Khujada 2

Jellyfish all over the marina and the neighbouring beach – one downside of the warmer water at this latitude.

Lucky for us, Oeiras marina has it all taken care of – with its mahoosive salt water swimming pool exclusively for the use of marina members and guests. Or in this case, just us, it seems (not sure where the members are and not many guests about for that matter).
After Atlantic kept us out of the water on the beach for much of our time in Figueira, we’re making the most of this.
  

Once again in convoy with Windfall and Captain Do’Too, we motored to Peniche to celebrate Skippette’s birthday with Taittinger, Douro, massive côte de boeuf and Windfall cupcakes for the candles.

The following morning it was on to Cascais (still in convoy but with Spray, a Swedish ARC participant, making up a fourth member), when for the first time in weeks we could switch off the engine and enjoy a few hours of talking to another without raised voices, albeit bracketed by dark clouds, lightning and rain, both on departure and arrival in Cascais.

The big difference was the glorious sailing conditions enjoyed for two whole hours (!) down past a headland, culminating in one reef in BF5 before the wind died beyond the promontory – somehow the northerlies staying too far offshore for our needs.

A swarm of jellyfish on the way into Cascais kept the boys entertained for the final stretch. No swimming! No change there then.

Old sailor’s complaint: either too much wind or not enough wind. Sunshine brought our return to the beach, flying kites and playing on (and off) sand cliffs newly carved out by the breaking seas (no swimming, no flag let alone a red one, life guards not even turning up with big breakers keeping us out of the water), as the weather finally relented and we looked forward to leaving Figueira, albeit in imperfect conditions.

RIBs and small motor-boats constitute a handful of seemingly “fair-weather” local boats struggling to cope with (so far) three days of wet and windy weather, and many of their owners have given up on what they describe as an awful summer.

Conditions here remain atypical (southerlies have prevailed for three weeks where prevailing winds are supposed to be northerly) with heavy rain and 30+ knot winds from the south.

Stronger winds suggest the depression that’s penned us in here may, at last, be on the move. Kite flying on the beach this afternoon, anyone?

Immense plage, ville assez moderne et plutôt moche. Les immeubles tous aussi hideux les uns que les autres qui bordent la plage gâchent la beauté de cette grande baie.

Cela fait maintenant depuis une semaine que nous sommes coincés dans le port et nous y sommes encore pour une autre semaine. La météo n’est pas au beau fixe, pluie, orages, vents forts du Sud, grosse houle alors qu’il nous faut du vent qui vient du Nord. Nous attendons que l’anticyclone sur les Açores revienne pour nous redonner les alizés portugais.

Heureusement, nous ne sommes pas seuls. Nous sommes coincés avec deux autres bateaux copains. Captain Do Too et Windfall.  Hugo, James et Daisy ont la chance de pouvoir jouer avec les enfants de Windfall qui ont plus ou moins le même âge. Ils s’entendent tous très bien et alternent films, plage, volleyball, frisbee, pétanque, discussions de pontons et partagent leurs temps entre Windfall et Khujada 2. Pour les adultes, c’est apéro sur le bateau des uns et des autres. Secret Agent équipage, vous nous manquez!!

Portugal is hot! Five degrees warmer than Islas Cíes – with staggering sunsets from the marina, halfway up from the mouth of the estuary to the city centre.

They deliver bread every morning – in direct proportion to the number of crew on board. We like this.

The rain in Spain does not stay mainly on the plain – it seems to fall on the Atlantic coastal resorts for the most part, and Portugal is no different. Heaving it down on our first morning, so a good day for tourism.

Churches (Sé Catedral, Igreja de São Francisco – Gothic Baroque), museums (the latter plus the Instruments of Torture Exhibition, and finishing off with the really very good indeed interactive navigation museum) and shopping punctuated our stroll around town either side of a tourist-trappy lunch on the Ribeira (in fairness one of the least tourist-trappy of the establishments along the tourist trap!).

Priority for day two was a port cellar tour. We all enjoyed Graham’s tour which stepped up as Churchill’s, our initial plan, decided to close their doors to Sunday tourists. The children were all delighted to sample 20% alcohol, even if the adults were less impressed – “champagne taste, beer money”, as the saying goes.

Nous avons beaucoup aimé Porto. Un labyrinthe de rues étroites qui montent et qui descendent sur le flanc d’une colline. Une architecture diverse avec de jolis monuments style gothiques/ baroques, des maisons avec des façades entièrement carrelées et décorées, des maisons complètement delabrées, le tout se côtoyant allègrement.

Igreja de São Francisco

Public laundry

Sé Catedral do Porto

Porto

Instruments of torture exhibition

World of discoveries – interactive museum

Graham’s porto cellars