A week on from our arrival in Portugal, and we have worked our way down to Cascais, a popular tourist spot just a short distance from Lisbon. Unfortunately, the weather has turned rainy (it seems we can escape England, but not the English climate!), so we are waiting it out for a few days, and hope to set sail for destinations further South shortly.
Our first week has been an interesting mix of sightseeing, sail training, and catching up on sleep after the passage from Falmouth.
Our first port of arrival was Póvoa de Varzim (after the aborted attempt at landfall at Viano do Castelo), and we ended up staying there three nights – firstly to catch up on much needed sleep, and secondly after we read reports that the next destination – Leixões – was not a place worth lingering in. Póvoa initially seemed like a sleepy industrial town with little to offer, but the town grew on us with each passing day. We wandered around town, discovering little back streets, squares, and delightful restaurants, including one we returned to where, for just €7.50 we ate delicious 3 course meals including no less than half a litre of wine each! On our second day in Póvoa we went out for some sail training with Peter – practicing mooring manoeuvres, man-overboard drills, and sail trim (all with the intention of taking our yacht master exam later this summer).
On the 13th we sailed on to Leixões, a short passage of some 16 miles, and there said good bye to Peter who was getting a flight home from nearby Porto. Despite our reservations, the town was much nicer than we feared, with a great beachfront (where we watched the footie whilst sipping beers) and a terrific restaurant serving tapas. Big thanks to Peter who ensured our safe and fun passage.
From Leixões we sailed (or motored – it was a long day!) to Figura da Foz on the 14th, and on to Peniche the next day – another day spent largely motor sailing and trying to while away the miles. Peniche is a fishing port, well known for numerous fishing boats arriving and departing the harbour at all hours, so we were surprised to find the harbour quiet on our arrival. As we approached the berth we could hear an enormous cheer rising from the nearby bars, and the reason for the apparent quiet became clear: Portugal was playing Hungary in the Euro 2020 and had just won. Sure enough, shortly after the end of the match, the harbour became full of departing fishing boats!
Our final sail of this blog was on the 16th, when we left Peniche and sailed down the coast to Cascais. We are stopping here for a few days – partly to enjoy this lovely town, and partly waiting for the weather to improve, as the last couple of days have seen a front pass through, bringing rain and gusty squalls. John left us on the 18th – he is returning to the UK from Lisbon, and many thanks to John for his company, help and selection of accents 😉
So, it is now just the two of us… our plan is to try and take life a little more slowly, enjoying the ports and harbours as we make our way towards Gibralter.
Do you remember your motto from way back when Cate, ‘Life is not a rehearsal’ ? What an inspiration you are to the rest of us, living the dream doesn’t get much better than this. Love the blog, seeing the dolphins, the sea, the boats, and the sights and taste of Portugal. Wish I was there. Keep safe , keep having fun!
Hi Sally
Thanks for lovely comment. Yes, after so much planning, I can’t quite believe it’s real! The Biscay seemed such a big challenge but, having been so lucky with the weather giving us such a lovely trip, we are feeling more confident and more adventurous. I hope that you get to finish your magnificent challenge cycling to John O’Groats.