Fliss………..
We arrived at Sines at around 6pm after a stonking sail, averaging around 6.5 knots and sometimes more. As usual we came screaming into harbour. Great sail!
Colin & Maureen were already there (we met them at Bayona) amazing really but Maureen comes from Ramsgate (she has the accent & reminds me of Maggie) and has just sold a house in Sandwich.
Whilst looking for a spot to anchor I noticed a large stage and said to Pete “here we go again” it transpires that Sines was hosting a World Music Festival, not really my cup of tea but Pete likes some of it.
Sines has a long sandy beach which looks like it’s been imported and the water at the shore is a slimy green colour, I’ve only seen water that colour before in a stagnant pond.
Off we went with our small rucksack carrying essentials for our expedition into Sines, 20 minutes later we were finished and sitting in the town square having a drink, not alcoholic by the way.
In my opinion Sines is as dull as dishwater, there’s nothing horrible about it but nothing exciting apart from Vasco da Gama came from there. Sensible guy got the hell out of Sines and went off to find India.
Vasco ded Gama hiding in a palm tree
I’m probably being a little hard but it just didn’t ring my bell & others must agree as it isn’t mentioned in the guide book.
We were ready, glass of wine & sitting on deck waiting for the music to kick off and it did, at 10 o’clock. It comprised of some French bloke doing dodgy renditions of once were great songs, I’ve never heard the great rock track “tastes like teen spirit” dissected & massacred to such a level. At 11:30pm we could take no more and retired to bed and slept through it.
1st time we have encountered mosquitoes since Leixoes & we have been munched!!!! Pete’s reacting badly to them his weep mine just swell up and itch.
Left this morning at 07:30am bound for Sagres & Baleeira which is around 60 miles.
Pete……………
There really is no more to say about Sines. It has nothing wrong with it, but also has not a lot going for it. If we had not already been to some really nice places, we would probably quite like it??!
We set sail for Cabo de Sao Vincente at 07:45. This South-Westernmost tip of Portugal has an anchorage just around the headland that we hope is protected from the North-Westerly wind and swell. We set off with a reasonable amount of wind but it has now died to a light breeze. The swell and waves from the winds of yesterday are rolling us backwards and forwards and slamming the sails and rigging as we corkscrew and stir the sea with the rudder. A boat parallel to us about a mile away is suffering the same fate. I cannot work-out how else to set the boat-up to prevent the tiresome and wearing (wearing on the rigging and wearing on our nerves) flogging of the sails.
With luck, we will get some good afternoon breezes to steady everything and speed us on our way.
Thursday 27th 2006 (afternoon)
Pete…………….
Well, the afternoon breezes did arrive and we decided to put up the cruising chute. This worked wonders as we strapped the mainsail in fairly tight and set off at 7.5 knots. With the chute out and the mainsail reasonably sheeted-in, we stopped rolling and shot along at a very respectable speed. The wind picked-up a little more so we kept a good watch on what was going-on.
Romping along with the cruising chute
Three years ago, I jerry-rigged the attachment point where the chute attaches to the front of the boat. This consisted of nylon cord wrapped about 8 times round a hole in the bow-roller and then strapped to make secure. This has been chafing for a good while now, so I kept my eye on it. Of course, it was when Fliss had just served soup that we had that extra gust that “pinged” two of the lines apart. Of course, we didn’t want the tack of the chute flying away and then having trouble retrieving the sail, so I jumped-up to pull the snuffer sock over the sail and douse it.
It was about time to take the sail-in anyway. As I pulled on the snuffer line, it was lifting me off the deck as the wind tried to open the sail out again. However, we soon had it all under control but I returned to Fliss complaining about my choice of soup positioning………It covered the inside of the cockpit with beef & Tomato and soggy bread!
We got the headsail out and made excellent progress until the quartering seas screwed us around causing it to flap occasionally and then fill with a sudden slam that put too much strain on the fore/backstays. We took it down and were still getting up-to 7 knots under mainsail alone.
The seas around Cabo de Sao Vincente were quite confused, probably due to the echo of the waves back from the cliffs. As we approached, I donned gloves to stop the burning of fast-running sheets as we gybed the mainsail and let it run-out on the opposite side. Then, as we passed the off-lying tower of rock just-off the main headland, we did the usual………Head downwind, yank-in the boom, bear away until the wind catches the other side of the sail and let go the sheets……….BANG! We blew the mainsail again…………..the seam just below the last one that went off Portland unzipped itself completely….Bugger!
Cabo ded Sao Vincente
We only had a mile to got so we sailed with the parted mainsail until we got into the shadow of the cape and calmer waters to deal with it. Bugger, Bugger!
We are now anchored in a nice cliff-lined bay just past the cape (37 degrees 1.5 Minutes North 8 degrees 60 minutes West), the sun is shining and the gusts that were frittering over the cliffs and shaking the water have now calmed. Very nice.
Tomorrow, we will be changing sails and we are very glad to have a spare set.
Fliss…..
Superb sailing conditions today very fast! We think we saw a French boat called Bi-Colour in the distance (we met them in Avieiro) and within no time at all we stormed past them, no need for sail tweaking Nadezhda was having the time of her life!! They went passed our anchorage an hour ago bound for Lagos, we think.
Every time we gybe Pete & I have this horrible feeling so today came as no surprise, repair job in Gibraltar and we’ll ask them to strengthen the other seems at they appear to be the weak spots.
Lovely calm evening now just us & another British boat anchored.
The other Brit
Tonight Spaghetti Bolognese, pasta, red wine (5 euros for 5 litres) and a lovely setting.
Saturday 29th July 2006
Pete………….
Yesterday we took off the old mainsail and replaced it. It was quite gusty and this made the task quite difficult and long-winded. This completed, we jumped into the dinghy and rowed ashore but could find no way of getting up the steep cliffs that did not mean leaving the dinghy to beat against barnacles so we returned to the boat.
Not being able to get ashore, we decided to unfurl the headsail and we rocketed down the coast about 2 miles to a lovely beach that was surrounded by cliffs and caves and was quite sheltered. We went ashore and walked up to the cliff tops but the plateau at the top was flat, sparse scrubland that did not inspire any further investigations so we returned to the boat and took advantage of the calmer conditions to change the headsail as well.
This beach also has its contingent of nudists. This consisted of three pricks standing with hands-on-hips as proud as can be.
This morning, we awoke and decided to move-on to the next bay. The sea was white-capped beyond the bay even though it was calm where we were anchored. We decided to put two reefs in the mainsail (a useful exercise with a new sail) and set-off. Soon, with mainsail only, we were doing 7.5 knots downwind and decided not to get the headsail out nor do any gybing practice. We found our next anchorage after the end of the cliffs. This means that there is no protection from the 25 knots of wind that is blasting off the beach (the hand-held anemometer flicks between 20 & 30 knots). We are hoping that it will abate so that we can launch the dinghy and go ashore but I think it unlikely and we certainly do not want an unscheduled visit to North Africa!
Peaked caps are securely strapped below-decks and we have taken-in the flexible solar panel after it made a bid for freedom. Luckily it was tied to the grab-rails. The wind-gen is pumping-out max power and is surprisingly quiet (ie: cannot be heard above the rest of the wailing). I keep thinking the kettle is boiling!
Fliss
The 1st anchorage was absolutely stunning, very clear water that this morning you could see the reflection of the dinghy and Nadezhda on the sand, we could also trace the anchor chain and see the anchor. The sky last night was fantastic and Pete answering the call of nature in the middle of the night reported seeing a shooting star.
Just East ofCabo de Sao Vincente
....and again
Boy did it blow in the early hours and we both woke up with a start, thank god for the Bruce anchor as it certainly digs in and we have complete confidence in it.
I did have a tragedy yesterday as the dinghy got swamped and my phone was in the bag, unfortunately phones and salt water don’t mix that well. The tragedy was that I lost all my video clips and pictures that I’ve collected over the years, my own fault but from now on any electrical stuff gets out in sealble plastic bags.
It is very windy here! Force 6-7 I think but very warm. The plan is to run to Lagos on Sunday or Monday.
I do hope this is just a weather pattern going through and not the Portuguese trades as it will be a baptism of fire for young Robyn as we will have to sail down to Gibraltar but luckily there only short sails and worse comes to the worse we’ll stay close to Faro.
What I like is that navigation of these seas is really easy! No sticky out rocks to miss and the water around headlands is deep and the winds are consistently north’ish in direction. Quick question though, you know they say when you cross the Atlantic you head south until the butter melts, what do you do if you only have margarine onboard?.
Coming into this bay the depth suddenly goes from 7 meters to zip so we came gingerly in.
1 comment:
Lovely blog you hhave
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