motor on max economic revs and away we went under autopilot.
The forecast was right. Still under engine as we arroached the corner at Cabo San Vincent, where we toasted Henry the Navigator with hot port around mid afternoon, then turned east towards Lagos.
It was from Henry the Navigators Academy at Sagres (only five miles from this cape) that so many early explorers first learnt and then set forth to discover the new worlds we now all enjoy. Seems odd to think Vasco da Gama might have one day stood at looked over the same waters we are sailing on.
But as a result of the work Henry did, it is now a yotties expectation to salute and toast him when passing this cape. With home grown port if you have it.
We did.
If we thought the sun was hot before the cape, it felt like we'd opened the door to a furnace once we'd rounded under and slid alongside the high imposing cliff faces of the Algave. These cliffs effectively prevented even the whisper of cooler air we were getting before the corner from reaching us.
We put up the bimini to try and avoid the worst of the rays, but I still got burnt in the 25 miles from St Vincent to Lagos. Ouch.
Cutting close into the cliffs when we got to Lagos one can clearly see the grottos and caves that dot that headland. It took us right back to the first time we came here on the old Swagman in 2003. It seemed so wonderful and exciting then. Is it not a shame that try as one might, you can't usually replicate that excitement when you go back for seconds or thirds?
But this is undoubtable a lovely place and it is easy to see why so many people leave the UK, cover some miles to get here, and go no further.
The mraina being half a mile inland is tucked away and safe from the worst any winter storm could deliver - and there is no sea surge. The staff a super efficient and keen to help with almost anything. The location in the city centre is very conveniently just a walk away - and even the local Pingo Dolche supermarket is a stroll for morning croissants. Bless - they even have a drop off point for shopping trollies in the marina gate! All very civilised.
Some magnificent golden dunes and the beach are only a minute on the bike the other way. Great wlaks along deserted strecthes to Alvor - the next town to our east. The sea booms in with good surf making swimming in the ocean fun - and the sun shines down more days than it does not.
So we're pleased this is to be Swagman’s temporary home whilst we go back to the UK to sort the new house and work our way through the fall and into the winter and then finally spring 2010, when our thoughts will turn towards exploring the seas once more.
Weather before Portugal? Sorry but crap.
Sailing? We did more under engine than with it off.
New pals and places? Definately. Lovely people we sailed with and got to know well. Lovely places deserving of more time.
A lovely break - and hey it sure beat two months in the office!
Thanks for reading the blog. You all take care and enjoy the rest of your summer.
Cheers
Sue and John
xx