A Family Cruise of the Atlantic coast of Spain and Portugal

Our plan was a good one on paper. I would take our boat to La Coruna with a crew and Rose Rhiannon (9) and Morgan (17) would fly out 10 days later to join me. We reasoned that a potentially difficult crossing was not the best way to begin a yearlong cruise.

It did allow us to pack the boat with all the things we would need. In the event 1 crew dropped out at the last minute (medical reasons) and one during the voyage itself, leaving me in Falmouth getting a new crew together. So rather than me waiting in Spain for my family, they were in Spain waiting for me.

Our respective adventures in getting started now behind us we began our year away in a small Galician town called Carmarinas. This is a very Spanish place – no tourists and no English spoken. The craft of lace making is very big here. Most older women are engaged in it and will sit in their shops rattling away with pegs pinned to a board while you browse the shop.

The winds blow hard around Cape Finisterre and we had noticed that by mid-morning they were at gale force and stayed that way all day. We slipped out of the harbour in the early morning, just before dawn and sailed out with some trepidation. As expected the winds started to pick up but because of our early start we were off Cape Finisterre by mid-morning and the winds eased off. By the time we changed course for our destination the wind had died and we did the remaining journey under engine.

Cruising in the Spanish Rias had long been an ambition. We headed for the marina at Portosin in the Ria de Mura, which was as good as the pilot book said. Internet access was good, showers great, and we were already appreciating the benefits of having shore power. Having the boat’s electrics plugged into the marina supply meant all the 3pins sockets worked, electric kettle, toaster and limitless refrigeration, all very seductive. “Tilmanesque” spartan living may be OK for lone males and discussions in the club bar but they do nothing to make the cruise enjoyable for other members of the family. Internet access was particularly important. We found it very variable in our travels so if you get a good connection it is worth making the most of it. Rhiannon got quite used to using Skype to keep in contact with her friends and of course emails. These were important compensations because once you are cruising outside of school holidays meeting other children is difficult, so it is important to keep up contacts. Laundry facilities also were a high priority – not important for a two week holiday but for a longer cruise, a washing machine in the marina makes a huge contribution to all our wellbeing.

Portosin had a lovely beach but the water was icy. Rhiannon enjoyed it so much - it was a joy to see her swimming. The town was centred around the large fishing port. Every evening the fishing fleet would set out with much hooting and turbulent wash to return next morning. The next day we went to the next small town called Noia. We went by bus –it is too shallow to sail there. We stopped at the first small restaurant we came to (opposite the bus stop). It was a pulperia specialising in octopus and other sea food. We had an amazing lunch. Rhiannon had octopus and squid, we all had sea food and a really good house wine at a very reasonable price. Local people were coming in –

always a good sign. We walked around the old town and visited the church. Our friend Liz had set Rhiannon various challenges – one was to keep a spreadsheet of all the ice creams she consumes and rank them by price and by quality. Morgan helped her set up the spreadsheet and she has kept it up to date. It is now quite big! Our friends were a great support setting challenges or giving us parcels for Rhiannon to be opened. One thoughtful person gave us an advent calendar which proved a great bonus as by then we were in an Islamic country where they were unobtainable.

We left Portosin the next day and motored across the Ria 4 miles to an anchorage. This really was what we had dreamed of doing. We dropped anchor off the beach and rowed ashore for an afternoon of swimming and sunbathing. At sundown we rowed back and had dinner and a good sleep - awaking to peace and tranquillity. If we had more time we would have spent longer in this Ria and explored the others in more detail but time was a pressure and Morgan had a flight to catch in Lisbon. We visited one more town, Aguino in the Ria Arosa. We anchored in the harbour and went ashore for ice cream and provisions, setting off the next morning for Porto.

The passage to Porto was both frustrating and wonderful. The wind died early on and we faced a long journey under engine and a flat glassy sea. At about 6 o’clock we had a group of 15-20 dolphins swimming and jumping around the boat. It was spectacular! Usually dolphins arrive in pairs but to have so many was very special. Because the water so calm and clear we could all go up on deck and see them in great detail. They were with us for a long time perhaps 30 minutes. We spotted a disturbance in the water ahead, we came across another very large school, at any one time there were 50 showing above the water so there must have many more that number in the school. They went off as quickly as they arrived.

The sun went down and we settled into our night watch. We picked our way through some very heavy shipping into Liexoes Harbour at 3am and dropped anchor in a corner as advised by the pilot book. We awoke to very thick fog and so we crept into the marina grateful that we only had to go 200 metres. We had a full day sightseeing, we climbed up a bell tower, walked across the high bridge over the river Douro and of course a port tasting.

Next morning it was thick fog so time was spent on school and provisioning. We topped up with diesel and waited for the fog to lift. It was a long wait. We tried to exit at 2-00 but failed due to the thickness of fog in the entrance. We eventually made our escape at 3-30. Still too foggy but the local knowledge suggested that it was clear off shore and it did. We settled into a long passage over night to Nazare. In contrast to the previous night passage we had plenty wind but not too much which made for a good sail. By morning we still had a long way to go. It was Rhiannon’s 9 th Birthday but she did not mind having to wait until nearly midday until she opened her presents. One of the most valuable lessons cruising has taught us all is that sometimes completing the passage safely comes before everything else.

The Marina at Nazare is managed by Cpt. Mike Hadley - an ex-sea captain with loads of personality and very willing to help in every way. Within an hour of tying up he moved us to a secure and sheltered spot that is usually reserved. We thought we would be in Nazare only overnight – in the end it was 6 nights. It became apparent that the good bus service to Lisbon made it an ideal base for us. The Fog also affects this coast and sometimes it is dangerous to set out in it. We were glad that we had made few time commitments on our cruise. Being stuck somewhere unexpectedly is all a part of cruising. Morgan had to get back to his studies so rather than sailing to Lisbon we caught the bus and Morgan caught his flight back.

The next day we left with various contingency plans but the fog cleared the wind was sufficient to sail and we had a good run down the coast, carrying on through the night . We found that overnight sails were a good way of covering distance with children. Rhiannon sleeps through most conditions at sea and Rose who does not enjoy night sailing is happy to be on watch more during the day. I love night sailing so I am quite happy being on watch. Of course this depends on conditions and the autohelm working.

Sines is a lovely town with a good local beach and fine buildings To improve things - 2 boats away were an English family with a son of Rhiannon’s age so they played and eventually they had a sleep over. The family are returning to the UK and were underway next day – so were we in the other direction. We did not know it at the time this was the last boat kid friend Rhiannon would have for 3 months.

Our journey began in calm and stayed that way most of the day. Rounding Capo Sao Vicente the wind picked up and we had a great sail. We were expecting the wind to drop when we rounded the corner to enter the Algarve. Instead the wind increased and we reefed heavily. Under double reefed main and a scrap of genoa, we thundered along in a solid force 7 we just arrived in Lagos too late for the last of the light. We crept in using the spot light to see where we are going. We were relieved to tie up on the fuel pontoon. It was a noisy night and we left early and motored to Portimau. There is a big and expensive Marina in Portimau and we enjoyed it to the full. Easy internet access, launderette, good showers, it was heaven. We got a sail repaired very efficiently and took in the full impact of the Algarve tourist industry in full swing. It was oppressively hot. We learned that we were experiencing a local heat wave and the locals were suffering as much as us. We left the next day for an anchorage on the opposite bank of the river. It was a long row to the beach but lovely to be in warm sheltered water. Rhiannon swam almost continually. In the evening

we walked to find the old village but failed to find it. Instead found a lovely restaurant so stayed there. It was late walking back to a now deserted beach and we were relieved our dinghy was still there; we were on board in time to watch a fantastic sunset.

The next morning we lifted the anchor and motored up the river closer to the old village of Ferragudo. We were on a mission to have sardines for lunch. We anchored close in shore so had a short row ashore. The old town was small but we bought some provisions and returned to the beach for the afternoon. We returned to the anchorage for the night.

School for Rhiannon occupies early morning. From 9.00 for 2 or 3 hours. She does literacy with Rose and maths and science with me. We do not distinguish between weekdays, weekends or school holidays. The only thing that stops school is if we have to sail in the morning.

In the afternoon we sailed round to Villamoura only 3 hours away a good sunny run along the coast. This was another large marina with a complex of shops and restaurants all around us. A complete contrast to the previous nights anchoring but the showers were to die for!

In the morning Martin came aboard to be our tutor for the week. Rose to do a Day Skipper course and I was to do a Yacht-master preparation for an exam at the end of the week. It was a fascinating week. Coming on board someone else’s boat which is also their home is a very delicate matter and Martin handled it very well. He quickly established a rapport with Rhiannon which kept her engaged all week, mainly discussing a mutual interest in Pooh bear. We moved on to Faro. There is no marina at Faro so we anchored in the river. Martin was to return home each evening as the outboard motor had packed up, I rowed him ashore. This involved a very long row into faro which, when the tide was against us, seemed very, very long indeed.

We spent the next few days happily practicing our pilotage skills picking up moorings and man overboard all preparing for the exam on Saturday. Each day starting and ending with a long row ashore. On the day of the exam I rowed ashore as usual and met Martin; then the examiner arrived and I rowed him back to the boat. He spent the day putting me through various exercises. Rose and Rhiannon were the crew and it seemed to go well. The last exercise was a passage plan from Faro to Gibraltar – much more useful than doing the usual Poole to Cherbourg. On return I rowed him ashore and it was only when we were nearly ashore he told me I had passed. I met Martin who was very pleased. However this time I had forgotten some of his equipment he left on board so I had to go back to the boat for it. So my week ended with a double row ashore, but it gave Rose and Rhiannon a chance to come ashore with me, they had not been off the boat for 5 days!

The next day was a day off. The boat did not move. We rowed ashore when the tide was with us and took the ferry to the harbour mouth. It was great seeing a now very familiar river go flying by at speed and just watching. We had lunch in the restaurant and afternoon on the beach, taking the ferry back in time for a walk round Faro and ice cream. On our return trip the tide was very high and we had to duck under a railway bridge as we rowed out into the river. Rhiannon likes to row the dinghy and does very well because the oars are very heavy for her.

So that chapter drew to a close, the next morning we set off down the river for the last time and out to sea bound for Gibraltar but trying to see as much as we could along the way. Combining serious passage making with exploring and sight-seeing is difficult. Some long planned visits were axed. We

had to accept that we were not going to have time to go up the river and take the boat to the centre of Seville. We may not have time to visit Cadiz etc.

In the end we did more than we thought we would. Our first stop was at the lovely Spanish town of Ayamonte. The river Guadalquivir forms the border between Portugal and Spain and is navigable by yachts for 10 miles. This town was 4 miles up-river. It was late afternoon when we got in and after so many days lying to anchor we were eager to get ashore. The town has lovely squares, tiled and with fountains and ornaments. We noticed a lot of women and girls wearing traditional Flamenco style dresses. Of course Rhiannon wanted a flamenco dress. Clearly there was something going on but we never did find out what. We did find out that it was a holiday the local Saint’s day and there would be a fiesta tomorrow. So plans were delayed for a day.

The next evening after dinner we took our place in the town square and waited for things to start. There was a procession starting at the church at 9-30 and ending in the square. At 11-00 we were still waiting! At 11-15 locals took up the seats set out and at 11-30 the start of the procession entered the square. There were a lot of civic dignitaries and more tradition dress but not in the flamenco style – more formal. The procession culminated in large float of a statue of the Virgin carried by at least 10 men. The band played and there was much stopping and starting. It finally halted quite near to us and a full firework display was commenced. After which people dispersed rapidly, probably to other celebrations, we dragged our selves exhausted back to the boat.

The following day we caught the tide up the river. There are no buoys to show us were the deep water was and this made a rather nervous passage. We followed another boat which helped but ultimately we had to choose which direction the deep water channel was. Because of our late start and because the beauty peace and tranquillity was found just a few miles up the river we did not go

up to the larger towns , preferring a site close to a village. We anchored just downstream of the village and watched the moonrise in total silence around us.

We had a peaceful night. In the morning we began our return down river. We anchored in the lower river for lunch and waited for the tide to give us a safe passage out of the harbour mouth. We had not got far to go to our next destination El Rompido but we were losing the light fast. The pilot book was full of foreboding about the entrance and shifting sand banks. In the end the entrance was relatively straight forward and the buoys lit but once inside there was no further guide to where the channel was, however we were in sheltered water and safe to anchor, which we did with relief.

The next day our passage to Rota in the bay of Cadiz was to be a frustrating one. The winds never quite enough for us to sail meant we had another day under engine. We were 2 hours away from our destination when a useful breeze sprung up and the engine was turned off and we were sailing. The problem was the wind was coming directly from Rota. Four hours later, after several long tacks, we were still an hour away and it was getting dark. The wind had built until we had a good force 6 and we were reefing the sails. The seas build up too and we had another 2 or 3 hours tacking towards our destination. We got so far and then put on the motor for the rest.

When the crew is the family, it is not always possible or advisable to keep to a rule of sailing above all else. Sometimes we used the motor to improve our speed to get in before dark or sometimes our heading. The family morale comes first and if they are having a miserable time – it is always the skipper’s fault. Entering any big port is a challenge but doing so at night adds a level of anxiety. However the charts were very clear and all the buoys appeared as they should but we were thankful to tie up and get some hot food.

Rota is the Cadiz sea side resort. It is exquisitely kept and all the houses and shops are immaculate. We had a good walk round and then took the fast ferry from Rota to Cadiz. The old city is marvellously preserved but many of the sights were closed or making a significant charge. Being on a cruising budget rather than a holiday budget we avoid charges if we can. Nonetheless we had a wonderful walk around this old city calling in cafes and shops. The ferry back was quick and Rhiannon much taken by the size of the wake and the size of its fenders.

The next day was a passage making day so not much school. Again it was a calm day with no sailing breeze until we got to Cape Trafalgar. We had a brief history lesson about Nelson and the battle. We got into Barbate mid afternoon. We headed for the beach but it was a long walk and cloudy by the time we got there so did not stay long. The restaurant looked good but when we went at 8-00 we were told that it did not open until 9-00. We had beer and tapas to keep us going but the food was worth the wait. This was another lesson learned long walks and long waits are to be avoided unless they are planned.

The next day we left in some trepidation. The winds in Tarifa blow at near gale force for 300 days per year. We had heard numerous stories on our trip about the winds in the straits but now it was our turn to find out. There was a good sailing breeze to start with but as we reached Tarifa it eased off and in the end we had to motor through. There is a constant westward current of water from the Atlantic into the Med to replace evaporated water. When this added to west going tide the effect is like walking on an escalator, at one point we were doing 10.2 kts over the ground! Past Tarifa the wind returned and we had a good run into Gibraltar Bay.

The Rock dominates everything and is a land mark for miles. The Bay is full of fast moving commercial shipping so we had to keep our eyes open. But sailing your boat into Gibraltar is a unique experience and certainly one to remember. We could not get a berth in either Marina so Anchored in La Linea which was very good. We were able to find a space in the small Marina there.

We had the offer of staying in a friend’s villa. We enjoyed the space and comfort of shore life as well as getting all our washing done. We planned to take “holidays” from cruising. It was a welcome change for us to stay in hotels – flush rather than pump toilets, big kitchens and large beds. From a family perspective these holidays from our boat let us all recuperate. We let Rhiannon watch the TV – she could not understand the Spanish but it did not deter her.

Over the week we visited some places in land as well as returning to Tarifa, this time by road. We had a hire car for the week. Driving has been an interesting experience for me since I have not been behind the wheel of a car for 2 months. Indeed, apart from taxi rides in Porto and Lisbon, (during which I had my eyes closed for part of the time) my maximum speed has been (mainly) 6 mph.

After Gibraltar we made our way eastwards into the Mediterranean, preferring the Moroccan coast to the Costa del Sol. Its remoteness and culture were a challenge but an enjoyable and worthwhile experience. We made our crossing back to the EU at Almerimar which proved an excellent place to rest and get repairs done. We intended to sprint up the east coast of Spain and make the crossing to the Balearics but there were so many good things to do and see it took 3 weeks. Cartagena was a

Good food on passage plays a huge part in keeping everyone happy – in this case a tinned chocolate pudding. Instant custard and tinned rice pudding all go down well. They are almost unobtainable outside the UK - so stock up before you go.

favourite. Rhiannon’s education is in our hands for this year. We take opportunities where we can so studying Romans and the Punic wars in Cartagena was great for us all.

Our crossing to Ibiza was stormy but our time in the Balearics was delightful. It was November, out of season, with plenty of room and low prices. It was warm enough for us to still be swimming. We spent a whole month here, taking trips by car and in Mallorca we took the Victorian train to Soller. We got a permit for the nature reserve at Islas Cabrera and for a time were the only people there. Our time in Menorca coincided with unsettled weather so much of it was spent in Cuitedella, most charming of places by we were the only cruising boat there. Christmas decorations were going up and we had strong impulses to stay, but we had a commitment to meet friends who were flying out to meet us in Tunisia.

Getting a 2/3 day weather window to do the crossing was becoming a concern especially at this time of year. We eventually made the crossing uneventfully on the 5th December. We were pleased to be back in North Africa, but facilities are limited and we have had to be more self reliant. Not having shore power, nearby water or shower facilities does test the systems on board. We are making our way from Tabarka, via Bizerte to spend Christmas in Sidi Bou Said. It feels that we are the last cruising boat still out. We have not been in company with another cruising boat in the last month. And we still have some way to go before we lay up.

The last 4 months of family cruising has been a test of us all but also the boat and the investment decisions made. What has worked well for us includes: installing a substantial holding talk, upgrading the electrics so that we have a good supply of plugs and immersion heater whilst on shore power. Fitting a powerful inverter so that some appliances can be charged from the ships batteries eg lap top, Rhiannon’s DS, DVD player, ipod etc.( makes her long passages more pleasurable). The diesel heater has been useful and sometimes raised our spirits. Our choice of an older style boat that can take the weather and has huge stowage has proven to be a wise choice. Large living areas look great but good stowage is far more important. A dinghy that can also sail and our wetsuits are also useful. Our solar panels made a big contribution before they started to rust and had to be returned. Our wi-fi antenna has been a great help particularly in using Skype. Our enclosed cockpit, which provides shelter from rain and wind on passage, makes night sailing warm and comfortable, provides a “conservatory” in port and sometimes a drying area.

On the negative side not fitting a wind generator (“not needed for the Med” may good advice for summer but not out of season). A cruising chute would have helped in lighter air. We were too optimistic about meeting other sailing families, we will be more organised after our winter lay up. Surprisingly - a second laptop smaller more easily taken ashore. UK supermarkets sell a good range of tinned and packet food. These are ideal for passage making or when you tie up exhausted and hungry. We found these things difficult to find in Spanish and Portuguese shops and whilst part of the pleasure of cruising is enjoying local food – we came to value our stock of tinned curry and (quelle horreur!) boil in the bag rice etc. We should have bought more when we had the chance in Morrisons Gibraltar.

Perhaps the most important aspect has been Rhiannon’s education. We highly valued the support from family and friends, who provided challenges with rewards or packages to be opened during the cruise. Our contact with friends via e-mail and Skype – keeping track of what is being done at school has been a reassurance and a pleasure.

Overall it has been a worthwhile and mainly pleasant way of life. There have been many golden moments to offset a few horrors. It takes a lot of energy to keep going and after 5 months of cruising we are looking forward to a rest. But we are already planning our passages after our lay up.