Portugal
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Portugal is a natural place for cruisers to stop on the way south
from northern Europe. Portugal's seafaring tradition dates back
to the 15th century. The Portuguese were great discoverers, voyaging
by ship to Africa, India and South America.
New marinas have been built all along the coast. You'll find modern
facilities, helpful staff and a warm welcome.Many marinas are within
an hour of the Portugal's three main airports, making it a good place
for crew change over. There are also many great anchorages off
small fishing villages, where the pace of life appears unchanged by
the passing of time.
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We were planning to explore Portugal in September 2001. As we lost our forward
gear in Bayona, we visited Lisbon and Oporto by train, while the boat was still
in Spain. Once we were underway again, we had much less time to explore the
rest of the coast.
Leixoes
We left Bayona on September 23rd and had a great sail downwind to Leixoes,
near Oporto. We were welcomed to Portuguese waters by a school of about 15 dolphins,
and since then we have seen dolphins and porpoises every day. We sailed in company
with another Scottish boat, Scenario. The sunsets along this coast are fantastic.
Oporto (by train)
We found that despite the city of Oporto being awarded the European Year of
Culture for 2001, there was not much to see, apart from the old town. The construction
of the city's new metro system, due for completion in 2003, created a lot of
dust. We did however make the most of our visit, and spent most of our time
in Vila Nova de Gaia, the district south of the river Douro, which is home of
the port wine lodges. Our visit is described on a separate page(A
'Pilgrimage' to Oporto).
Cascais
We left Leixoes on September 25th and sailed 160 miles to Cascais (near Lisbon).
On the way, we sailed passed Ilha Berlenga, a nature reserve for sea birds.
Just north of the river Tejo, we passed Cabo da Roca, an impressive headland
of high cliffs and incredible rock formations, and the Serra de Sintra with
numerous castles perched on the high mountain ridge. The sun was setting as
we sailed passed, casting a lovely red glow on the cliffs.Cascais is a great
marina with numerous bar and shops on site and a short walk into the town. We
met up with another two Blue Water Rally boats and we had a very enjoyable evening
aboard 'Metata'.
Lisbon (by train)
Our visit to Lisbon was very different to what we had planned. As the boat was
stuck in Bayona with gear box problems, Gillian took the train to Lisbon to
meet Joe on September 6th. We spent a week exploring the city, including Elevador
de Santa Justa, which looks over the Baixa district. We visited the Castelo
de Sao Jorge in Alfalma, the oldest part of Lisbon and took tram 28 through
the narrow streets of the Barrio Alto. The Port Wine Institute is conveniently
situated across the road from the funicular tram that goes up and down the steep
hill to Praca da Restauradores. This is an ideal spot for sampling some port
after dinner.
We spent a day in Belem, visiting the Torre de Belem, which used to be in the
middle of the Tejo river before an earthquake shifted the river course. The
maritime museum is excellent, describing the history of the Portuguese voyages
of discovery, early charting of the African coast and a sea route to India.
All descriptions are in English and Portuguese. There is also an interesting
collection of royal barges. The Mosteiro dos Jeronimos (an old monastery) and
Monumento DOS Descobrimentos (monument to Portuguese discoveries) are also worth
a visit.
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We also spent a day in the Parc de Nacoes, the site of Expo'98. Although there
is a lot of construction work going on, the Oceanarium is fantastic, with exhibits
showing the habitats above and below the water in all continents. From the top
of the viewing tower, you can see the whole site. There is also another Peter's
Bar on the site. The original Peter's is in Horta in the Azores. I was able
to sample the melon vodka that I was introduced to on my visit to Horta in '97.
We now have a bottle on board.
Lagos
We left Cascais on September 29th and sailed 125 miles to Lagos. Another fine
sunset was observed! Lagos, is a large marina next to the old town. We spent
a day catching up with domestic chores - just enough line to hang up the vast
amount of washing. In the evening, we had dinner with Bill and Jane from 'Hecla
of Uist', another Blue Water Rally boat. The following day, we motored the short
distance across the bay to Portimao. A bank of fast moving fog came upon us
as we exited Lagos, giving us an unusual close up view of the Sagres (We had
seen it on radar from quite a distance).
Portimao
The marina at Portimao has just recently opened. Apart from one side overlooking
the sea, which has a few bars and restaurants, the rest is still a construction
site. Luckily, Robin's cousin Steve rescued us and showed us some of the nicer
parts of the locality, including several bars and restaurants. There are a number
of secluded beaches that can only be reached by boat. Oh! for more time to explore!
Vilamoura
We passed by amazing caves and stacks while sailing along the coast to Vilamoura,
including the cliffs that we had explored with Steve and his dogs. The pictures
below are the town Carvoeiro, the lighthouse and caves near Steve's house, and
the yachtclub at Vilamoura.
