To the Rock and Back

The spice of life may be variety, but the adventure of life is not to know quite what will happen next. What we definitely did know (at least the skipper did) was that a July cruise in the Algarve would be a splendid sojourn full of sun and happy Portuguese culture. And so it was. We stopped along the way in Baleeira, then Portimao. Onward East we went to Culatra Island, outside of Faro and Olhao, a superb anchorage that was aptly described by our English friend James, on yacht "Hepzibar", as "Chichester Harbour on steroids!"

To get to Morocco was our primary purpose, to avoid a significant EU tax duty on the boat: so we pressed on to the Rio Guadiana and over the border back into Spain. We made five day hops down the Andalucian coast: and after a trying motor-sail against strong winds and chop around Cape Trafalgar, there was the Rock!

JFK in La Linea, Spain, with the Gib-Spain customs buildings over his right shoulder: this was the first time he had ever walked across an international border. And of course that is the steep NE face of the Rock just a mile away.

At anchor in Linea Bay we were greeted by a fun cruising family The Sheppards on "Arctic Fern": here's Caroline with the two girls Olivia and Jessica......

......who promptly made for Nancy two very special birthday cards to help celebrate her birthday the next day!

Howard and Caroline stopping by to see if they could get anything for us from the grocery store. This typical kindness makes them the sort of folks that you cannot help wanting to befriend!

We were keen to get our Morocco trip out of the way: but then...... the day after Nancy's birthday a reply arrived on July 20th from the French Customs. Sacre Bleu! They confirmed that Gibraltar counts for them as leaving the EU, and so we did not need to go to Morocco!  So that Friday evening Admiral Nancy was celebrating again: all we needed to do was weigh anchor ( we were anchored in Spanish waters), drive the boat a mile to the fuel dock in Gibraltar, fill up the tank with bargain priced diesel to prove the boat had left the EU, and voila! We were off the hook again for another 18 months of cruising in Europe under a valid "Temporary Importation of Vessel" licence.

And so the next morning found Adventuress filling up with diesel at the Gibraltar "Gasoil" dock: 440 litres (about 115 gallons) at just 54 Brit Pennies a litre!

Then a really big surprise happened: we picked up email and discovered that we had an offer on our place in Marco Island! There were many strong hopes and even fervent prayers for this to happen, but realistically we figured we had only a slim chance of selling in the summer "off season" months.

After 24 hours' negotiation, we had a deal, with a Closing (Completion) date of August 28.  Oh boy, we had some fast decisions now to make. We quickly formed an outline plan. Back to Faro Portugal we would sail, where we had already found a boat yard to leave Adventuress for the winter. Then fly to London Aug 3 and see Dad: then London to Miami arriving Aug 7. That would give us 3 weeks to pack up our home and tee up the Closing.

Time to execute, without delay. Thankfully the weather was favorable and we set sail.

Admiral Nancy under a triple reefed Mainsail and the Staysail: Adventuress romped along at 7 1/2 knots in 25 knots of breeze over a fairly calm sea. In spite of another birthday arriving, the triple grin is from
1. No Morocco!
2. Our home in Marco Island now under Contract! We can move from apartment to a house!
3. Having a wonderful sail!

So we had 11 days to sail back to Faro, prep the boat for the winter, and catch a plane to London. Should be plenty of time......and so off we sailed back through the Straits of Gibraltar, and three days later we anchored in Faro. Now it is Sunday July 29, and we have 90% of the work done ready to haul the boat on Wednesday afternoon. So today being Sunday we are resting: took a walk through Culatra.....

 

The mish mash shoreline in Culatra is a free for all storage area....

... for the many fishing boats in this working harbour.

A short walk through the Settlement on Culatra takes you to a fine board walk crossing the dunes leading down to the Atlantic and an expansive beach.

The unspoilt dunes of Culatra are home to many flora.

Here is the Culatra anchorage at sunset.....

...and the next morning Hepzibar "full moons" Adventuress......

...who turns the other way to show her colours to yet another clear Algarve sunrise.

And after our walk, we finally had time to make a blog posting!

Best to all,
Nancy and John
S/V Adventuress, at anchor off Culatra Harbour

South to the Sunny Algarve!

Atlantic Portugal from Oporto to Cape St Vincent stretches 300 miles and Adventuress handled easily the swells and the vagaries of useful to useless winds. This is an unforgiving coast and so one plans the stepping stones of sheltered ports quite carefully.

Figueira de Foz was one such sheltered harbour, and had a handy market across the street from our berth. This is excitement for us! A real market, with everything you could possibly want, including fishmongers, butchers, cheese and wine shops.  And a sunny cafe with umbrella shades just outside, where we recovered with an expresso and cake after some serious provisioning.

Nancy's rose (note the fancy vase!) being upstaged by .....what? Look at the shape over the skipper's right shoulder.....

.......to see a pigeon!  Now here happened a sequence of puzzling events: first came two, flying around us as we sailed about 5 miles offshore, before the cheeky blighters landed on top of Nancy's beautifully crafted dodger (English: "sprayhood"). Well, the Admiral was sleeping below so the skipper had a free hand to shoo them away, A minute later they landed on the back of the dinghy! There they rode for half an hour, before hopping down into the dinghy to shelter from the 18 knots of wind. The Admiral awoke from her snooze, and so pigeon pie was off the menu!

This was a first: this pair of "ringed" pigeons were settling in and Nancy was having none of the skipper's plans to eat them!

But here's a mystery: after a couple of hours a third non-paying blighter arrived! And then another! And as we approached our next port, several hours later, here came a fifth!

This is the entrance to the stunning natural harbour at Sao Martinho do Porto.

Did we hire a helicopter to capture this shot of Sa Martinho? No of course not!  We strapped a camera onto Percy the biggest Pigeon, and up he went to snap it for us.

He at least earned his keep! By early morning the next day they had flown the coup...or rather the dinghy, and all that remained was a blanket of poop! No prizes for guessing who was in charge of the dinghy that morning!

The "teddy bear" look of Cape Carvoeiro, around which we sailed to an outside anchorage at Peniche. From there we sailed to Oeiras Marina, in the Rio Tejo mouth on the approach to Lisbon.

And off to Lisbon we went by train......and even the front of the train was "decorated" with the graffiti that seems to be taking over from soccer as the chic pastime of the Portuguese youth.

In one of Lisbon's majestic squares, with our Dutch friends Ad and Werner, whom we had arranged to meet for lunch....

...and we did not have to search long to find grilled sardines (sardinhas assada) potato and salad.

The sights of Lisbon include the traditional arches and columns....

...and the more whimsical stuff that demands a second glance. Is that a bull trying to get out of a china shop?

Lisbon, like Oporto, enjoys the benefit of quite steep hills that create a roofscape of myriad styles.

We anchored In Cascais harbour and enjoyed this old seaside resort favored by the nobility from Lisbon. Here is some beach art that won a prize of 50 centimes from Nancy.

Above the old harbour in Sines, the last stepping stone on the Atlantic coast...

....and we were off to Cape St Vincent and The Algarve.  Here a large sleek Swiss yacht named GORDON'S with a sail number SUI 5006 took a bold line inside us as we sailed past Cape Espichel.

And so here we are, sailing past the South West tip of the Iberian peninsular, Cabo de Sao Vincente, marking our 100 degree turn to the East and the Algarve. Sunny skies welcomed us, and so did.....

....a lively pod of dolphins that put on a private show of flamboyant antics, leading the way lest we should get lost and end up in Africa.

Our very best,
Nancy and John

Au Revoir! Iberia Here We Come!

To head South was always the goal, but perhaps first to Bordeaux?

No way! Said the Admiral! Let's hop directly to Spain, to revisit A Corunna and escape the cold and the wet. So off we set, from Benodet, where we had gone to make some Westing and get a better angle on the westerlies to cross the Bay of Biscay. Our little ship was effortlessly prepared for a 400 mile mini passage, and after a good night's sleep in a fine flat anchorage just inside the mouth of the Odet river, off we went.

One last bite at Adventuress by the French Customs! At mid-afternoon this French customs ship came through the rain when we were 25 miles South of Benodet, steaming at us at 15 knots. An extract from Adventuress' log reads: "French Customs approached to 100 yards and radio'd us: JFK explained our Helgoland trip and afterwards our two inspections last summer. They asked last port and final destination: answer 'Benodet to Smir Marina, MOROCCO! After 10 minutes checking their records they radio'd back and wished us bon voyage to Morocco!"

Crossing the Bay of Biscay on a grey day........

......Admiral Nancy takes an afternoon nap behind the lee cloth on port side of the main cabin.

A Corunna!  52 hours after leaving Benodet, we tied up on the visitors' pontoon at Club Nautico Marina, next to the berth we were in four years ago after crossing the Atlantic.

 This pic of evening in the big square 300 yards from the boat at A Corunna is a fine memento of our return visit.

And so we sailed round the corner to Finistere.

Rounding Cabo Villano, we found ourselves in company with a Brit boat "Hepzibar".

Finally sailing in blue skies as we crossed into Portuguese waters.

Our second port of call in Portugal was Povoa de Varzim, where we found a warm welcome at the Marina.

On Saturday June 16 we caught the Metro and trained South 24 kilometres into the heart of Oporto, where we had a fun day being tourists, enjoying the vibe of this ancient port, including patterned streets,,,,,,

....the street buskers.....

 ...the street art,,,,,

.....and the decorated architecture.

An unusual bike stand, hanging off your second floor balcony!

 Two happy sailors seeking out shade under an olive tree: finally it was warm, but Nancy still has her fleece round her shoulders!

A welcome surprise! James and Bex on "Hepzibah" arrive next to us at Povoa de Varzim marina.

And what fun to find a December 2017 pic among the camera downloads! As if Nancy isn't already homesick for family and friends in Lancaster PA!

Very best to all, and a happy English Father's Day to Dad!

John and Nancy
Povoa de Varzim Marina, Portugal.

Back to Houat!

We enjoyed a peaceful anchorage in the Vilaine River and then we were ready to take on the French at The Battle of Arzal Lock!  We were psychologically ready for them this time, but still it is quite tricky with the Admiral on the bow wielding a boat hook and quite oblivious to the French words coming at her. We came out unscathed and were off to the island of Houat (pronounced "what") where we found just Houat we needed...five bars on the cell phone, so we can check the weather for our little passage to Spain. 

8.15 am and the Battle of Arzal Lock is in full swing.....here's a crazy mishmash on the bow.....

.....while astern more sardines are being crammed in. About 20 boats in total.

Fine day but little wind so it was a motor sail.

The beach at Houat is pristine and a couple of miles with no houses or roads nearby.

Some people just have to leave their mark!

Another beauty spot on the way into the village and harbor....

...along a coastal path enjoying the perfume of wild flowers.

The village is full of opportunity for Nancy to make photographic art.

So we enjoyed our walk around Houat, even though at noon the restaurant was out of food for lunch: apparently the ferry had arrived without the food order!

So the Admiral said "Let's make a selfie from the dinghy!"

If the forecast holds, we will be arriving in A Corunna, Spain, middle of next week.

Best to all, 

Nancy and John