Fliss…………….
Hello, just got back from walking around the island and snorkelling off a beach just opposite Nadezhda. The fish were lovely, small ones, big ones and yellow fish which came right up to our masks, I watched one fish launch itself out the water.
It is a truly beautiful island with loads of caves, rocky coastline & deep blue water, you know the colour that the sea should be!
Nadezhda seen from Berlenga fort
Yesterday, what a brilliant day, you know we had a lunch date with the fake galleon, well it turned out that it wasn’t a day trip boat but part of an association and it had travelled all over, Atlantic & Brazil you name it, it had been there.
The lovely skipper who had a really kind face (a real crusty old sea-dog) offered to pick us up to take us the little castle, we declined as we had our own “rubba-dub”.
So at 12:45pm we headed off and got 50 yards off the boat and realised that we were short on petrol. We turned around filled up then headed off again. Mr lovely skipper spotted us and thought we had an engine problem promptly came over & offered us a tow.
When arrived at the jetty he told two young members of his crew to lift our boat out and told us to make our way to the lunch meet.
It was fantastic! We were made so welcome, in fact doted on!. We sat at the main table with Pedro, Pedro, Pedro & Teresa and many others. We had barbequed sardines & another fish that they couldn’t tell us what it was, it’s translation was “Stick Face”. Teresa showed us how to eat the sardines the Portuguese way (you put the fish on the bread and peel the skin from the tail, then when the fish is finished you eat the bread). The fish was delicious, amazing as we both avoid fish. There was salad, fruit for desert & copious amounts of red wine.
They were brilliant & understood our sense of humour.
They set sail (motored) at 3:30pm and as they raised their anchor we motored over to say thank you for a wonderful afternoon, the lovely skipper gave us a wooden plaque with the boats coat of arms. So a big thank you to the crew of Vera Cruz which means the “True Cross”.
The Portuguese have been so hospitable and sorry Ash but I’m glad that they beat us at football!!!
Last night we sat on deck with thunder & lightning all around us, it got so close that we put the satellite phone & laptop in the oven, we also disconnected the VHF just in case we were hit. It was amazing display.
Pete………………
Again, Fliss has got to the computer before me so I will simply elaborate on bits that caught my attention.
Vera Cruz looks like a Disney-boat. The sort that could be a poor mock-up in an amusement park. This is why we thought that it simply motored tourists out from nearby Peniche on the mainland. Not so! They sail whenever they can and the boat is owned by an association and everyone gets a turn during the busy sailing season. Apparently, Brazil was originally named “Vera Cruz” when the first Portuguese settled there and so the boat, that is a replica of the ones used during that period of discovery, had to be sailed there. After that, they went to New York and back via the Azores (also Portuguese). Pretty amazing.
Vera Cruz will probably be in Lisbon when we get there since there is a tall-ships gathering (they set sail for Antwerp at the weekend) but Vera Cruz will not be sailing with them. We hope to get an invite for a look around.
Yesterday evening, we went for a scoot around in the dinghy. The island has an almost unbroken rock shore of pink granite that is fissured and broken creating high-sided mini-islands and caverns. Just around the corner is a cave that goes right through the cliffs and into a massive amphitheatre bay with vertical cliffs all around. We found another smaller cave that, again, took us to another bay but the swell was coming from that direction and we scuttled back again, the rocks of the cave just missing the side of the dinghy as the swell pushed us forwards and sucked us back again.
Steep cliffs and caverns
Berlenga pink granite fort
From a different perspective
We motored around the little island on top of which is the pink granite fort. This is joined to the mainland by high-arched granite bridges that are slender and graceful. These are a magnificent feat of engineering as they span a considerable distance and cannot be any more than 2 or 3 feet thick at the apex. They did not even look safe to walk on yet they have been standing for 400 years!
One of the Bridges joining Fort to land
We went for a walk over the island today which only took an hour and a half. It is a nature reserve and you must keep to the designated paths that circuit the top. Not that you would want to deviate from the paths since the whole island is covered with seagulls that want to protect their young. We were dive-bombed on several occasions. The problem was that when the seagulls were busy trying to get rid of us, other seagulls were making-off with their young, I watched as one gull swooped-down and headed-off with another’s chick in its beak. One less seagull to crap on the dinghy!
Thursday 19th July 2006
Pete…………
We awoke early (7:00) and hauled-up the anchor and optimistically hoisted the mainsail. No wind again, so we motored for a few hours. After a while, a light breeze appeared from starboard and we got the cruising chute going for about two hours until finally the light airs faded and we were back to motoring.
As we rounded Cabo de Roca, a stiff breeze kicked-in suddenly and we rocketed-off with the wind right behind us. Turning round the next cape, we unrolled the jib and stormed into Cascais at 8.5 knots. Great end to an otherwise uneventful sail.
We anchored in the bay inside the breakwater that protects the marina amongst a number of other British boats. We had bought a hammock in Aveiro and since forgotten about it. I saw it lying on the side and rigged it to each end of the spinnaker pole and then extended the pole out over the side. It is really comfortable and you can get in and then swing yourself out over the water and gently rock with the motion of the boat.
Friday 20th July 2006
We went into Cascais today and spent a few hours wandering. The town is a very upmarket seaside resort with palatial buildings and quaint side-streets. We took a walk around the fort, looked at the marina (Eu38 per night!) and wandered through some very nice local gardens with peacocks, geese, ducks and other foul. At the entrance to the gardens was a grandiose stone-built building that had the word “Museo” (Museum?) on a sign pointing at it. Well, it wasn’t a museum but you could go into a peaceful courtyard in the centre of which was a fountain. We peered in through the windows at the chandeliers and opulence inside.
Grandiose Cascais
The back-streets are full of the aromas of barbequed fish and meat and waiters tout alongside the umbrella-topped tables that line the streets and squares. Since we have saved an unbelievable fee by not going into marinas, tonight we are going to treat ourselves to a meal ashore – the first dinner out since starting the trip.
Elegant Cascais
It’s windier today and we could have had a good sail – Sods luck eh?
Other than that, I have donned mask and snorkel and scrubbed the fine green weed from the propeller. In addition, Fliss remembered that our steaming light did not work last time we used it so I shimmied-up the mast and replaced the bulb.
Fliss
Well, not much more to add really.
Lovely place, wonderful weather & a hammock swinging gently in the breeze, this not working lark is really hard work!!
Pete forgot to mention that he caught his 1st fish at Berlenga, it was a really good size as well. We marinated it in lemon, garlic & chilli’s and put it in the fridge overnight. In the morning Pete put in the oven and cooked it for a good 20mins or so…. It was presented to me & I’m sorry but it ended up overboard as it wasn’t cooked long enough, it was also quite bland.
Looking forward to dinner out tonight as we’ve been really good and cooked everyday.
Thought I saw John Owen this morning and waved frantically at the man on board as he passed us by, Pete stuck his head out and said “that’s not a Vancouver 28” poor bloke is probably still puzzling who the short brunette on the double ender is. (by the way I didn’t know what boat John Owen had).
Anyway hammock, cup of tea and a good book awaits. Bye for now.
Tuesday 25th July 2006
Fliss………..
We left Cascais around 09:30am bound for Lisbon. Fantastic fast sail and a bit of a shame really as it’s only a short hop (around 13 miles). We left early as the tide can run up to 5 knots in the river at Lisbon and we didn’t want to fight it.
In our usual haphazard and lucky style we arrived in Lisbon in time to see all of the tall ships leave Lisbon for Antwerp. The fanfare of all the little ships seeing them off made a busy Saturday in the Solent look like a quiet day in the Lake District. Each time a British tall ship went passed we pegged the king size duvet cover Union Jack to the rails and received a cheer from the appreciative crew (the flag wouldn’t fly due to the wind being behind as, also the wind had died). We saw our friends “True Cross” following them out but they were back on their mooring last night.
Tall Ships
and Lisbon bridge
As we approached the marina a speed boat appeared and a nicely spoken Englishman said “you’re a long way from home Nadezhda, river Hamble yes?” he was an official from the tall ships race . He asked of our plans and said “you can’t go wrong with Alan Pape design” he said cheerio and then sped off. We never did find out how he knew she was on the Hamble and could only assume he’d seen her there.
Lisbon at 1st was a culture shock after the beautiful Cascais but I can only think of it as a new pair of slippers, strange at 1st but you end up loving them.
A quote from the guide book:
“As romantic as Paris, as fun as Madrid, as laid back as Rome but small enough to fit into a handbag – Lisbon is faded, beautiful and difficult to leave.
It’s aesthetically extraordinary, dipping a rising over seven hills”
I couldn’t agree more, steep steps, café culture and vibrant, very reminiscent of Venice & San Francisco.
Tram & steep streets
....and again
Lisbon does have it’s problems like any big city, drunks (not British for a change), homeless & drugs, in fact we were offered marijuana on a regular basis and if we weren’t offered it we wanted to say to the dealer “hey, what’s wrong with us eh, think were to old to smoke it”. I watched one homeless man walk up to a lady in a café and take her food off her plate, she wasn’t amused!.
The marina was basic but not too expensive unlike Cascais which was 38 euros a night, thank god we anchored at Cascais! And was around 2 miles from the centre of Lisbon and possibly on the male gay joggers pick up route, you could tell they were gay by the pink shorts, leather peaked caps and they jogged in a certain way.
In a day and a half we must have walked about 20 miles, we did the usual tourist sights, castle, cathedral and walked up thousands of steps in the baking heat.
We both loved Lisbon and really would have liked a little longer there but we have to start making serious moves for Faro. It’s not far to Faro but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Pete………..
The sail from Cascais to Lisbon was great. We were leading the pack who were headed in our direction and Nadezhda fought-off the lighter and (theoretically) faster boats all the way. As we got into the river, the police waved us across the other side to make way for the Tall Ships that were just approaching the upstream side of the bridge. It seemed as though the masts would not fit under and I am sure that, in some cases, there was little room to spare. We downed-sail and drifted amongst the other boats that were there to send them off.
Lisbon is lovely. Steep hills, narrow streets, and trams. Some parts are simply higgledy-piggledy mazes of steep narrow pathways and steps with no room for cars. The wizened old ladies with walking sticks having to carry the shopping at a snails-pace.
Large portions of the city are paved with white granite and black basalt cubes about 4 inches square that were laid by convicts. These are quite slippery and treacherous on the steep hills (more difficulty for the old women!). In the squares, they are laid in zig-zag and undulating patterns that make you feel giddy.
Lisbon main square
Lisbon street-life
Steep, narrow streets
Yesterday, a man called Carlos came along as we were preparing to go into town. He offered taxi services, boat services and gas re-fills. We gave him both our gas canisters and they were waiting for us in the marina reception when we returned in the evening. So, we are fully gassed-up again.
Today, we are headed for Sines. The wind is a fairly decent Force 3 on the beam We were headed for Cabo Espichel but they were doing live firing exercises and we had to detour 3.5 miles off. When we were about 4 miles off, a warship came and asked us whether we knew live was taking place (using a megaphone) so we went a little further out before heading South again.
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