Lazy sailing to Cadiz

20-21 Feb: Chipiona to Cadiz

We left Chipiona in the morning and headed west, to get far from the shallow waters near the coastline. Theoretically, Trovoada could sail there directly to Cadiz, since charts show soundings always about two meters. Nevertheless, I preferred to play safe and sail for deeper waters. It cost a couple of hours, but the distance to Cadiz was relatively short anyway.

Chipiona from the sea. The lighthouse (second bigger in the world, as I was told) dominate the skyline even when surrounded by several-stories-high buildings.

With relatively soft wind and a warm temperature, the trip from Chipiona to Cadiz was quite relaxing. This was welcoming, after the previous overnight crossing of the Gulf of Cadiz. As we approach the Bay of Cadiz, the traffic started to grow. Navy ships, ferries, cargo ships, and lots of sailboats in a regatta. Despite the crowded water, it was pleasant to see all the movement. 

The regatta and a ferry, in the distance

Finding the Marina Puerto America was easy and we were given a very nice berth. Trovoada was secured. I can go for a shower and explore the city.

Trovoada, in her lonely berth at Marina Puerto America

While the marina is relatively far from the city, it is still a (long) walking distance. Nevertheless, the walk to the city at the end of the day was a surprising pleasure and it proved worthy. 

Cadiz at sunset, on my way from the marina to the city center 

Cadiz is a vibrant town, with an amazing old city. Strolling within those narrow streets, observing locals shopping, partying, drinking coffee or just wondering around, was a delight. 

The narrow streets of the old city

Plaza de San António

Cadiz family nightlife: kids playing in the street, parents  

Crossing the Gulf of Cadiz

18-19 Feb: Vilamoura to Chipiona

Thursday morning I was finally ready to leave. Just had to prepare the food for the crossing, check out from the marina, untie the lines and go. I woke up later that I should have. It was almost nine o'clock when I got out of the bed. It was excusable since the last two days were exhausting. 

The auto-pilot clock was displaying 12:03 when I untie the last line and start moving forward. I was leaving Vilamoura, heading to Chipiona, in Andalucia (Spain). The estimated duration of the passage was seventeen hours. The weather was good and the wind was blowing force 5 from North. I hoisted the mainsail with the first reef and Trovoada behave perfectly with the new sail. She sailed most of the way with a good speed - around six knots. 

Leaving Vilamoura, the last Portuguese marina we will be for a while

The passage itself does not have much to report. Steady winds, calm seas, nice sunset, bright moon, and silence. After leaving the Portuguese coast, near Farol island, and until we got close to the Spanish coast, there were almost twelve hours without seeing any other vessel. 

The sunset that will precede a long night away from everything.

It was around three o'clock in the morning when I spotted the first lights in the horizon. As we got closer, it was clear what that lights were. A dozen ships were anchored, lined up in a stretch of sea, several miles from the coast. We managed to sail through them, keeping a safe distance, which was not easy since it was dark and they are relatively close to each other. 

Ships anchored at night. All I had to guide me trough them were their lights. Everything else was pitch dark.

A few miles ahead, when those ships were a mere set of dim points of light, I had the first glimpse of the Chipiona lighthouse signal. As the minutes passed by that white flashes were getting clearer. It was a warm feeling of safety. That light will guide me to my destination.

Approaching Chipiona was not easy. Located at the mouth of Guadalquivir, the harbor is surrounded by shallows with thin deeper channels where one can pass safely. While well marked by buoys, some of them not easily identifiable. Around five o'clock in the morning, I finally finished tying Trovoada and went to sleep. 

Trovoada, moored in Puerto Deportivo de Chipiona, wearing the Spanish courtesy flag.

Next morning I woke up, took a long shower, enjoyed two good breakfasts (one in the boat and another in the marina) and had a work meeting. Them I went to explore the city and buy a SIM card for mobile data. The city is very cozy with typical Andalucian architecture. The churches, for instance, are particularly interesting. Moreover, the Spanish were celebrating Carnaval, so the main roads were full of people strolling, shopping, drinking and eating. 

Church of Nuestra Señora del O

Jesus de las Mesericordias Church

Strolling in Chipiona

At the end of the night I went to the lighthouse. Besides being a city's landmark, it was maps guiding light in the previous evening. It was a very tall and well cared lighthouse, built in the 19th century. Such construction is much more than just a landmark, a monument, an architectural masterpiece, or a useful beacon for those at sea. This lighthouse is all that. For me was certainly all that. 

The Chipiona Lighthouse

Misfortune #2

15-17 Feb: Vilamoura

On the evening of February 15th, I finally got the new main sail and the repaired head sail. I must thank to my friend Vitor Frade and to José Wanzeller from Sailloft their help and commitment in solving the sails issue in such short time. 

For a big finale, I had to carry the two sails alone from the bus station to the boat. It was a hard task due to the weight and size of the bags, but I made it. After all the physical effort, I thought it might be a good idea to offer a treat to myself. I got to the "TA Taberna" restaurant for dinner. 

Unlike the real tavern I had lunch in Sines, this was a gourmet tavern, with pretty blond waitresses and gourmet service. Nevertheless, the food was good looking and tasty. I enjoyed what I thought it will be my last dinner in Portugal for a couple of months. 

The house special dish at the "Taberna". Homemade fried potatoes with chicken. 

I went to sleep that day with well-defined plans for Tuesday, 16th: have a good breakfast, prepare the food for the passage, set up the sails, check-out from the marina, and leave Vilamoura, crossing the Gulf of Cadiz to Chipiona. 

But, as often happens, plans are not always as we expect. While preparing the boat for the trip, my glasses fell over the pontoon into the water. I promptly prepare myself to dive: neoprene suit, mask,  snorkel and fins. It seems simple listed like this, but it took more than a half-hour to be ready to dive. Fortunately, a kind fellow sailor girl that was cleaning a boat nearby helped me wearing the neoprene suit, amidst jokes on my how tummy grew since last time I had worn that suit.

I dive in the area where the glasses fell for almost one hour without success. The water was around four meters deep and I had no air tanks. For every couple of minutes underwater I had to return to the surface to breathe. I gave up to try to find them for myself I looked for professional help. 

I contacted both the marina services and a diving school nearby. The opinion was unanimous. It probably doesn't worth the effort. The probability to find the glasses amongst all the debris is low. Worst, the divers will only be available the following week, which reduces even more the probability of success. Moreover, I had to pay them, whether they find the glasses or not.

Retrieving my glasses was o valid option, then. I must buy a new pair. Since I have no details about the lenses, the faster and cheaper solution was to go back to Lisbon for it. I took an express bus and, on Wednesday evening, I was back to Vilamoura with this problem solved. After all, my dinner at "A Taberna" on Monday evening was not my last dinner in Portugal before heading to Spain. 

Solving problems

01 to 15-Feb: Vilamoura

I spent Monday morning assessing the damage in the mainsail and figuring out out to solve this problem. I concluded that, since the sail had ripped off in two and is more than fifteen years old, it was unworthy to repair it. The goal now was to get a new one as faster as possible.

The mainsail ripped in two 

The following two days were spent calling sailmakers and negotiating the best solution, regarding both costs and delivery time. After many calls and a short, I decided to order the new sail to Sail Loft. They would have one ready in less than two weeks by a fair price. Next step was to remove the old sail, pack it, and to send it to the sailmaker.

Packing the old ripped sail in the pontoon

That afternoon a dinghy came to my pontoon the pick up the sail. It was a first class service from Sail Loft guys. Later that week they even took my genoa to perform small repairs. Awesome. The following week I just took some time to work, to cook, and to enjoy magnificent sunsets.

Sunset on February 3rd 

Sunset on February 4th

Sunset on February 7th

Misfortune

31-Jan: Lagos to Vilamoura

First thing in the morning, I went to the marina reception for checking in. It was closed when I arrived late in the evening. I was expecting to pay an overnight stay, but people at reception were extremely kind and, since we arrived in the middle of the night and we'll be leaving in a few minutes after a few hours in the reception pontoon, they don't charge us the daily fee. More than the money value of the fee, it was the way we were welcome that matters. It was not my first time in Lagos Marina and won't be the last, for sure. I maintain my strongly recommendation to my fellow sailors: if you're passing by, Lagos Marina is an excellent choice both for one-night rest or for longer stays.

Leaving Lagos Marina

The hours just after leaving Lagos were of slow sailing with a gentle breeze pushing the boat at a speed of around two to three knots. I used that time for taking off the weather gear (it was a warm sunny day, after all), washing the deck and eating the second breakfast. All before the wind changes and a moderate northern breeze start pushing us faster and faster. At some point, Trovoada was sailing at more than seven knots over ground. 

Saling at more that seven knots, speed over ground.

Despite its more than fifteen knots, the wind was steady, with no gusts. The sea was calm. In these conditions, Trovoada is quite easy to handle. With the sails well trimmed, she sailed by herself. Even the auto-pilot is unnecessary. Thus, I can relax and enjoy the sunshine. 

Relaxed sailing

Even while relaxing, when you're sailing you should keep a sharp eye. I was doing exactly that when I spot, at far, a dark speed boat heading in my direction from starboard. As it got closer I recognized that it was the maritime police. Well, they saw me just as you see in the pic above, casual, to say the least. They quickly put the speedboat side by side with Trovoada and started asking me questions: from I came; to where I was going; if I was alone; if they can step onboard. I furled the jib, released the mainsail and they came on board.

I was expecting a quick documents check. Instead, they inspected everything. From documents to emergency equipment, including checking the expiration date of flares and liferaft. They even wanted to look at bow and aft cabins. I didn't look at the clock, but I'm sure they were onboard for more than half-hour. Fortunately, everything was ok and they left just with wishes for a pleasant journey. 

It was indeed pleasant, but just for a while. I was fine trimming the sails when I notice a strange behavior on the mainsail. I looked up and what my eyes saw froze my blood for a couple of seconds. The main sail was starting to rip. 

The main sail, ripping.

Softly, I released the main halyard and tried to let the sail down. But the main head wasn't falling as supposed. It was stuck at the top of the mast. I was aware that I had only two options. Either I climb up the mast to pull the sail down or try to gently push it. The first was unfeasible since I was alone onboard. I went for the second. Naturally, even with very gentle handling, the sail ripped in two during the process.

Trovoada humped the next nine miles to Marina de Vilamoura, sailing only with the jib. My morale was obviously down. I was analysing my options. It was not possible to continue the journey as planned. I needed to stay in Vilamoura to repair or replace the sail. There was nothing to do now. The adventure will halt for a while.

Rollercoaster to Lagos

30-Jan: Sines to Lagos

After a good night sleep, we left Sines harbor under a gentle breeze. The port was quieter than when we arrived. I could rely on Trovoada's auto-pilot to handle the boat to open waters while I stow  fenders and cables and hoist the sails.

Sailing within sight of land - Serra de Grândola on the horizon.

On sight of land, we sail south comfortably for a few hours. As two days before, we were sailing downwind. To avoid an accidental jibe, I head a few degrees westward than necessary. It allowed a good compromise between speed, comfort, and safety.

Pleasant sailing hours passed. The wind grew stronger and the waves higher. For most of the afternoon, the wind was blowing 12 to 16 knots with three-meter waves. At the sunset, everything went calm for some time. I even got another visit by a small group of dolphins that swum side by side with Trovoada. Before the night fell, I enjoyed another sunset at sea.

Sunset at sea

These were the last minutes of calm. As the extraordinary colors of the sunset gave place to the dark black sky, the wind and the waves grew steadily. When we were around 10 miles north of cape St. Vicent, the wind was blowing above 20 knots and four-meter waves shook Trovoada.

Although I have no images, for obvious reasons, negotiating the cape was a hard task. It was pitch black - the moonrise happened just a few hours later when I was arriving Lagos. I can not see much more than the lighthouse at a safe distance. And even this beacon disappears every time we were in the bottom of the wave.

Trimming the sails to fit the new course was daunting. A fishing boat approaching and crossing my planned route made this task even more difficult. Indeed, I had a bad time for a while. Beaten by the waves, I was struggling to follow the lighthouse beacon and to guess the course of the fishing boat based solely on the red and green lights that I saw.

Then, the plotter started to bip. This was good. I was arriving at the waypoint that marked the position where we had to definitively turn East. Sailing at six knots, it didn't take long to reach Ponta de Sagres. 

From that point on it was a walk in the park. A steady 16 knots "nortada" pushed us at more than six knots, sometimes above seven knots, until Ponta da Piedade.

After passing Ponta da Piedade was time to prepare the boat for docking. A half-hour later we were entering the deserted Marina de Lagos. It was almost 2 AM. I tied the Trovoada at the reception pontoon, took of the weather gear and went down to prepare something hot to eat. What a great day! 

Strolling in Sines

29-Jan: Sines

After a well deserved night of sleep and since strong winds and five-meter waves were forecasted for the morning, I decided to spend the day in Sines. After working in the morning, I left the marina and strolled through the narrow streets of the old city center.

Sines seafront houses

There I found a typical tavern and had lunch there.  This was not one of those new gourmet restaurants disguised as a tavern, now commonly found in Lisbon. This is the "real deal", with the five-liter wine bottle, the elderly owner serving food to dockworkers, and the old wooden tables with marble tops.

The typical tavern where I had lunch

Then, after lunch, I seated close to the castle walls and had a skype meeting. I can say that I was working with a privileged ocean view. From there I can view the sidewalk, the beach, and the marina on the left, protected by the inner breakwater and, further ahead, by the port breakwater.

View from the Sines Castle

After buying fresh fruit and bread, I went back to Trovoada. There I relaxed for a while, before getting back to work. Everything (including me) must be ready for the more than seventy nautical miles to Lagos, that we will sail the following day.

Relaxing onboard while at Sines marina (porto de recreio de Sines)