Today we departed from Portugal and sailed to Spain. We completed the mandatory Spanish Covid Health Document pre departure, declaring that we had been vaccinated and were free of Covid symptoms. We were delighted to then receive a QR code confirming that we were green. Armed with this and all our yacht paperwork we were prepared for customs and border force but, on arrival in the sleepy Spanish port of Mazagon, we were asked only for our passports. Hopefully all border crossings in Europe will prove just as smooth.
Over our last week we have experienced vastly contrasting stops but all have been lovely. We departed Lagos and, keen to test our new anchor, we headed to Portimao which has a huge bay sheltered by a breakwater. On the west of the bay, Portimao is a big, lively tourist hotspot blaring dance music all day. On the east is the sleepy village of Ferragudo, where we went ashore to wander its narrow, tiled streets, lunch on the beach and enjoy the tranquility. Back on the boat our anchor truly was tested as the Nortada set in blowing up to 28 knots in the evening – not quite so tranquil!
On Tuesday we headed to Vilamoura. The area around the Marina is a high end tourist spot and the marina itself is mainly filled with enormous motor yachts. Nonetheless, with few tourists around, it remained very relaxed before the bars filled with footie fans celebrating England’s triumph over Germany. After the game we found a fantastic restaurant on the outskirts of Vilamoura, tables set in a fairy lit garden, mellow jazz and delicious Cataplana seafood casserole.
Having reprovisioned the boat we headed towards Faro and to a sheltered anchorage in the shallow waters just south of the city. The narrow entrance is over shallows and sandbars where the tide was running fast, but once inside all is calm. We anchored a few hundred metres north of the Ilha da Culatra and the entrance to it’s fishing harbour, perhaps a slight mistake as small fishing boats raced in and out at top speeds – not quite so calm. The island itself has no roads, just sandy tracks and tractors, and it felt as though we had stepped into one of the idyllic sleepy spots you find whilst backpacking through East Asia. We enjoyed an amazing, simple lunch of delicious clams, squid and barbecued sardines. The clams are dug up from the sandspits that run all around the lagoon and give the impression that the anchored boats are aground.
We enjoyed two wonderful days of peaceful waters and stunning sunsets but decided we must move on or we’ll never make it to the Mediterranean!
Fantastic! Xx
Hope you’re having a good time seeing a different side to the Algarve than the usual Brit tourists!