Atlantic West Coast of Portugal

No wind or blowing a gale - we motored the whole 39nM to Viana Do Costelo in flat (for a change), mirror-like water and in convoy with three other yachts that had all been waiting for better weather. We were the third to leave but it wasn’t long before we left everyone else behind due to our 56hp Yanmar, but at least we’d be there to help catch their lines in the marina. After having to cross The Channel to France and The Bay of Biscay to Spain, it was an odd feeling passing into Portugal by just sauntering down the coast few miles, but we celebrated our achievement all the same and photographed Wayne hoisting our new Portuguese courtesy flag. The Spanish courtesy flag, a third missing and very frayed, told its own story of the past two months!

We’d been pre-warned by a Canadian couple berthed alongside us in Bayona, that the entrance to the marina in Viana was very difficult to spot and that it didn’t present itself until the very last minute, by which time you’d be getting very stressed about hitting the road bridge that crossed the river a little further along. So, as a result, we weren’t stressed about finding the marina entrance at all, but wished we’d been warned of what to expect once inside. By this stage in the journey we were much more relaxed about manoeuvring Hitrapia in marinas, as we’d frequented so bloody many with her and have got used to some of her ‘oddities’, but even so, we’re still cautious and like to poke our nose in gently before charging ahead into an unknown space. The marina was quite small with no designated area for visitors and very few free berths. To get to any other pontoon except the first you had to round a very tight corner near the harbour wall and the water there suddenly began to shallow. We quickly engaged astern, which is always interesting in a boat that does as she pleases when going backwards, but it seemed a better option than running aground. We managed to turn her around and chugged back out through the marina entrance, making note of any free spaces just inside on the first pontoon - there were just two, and they were Mediterranean style with lazy lines, no fingers! This was going to be tricky two up and we wished now that we hadn’t been the first of the convoy to arrive. On motoring back in and lining ourselves up for the space alongside a large, Danish flagged, steel yacht named ‘Lady Ship’, the skipper kindly climbed off her to help us berth. The lazy line was in such a disgusting slimy state, as you can image, being left submerged in filthy marina water, that we dropped it around mid ships on our way aft, but secured it on our second attempt. We were just about settled when Terry and Fiona pulled into the marina aboard ‘Roam’, one of the convoy, and of course, we called instructions and helped them berth alongside us - they had never Med moored before and were glad of the extra hands. Viana Do Costelo is a gorgeous town, according to our guide book it’s one of the most beautiful on the West coast. We easily filled the next two days walking the sights, (one of them being at the top of 677 steps!) and adjusting again to a new language, new cuisine and different culture.
 

From our next port, Povoa de Varzim, we took the opportunity to travel by bus and metro, inland and visit Oporto, a city of huge contrasts. A fascinating melting pot of industry and charm, wealth and poverty. We visited as many areas and historic sites - not to mention the Port wine lodges - as we could manage until the oppressive heat and hilly landscape got the better of us and we staggered back to the train station totally worn out. Lisbon was also of course a place we wished to visit on our way down through Portugal, but we learned a lot from our experience in Oporto that day. We decided not to visit Lisbon on our way down, during the summer months, but to take a trip up from Lagos during the wintertime, when it would be far less busy and much, much, cooler, and, give us a short break from the boat!

  There are fewer safe ports on the West coast of Portugal than in Galicia, which meant greater distances between ports meaning longer passages. The weather now was a little warmer and much sunnier than we’d experienced in Spain but the sailing conditions got windier and the Atlantic swell got larger and larger. The strong Portuguese trade winds, known locally as the ‘Nortada’, blew from the North quadrants most days, so most of our sailing was downwind. We rarely used our Mainsail down the west coast, using only the Genoa (large foresail) and still comfortably cruised along at 5-6kts. Most days, like clockwork, the wind strength would build, and a strong, land effected breeze would be blowing 25-35kts through the harbour, just as you were about to berth the boat, which made for some interesting boat handling!

On a domestic level, we found Portugal to be more expensive than Spain and the marina facilities generally, of poorer quality. We’d already decided not to call into Lisbon where many other cruisers were spending a week or two and were now getting tired of the Atlantic swell and of sitting out gales. Believe it or not, Angie was still cold and it was nearing the end of August! So, we made the decision to do a couple of long overnight passages and push on south, the sooner the better, the Algarve was calling!

Next Page > Gibraltar and Ronda.