SEA BEAR

6th Oct – Enseada de Sagres to Lagos

In the morning I could appreciate what a pretty little bay and beach it was. Here we are at the start of the Algarve. Sailing along the coast was spoilt a little by a nightmare of fishing nets. They were all highly visible and well buoyed and so simple to avoid but it meant keeping out by the 50nm depth contour and it was a bit far out. It looked such an interesting coast I would have like to have been able to sail closer in.

Turning Pointa de Piedade, a lovely stretch of cliffs with pinnacles coves and caves I arrived at Lagos and anchored off the beach.  It was mid afternoon but I awarded myself a short day on account of yesterday.

7th Oct – Lagos to Albufiera

A gentle day, sailing slowly past the coast. There were some lovely stretches of cliffs with sea caves and by mid afternoon I wasted up  inside Albufiera marina.

Albufiera was the full blown complete tourist resort. The marina was surrounded by apartments and the old fishing village completed lost amongst tourist development. The beach was like something out of a holiday brochure, rows of sun loungers with thatched sunshades. The cafes boasted menu touriste and full english breakfast and rows of shops with holiday mementos. It was all rather ghastly.

In the afternoon I waked to a smaller beach or cove with crumbling cliffs and pinnacles. There were still the sun loungers etc but at one end was quieter so I went for a swim.

Later I walked backed along the cliff tops, a nice walk.

Rain and more rain the next day so I took the opportunity to tidy and clean up the boat.

10th Oct – Albufiera to Ilha de Culatra

Next morning was raining too, but the forecast was for it to stop raining by 10 and then sunshine. Away from the marina there was a deceptively nasty little swell which threw the boat about all which ways. There were wrong about the sun too it never appeared all day. Eventually we got a little wind and we got to the entrance to the lagoons of Faro and Olhao, which was a couple of stone moles sticking out from the sand dunes. The book warned of a strong set across the entrance and they were not wrong and once between the moles the flood tide accelerated me down the channel. Once the lagoons opened out the tide eased off and I went and anchored in the lee of the island of Culatra. It was a popular anchorage, there was probably 20 or so boats anchored up.

The final cap of a not particularly enjoyable day was the cooker stopping working hallway through cooking tea and despite my efforts refusing to work.

11th Oct – Ilha de Culatra to Vila Real de Santo Antonio

In the morning there was nothing for it but to empty the cooker tank and clean everything out. Taking out the tank didn’t prove to such a difficult task as I feared. I cleaned the crud from the tank and unblocked the fuel valve and viola I could have my morning cup of tea.

Mindfull of the tide experienced through the channel yesterday I planned my departure for low water slack so departure was less stressful. It was another grey and dismal day though and it wasn’t long before the rain started accompaigned by peals of thunder. This went on all day until about 1 hour short of the entrance to the river Guardiana, when the sun came out for a while. The river  marks the border between Portugal and Spain. By the bar buoys I handed the main and ran in over the bar under the yankee alone. Fortuitously I arrived at the marina in Vila Real de Santo Antonio at slack water. The marina is just built stuck out into the river so the speak and the tide runs strongly through it so berthing at slack water is less traumatic than at other times. Ashore there was a market in full swing so I went for a wander. Pots and pans, crookery, knives, sheepskin slippers, were the main items on offer but there was a van selling the Portuguese version of hot fresh doughnuts. Later  it rained again torrentially.

According to the book and people I spoke to, the upper reaches of the Rio Guardiana are not to be missed. Accordingly next afternoon I took the flood tide up the river. Indeed once under the suspension bridge the river side is pretty much unspoilt and sparsely populated. The weather was a little unsettled and at one point I was hit by a 35 knot squall which came out of nowhere. I thought I might end up in the bank but managed to avoid that with a struggle. The squall was of course accompaigned by heavy rain so I was drenched in no time, most unpleasant but it was all over in about 20 minutes. Strangely enough a boat about 2 or 300 metres further up the river than me missed this squall completely.

Reaching the tiny village of Foz de Odeitte I anchored and spent a tranquil late afternoon and evening just sitting in the cockpit.

In the morning I had to clear  a raft of canes, reeds and small branches that had accumulated around the anchor chain before I could weigh anchor. I then motored and drifted slowly back down the river on the ebb. The sky looked threatening with rain but by dint of getting waterproofs all ready to don I seemed to ward it off.

I entered the marina at Ayamonte, on the Spanish side of the river by a ferry glide manouvere as the tide runs strongly past the entrance, but once inside you are completely sheltered. The almost obligatory wander around the town revealed it to be quite charming with tiled plazas.

Later the bad weather did arrive, it blew strongly and bucketed it down with rain.

City of scooters, narrow streets, parraquetes nesting in palm trees, fishing from the city walls, a fantastic fish market. Surrounded on almost all sides by the Atlantic ocean. Its a nice city.

Provisions for the boat, the boat all checked over, it is time to leave mainland Europe and head further south. We will see if the swell will let us into any of the Moroccan ports.

After topping up with diesel at the fuelling berth we headed out off the harbour and out to the clearwater water at the end of the Canal Norte. Here we could turn southwards and after passing the west cardinal buoy marking the rocks and shoals to the west of the Cadiz peninsular set a course for Rabat some 170 miles away. I had crew now, a Dutch girl, Merel, so it would help with these longer passages to come. There was a nasty cross swell so the boats movement was a trifle lively but with little wind, so progress was slow and eventually resort was made to the engine for an hour. Then the wind picked up , great at first but later after dark it further strengthened leading to to put in first one reef and then later a second reef in the main and furling the yankee. There were quite some waves, one even decided to join me in the cockpit, a fortunately unusual occurrence for Sea Bear.

Later the wind and seas calmed down but then it became foggy, very foggy. I knew there were some fishing boats about as I had seen their lights before the fog and I could hear their engines in the distance. The AIS told me they were 2 miles off so not too worrying but I slowed the boat down  but loosing all the sheets and proceeded cautiously.  The fog cleared later to return briefly after daylight.  Then we had a nice day sailing, light winds, only 8 to 10 knots but progress on the desired course was being made. Just before sunset we saw a large pod of dolphins. Another night passed by . There were the lights of numerous fishing boats but none came very close and none for which we had to alter course for. In the early hours we could see the loom of lights on the Moroccan coast, the lights of Mehdiya and further on Rabat.

Dawn and were about 8 miles off Rabat however then the wind headed us so we had to go on the other tack and then it died completely. In a way this calm did us a favour as instead of slowly tacking our way in we had the perfect excuse to switch on the engine and motor the remaining miles. Of the harbour entrance we radioed  the marina for the pilot and although we got no reply the pilot boat appeared  and said to wait 1 hour and they would be back when there was enough water to cross the bar. So in due course the pilot boat led us in through the harbour entrance and up the river to the police and customs pontoon. I was glad for the pilot as the entrance was tricky and even what little swell was running made it a little exciting. But oh what an entrance, sailing up the river between two medieval walled towns, you knew you was arriving somewhere very different, was it even this century. There was a hug wow factor.

There was a little snag over our entrance formalities. You see the skipper had overlooked that the boat insurance had expired 2 days ago and we could not proceed into the marina until this had been sorted. They were pleasant enough about it and directed me around to the marina office  who again were more than helpful and I could email the insurance company  and I later phoned them  and they emailed me a new insurance document which the police then printed out for me so it was all sorted in the end , it just took a bit of time, and we could moor up in the marina.

Eh it were a bit warm – 35 degrees in the shade  thats in the nineties for us us oldies, but I love it.

In the evening we strolled into the walled city of Sale, we found a hole in the wall which accept my card and gave me some dirhams and then we wandered through the medina and after a glass of mint tea from a tea shop we bought some fresh cooked warm maize cakes from one stall and some fried fish with sauce in bread from  another stall so dinner was sorted.