The going rate for marinas since we have been in Spain has been consistently 43 Euros including water and electricity. This included a very enjoyable overnight in Estepona where we were able to shop and, avoiding the ubiquitous faux āIrish Pubā which seemed to be populated by loud scantily clad young lads and lasses, we... Continue Reading →
Gibraltar
Well, for those of you who are regular readers of the blog, you will understand that the policy of allowing the crew the opportunity to make their input has had mixed results. The high spots have been Stephen, Ollie and Bob with Peter writing barely comprehensible drivel, John trying hard but being merely informative and... Continue Reading →
Dire Straits
Having been monitoring the weather from a week before, it was no surprise to see that our intended overnight to Gibraltar was untenable due to the Easterly F8 gales west of the straights. Having arrived in Vilamoura via Faro airport, we enjoyed our day, victualling for the passages and watching the tense England football victory... Continue Reading →
Algarve Ahoy
Leaving Cascais at midday, we experienced a thoroughly enjoyable sail which we sustained through the night, sometimes spirited, sometimes pedestrian but it was SAILING and we didnāt turn the engine start key until we were just outside Lagos at 11.00 the next morning. Lagos is a thoroughly perfect yachting destination and I actually regret that... Continue Reading →
Cascais
After ourĀ 'overnight' passage from Porto, our 9am arrival at the Marina in Cascais was very timely as the office had just opened but the ācheckā in procedure at the swanky reception seemed to take forever for what was the most expensive mooring so far ā how much longer will it take after Brexitā¦.? The... Continue Reading →
Lack of Natural Wind………
Having made significantly better progress than feared, we decided that, with over a week before our flights home from Faro, we could relax and āhopā down the Iberian West coast to Cape St Vicente and our destination on the Algarve. We have visited Muros and Bayona in Spain and Viana do Castela and Porto so... Continue Reading →
End of the Earth (Finisterre)
Peter Hoade had crewed from the Azores back to the UK in 2016 and is one of the four of us on this next leg. He had recently moved to the western edge of Dartmoor and kindly met Dave and I in Plymouth driving us to spend an enjoyable afternoon and overnight in his delightfully... Continue Reading →
Finally under way
After months of planning and preparation our adventure is finally underway. Leaving Port Solent lock, we responded to the lock keepers enquiry of āwhen are you backā with a jaunty āin about two yearsā which was quite satisfying ! For this first leg to Plymouth, I had the very best of crews in Dave Cooke.... Continue Reading →
Winter Haul 2017/18
The winter programme of jobs is well under way with Hejira ashore for a 6 week period. I am always reluctant to lift ashore for the coldest months (this is only really possible in a marina situation) as the sea, perversely, is something of a āwarmā radiator and affords protection against freezing which is not... Continue Reading →
Propspeed testimonial
Having really struggled to find a solution to propeller fouling that actually works, I am compelled to broadcast what is, without doubt, the best I have experienced. My propeller was treated with Propspeed in 2016 and was immersed for 15 months before lifting in February 2018. There was absolutely zero fouling on the prop and... Continue Reading →