After a chilly, and sometimes rainy, stay in Cascais we made our passage plan to head south to Sines. We woke at 7am ready to head off only to be greeted by high winds, a grey sky and heavy rain so went back to bed! The next day was similar but we agreed we had to get moving so departed Cascais on 20th June. Leaving that morning we were surprised by a really big swell but decided to push on down the coast as the winds were steady and from the North. Happily the sun came out making the passage much more pleasant.
We were also pleased to find that Sines, well off the tourist track, was a delightful place to stop. The inner harbour is sheltered with a marina, superb beach and fishing fleet. Marina staff helped us to a berth with the following wing becoming quite strong. We were glad to arrive as the ‘Nortada’, a strong northerly prevailing wind, had set in and it was really quite blowy for the next few days. We spent the time exploring the old town, set upon the hill and reminiscent of Greek harbours. We were happy to discover the ‘Adegas’ – little restaurants cooking simple but delicious food – sardines and meats cooked over a barbecue.
We departed Sines as a glorious sunrise lit up the industrial areas beyond the main harbour. The 84 mile passage took us around Cabo de São Vicente, the most southwesterly point in Portugal, as we headed for Lagos. Again we had big swell but only light winds, but we were grateful for this after being warned by other sailors not to be caught out by northerly hoolies and horror stories of sails being torn to shreds. We had a lovely time accompanied by dolphins with just a few other sailing boats on the horizon. We arrived at Lagos in the evening, motored up the narrow river and waited for the pedestrian bridge to lift to let us in to the Marina.
Lagos is a very pleasant city by the sea and the marina has a big community of overwintering yachts, many from the UK. These sailors have been very kind and only too willing to spare time to give advice about spending time in the Mediterranean. The town is very touristy, especially in the evening when so many people fill the bars and restaurants, but has a lovely relaxed, almost mediterranean feel and massive surf. After feasting on tapas it’s time to do some more sailing and we hope to find some quieter spots to anchor.