Bisou de partout: Sines to the Algarve

Rounding Cabo Sao Vincente

The RRC Pilot book for Atlantic Spain and Portugal says “rounding the Cabo de São Vicente is a significant milestone on the voyage south”; it is here that one makes the left-hand turn towards the Straits of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean beyond. We rounded the cape in fine weather with very little wind (our second significant cape with similar weather!) and pulled into a lovely little bay, Enseada de Sagres, our anchorage for the night. We were able to anchor fairly close to the beach as we have such a small draught for a big boat (about 1.1m) and because the bottom is sand (so if we were to get grounded, it would not hurt Bisou).

We had had a spectacular day of sailing and motoring, together with a splendid dolphin show. We were able to sit up on the bow seats and in the trampoline to observe and photograph these stunning animals. They performed for us for quite some time before veering off to look for food. They seem to love swimming alongside the bows of Bisou and manage to keep just abreast with so little effort. They are ‘common dolphins’ or Delphinus delphis with white/yellow bellies and light grey backs. Wonderfully playful they leap out of the water, swim along eyeballing us, and swoop and swerve through the water. Such fun to watch!

The sun was still shining and although there was a stiff northerly blowing (the winds seem to strengthen about 4pm every afternoon around here), many people were at the beach watching our arrival as well as splashing about in the (frigid, in my opinion) water. I decided to go ashore and post a post card as well as visit a supermarket and check out Sagres.

There are several hotels and holiday apartments in this tiny village, as well as bars and restaurants, but it is pretty bleak and other than the beautiful beach and spectacular cliff-top walks, not much to speak of. Plenty of ‘poms’ about though so it is obviously a popular tourist destination for those seeking sunshine and warmer weather.

That evening we treated ourselves to take-away pizza; big deal, you might say, but we were able to call the restaurant on our phone, order the pizza, take the dinghy ashore and while I ran up to the restaurant, Tad drove the dinghy along the shore to wait. We then made the return journey back to Bisou and had piping hot fresh pizza and a cold beer while we watched a couple of episodes of “Big Bang Theory” on our tv. Not bad!

We decided on another early start this morning as we wanted to reach Faro before the predicted strong winds came up. The entrance to the waterway that provides passage to both Faro and Olhao is fairly narrow and has a rather strong tidal current. Together with a strong wind, it could be tricky and we wanted to give ourselves the best conditions possible.

One of the interesting things I have learned on this trip is about weather – we prepared ourselves with multiple apps and websites for maritime weather forecasting and in spite of checking and re-checking the weather (mostly looking at wind direction and speed), the results rarely compare with reality! Over the course of the past 20 days that we have been at sea, the wind direction has varied from spot-on (rarely) up to 180 degrees in the opposite direction. The speeds are usually at least 10 knots higher than predicted (which is considerable, and can make the difference between which sail to use and how much of it), and the timing is rarely correct. So, we look at the weather, make a note of what is predicted and go on our way, hoping that we can sail as much of the way as possible. Perhaps I am not looking at the weather files correctly, or perhaps there are some secret places one can look (other than watching local fishermen come and go), but the winds still mystify me!

Another interesting fact is about fishing – my fishing that is. Prior to our departure from La Rochelle, we went into the fishing shop in the marina to enquire about lures and other tackle needed to catch tuna, mahi mahi (dolphin fish), and other yummy large fish. We were sold a couple of lures that were ‘guaranteed’ to catch any one of the above (as well as bonito) – Tad had also brought a couple of lures with him; one bought in Australia for the same type of fish and one brought from the Caribbean many years ago, again for mahi mahi and tuna. We have had our rod out and a different lure every day since we left La Rochelle, and the only nibbles we have had, have been by large sea-going birds who have dived on the lures from time to time! Either there are no fish out there or the lures do not interest them. If anyone out there has any hints please feel free to comment!

We have passed numerous fishing nets/pots along the way, particularly here in Portugal, so there must be fish out there! We have also seen plenty of fishing boats around and there is fish in every restaurant (apparently Spain consumes more fish than all the other countries in Europe combined!), so there are fish….somewhere. I haven’t given up.

We passed the mouth of the harbour to Faro and Olhao just after 3pm this afternoon. The wind had just picked up and the flowing tide was creating cross-currents in the water. Tad steered us true and we found a lovely anchorage (with LOTS of other boats) to the north of the Ilha da Culatra ( 37° 00’.064N 07° 55’.561W), which is essentially a very large sandbank separating us from the ocean . The winds are predicted to become strong overnight and stay that way tomorrow, so it’s a good place to stop and take a breather for a couple of nights.

The Ilha da Culatra is interesting in that it is essentially a large sandbar which has become home to a group of fishermen and their families, and who over the years were able to establish themselves as a recognised community. They were able to petition the nearby cities of Olhao and Faro to gain autonomy as a village. Ilha da Cultura has electricity, water, sewage (probably septic tanks), several restaurants/cafes/bars, a village store and some beautiful beaches. The place is swamped with tourists in the summer, and locals on the weekends who come to the long, spectacular beaches by ferry and pleasure boats. There is no marina, but a fishing harbour chock-a-block with boats of all sizes and when we visited we were barely able to find room to tie up our dinghy. The houses are brightly coloured and the sand ‘streets’ neatly swept. Many of the houses have bougainvillea and other colourful plants in their tiny front yards, which really gives the place a homely feel. We did not spend a long time here as it was late in the day when we visited, but as we walked to the beach we spied a number of sailboat masts off to one side – they appeared as though they were on land, but on closer inspection revealed themselves to be tucked into a small lagoon.

Tad was curious to see what these boats were doing so we hopped back into the dinghy and went to look. We had met a British couple in Baiona who had spent the winter (and in fact, a couple of winters) anchored here and this was one of the reasons we chose to stop here. We didn’t know about the lagoon until we stumbled upon it accidentally - when we reached it in our dinghy we were surprised at the number of sailboats (catamaran and monohulls) anchored/moored there. It was a bit of a community of well-loved boats, which had obviously been there for some time (based on the growth on their hulls), and while most had no signs of life on them (human-wise), there were one or two that had occupants. There was even a local ‘store’ with an outdoor bar for the community. Due to the location and possibly the weather, it seems that a number of people choose to winter here, and in fact possibly spend longer. I guess it’s cheaper than buying an apartment or villa in town! I am not sure what they do for fresh water or electricity, but many of the boats had wind generators on board so I guess they manage!

We did a bit of a circuit around the lagoon and then headed back to Bisou for dinner and an early night. We did go ashore at Olhao, but it was disappointing in terms of looks and facilities –basically a main street lined with restaurant and cheap souvenir shops. We visited the market and topped up our fresh fruit and veggie supplies, had an ice cream and left.