December 9, 2007 -- Yesterday, we spent a good part of the day tarping Big Sky as we'll leave her in the marina for a month and a half while we're home for Christmas. We leave today at 4 p.m. by overnight train to Madrid in preparation for our flights home the following day!

Big Sky with the tarp; Con at the bow.

December 6, 2007 -- Happy Birthday Kris!
Last night, we walked over to the beach bar where we learned earlier that day a Brazilian band would be playing.
Beach Bar
We sat facing the water sharing sangria as the band set up. Blue waves that had traveled across the Atlantic were meeting their end rolling white frothy curls up onto the miles of ivory coloured sand.

As the sun started to set, the band started playing. What an understatement "playing;" the moment the music started it was like a latin concert. The room was filled with such rhythm and the sounds filled us from the belly up. When they played "Santana," we were literally bouncing in our chairs. We couldn't believe how great it was, and all we did was walk in the door.

December 2, 2007 -- Sunny Portugal at 10:30 a.m., 20 degrees in the cockpit. (That's above zero for our Canadian friends.)

Con's reading the Dutch Telegraaf, enjoying a latte and a delicious Portuguese tart. It tastes like creme brule with a flaky crust.



November 30, 2007 -- We visited the small fishing town of Sagres, located on the point, or the south west corner of Portugal.

The Fortalaza de Sagres (the fortress) can't be missed when sailing past, as it's situated high on a desolate rocky point about 200 or so feet above the ocean.

Talk about extreme fishing!
These guys told us "no, it's not dangerous today, because it's not raining and slippery, but we lose people here every year."

Twice, we've seen pink flamingos wading in the river as we crossed a near Portimao by car.

But, right here on our dock, blue herons walk along using it as a vantage point for night fishing. They always look annoyed when we walk past and they fly away and return once we've past. By morning, they're fishing with ease in the marina, scooping fish and swallowing them whole. Their necks are so slim! Storks are nesting across the marina from us, on the top of a building. The nests are massive. It's a different world, seeing nature by the seaside.

November 28, 2007 -- Day two with the car, we visited Silves a beautiful city with the earth giving off reds, pinks and burgundy's colours within the rocks and sand. Many of the old buildings, churches and castle is built of the same earthy sandstone colour.

It was populated by the 4th century BC under the Moors, who made it the capital of the Algarve. The Romans occupied it for a bit, building bridges and cisterns, the Portuguese conquered it, then the Moors took it back a few years later and built a wall with a castle atop. The Portuguese eventually took it back from the Moors.
November 27, 2007 -- We have a rented car for three days and took off this morning for Travira, a less commercial town, built along the river. Poinsettia plants grow year-round outside (pictured below). The buildings could use a major overall, but the decay really adds to its quaintness.


Two interesting encounters along the way. The first a band of gypsies who appeared to be relocating camps.

And vendors selling bags of oranges. (We bought three.) The orange orchards are bursting with their juicy ripeness. Con squeezed a few as soon as we got to Big Sky and made orange juice. Delicious!
After eight months of no television, we bought an aerial and tuned into Portuguese television.

November 26, 2007 -- Con changed the oil, I cleaned out cupboards, we lifted the carpets and cleaned all the nooks and crannies.

Just two week remain before we have Big Sky placed on land for an overhaul while we travel home to Calgary for the Christmas holiday.


November 24, 2007 -- They call the Lagos Marina "The Velcro Marina" because once you arrive you don't want to leave. We've met people who arrived for a day or two and remained 16 months, another seven years!

Bob and Di, pictured above have been sailing the Portuguese coast, tucking in and out of the same marinas as we have. We shared a few dinners together last week before they flew home to England for Christmas.
November 21, 2007 -- We've really settled into Lagos, Portugal and could easily call it "home." This week has seen wild torrential rains, lightening and 50+ km winds, and a good mixture of sunshine. We purchased internet on the boat ($50 for the month) and have taken time to research "possibilities" of where we might like to spend part of the winter (late January and February). We've researched Spanish language and cooking classes in Seville or Valencia, and even the crazy idea of flying to India for a few weeks! For now, we'll head up to the marina bar to take in football (soccer) on their big screen. This is England's last chance to stay in the European Nations Cup. They're playing Croatia.
November 18, 2007 -- We biked to the Grotto today and enjoyed one of Portugal's last hot summer-like weather days. See video.
Tomorrow night, weather predictions of 80 km strength winds. Good thing we're tucked into the marina.
Algarve Grotto
Almost sea level
Sea Level
November 17, 2007 -- We're contemplating Madeira, or the Canary Islands, just west of Africa, or Seville Spain as potential locations to head off to when we return to Big Sky the end of January. Having enjoyed the last month in sunny Portugal, we decided to chase the sun south during the winter months. Rain is expected on Monday and to carry on throughout the week! We've had warm sunshine and blue skies the entire time we've been in Portugal (over a month now). We're learning about the "happenings" in the Lagos community. Fado and Bossa Nova bands in the afternoon on the beach; an Elvis impersonator Tuesday night at a location in town; a quiz show at the marina on Wednesday; more entertainment at the hotels; and lots of social interaction with others living our lifestyle.
November 14, 2007 -- Our EU (European Union) visa would have expired today, had we not invested all day yesterday to get our extension. We traveled to Portimao to visit the Portuguese Customs and Immigration along with dozens and dozens of immigrants, all trying to have their time with the officials in what seemed to be organized chaos. By days end, we had paid $120 Euro, plus another $10 Euro for photos and the deed was finally done. We're good for another 30 days, by which time, we'll be leaving the country for Christmas in Calgary. Our new EU 90-day visa will begin when we return in January. This process, however long it was, was a lot better than our last attempt in Cascais, where we were asked to bring $1500 Euro -- each -- "just to show them," along with an impossible bunch of papers. Having visited Portimao, Con and I decided we'd rather not leave Big Sky there and are in the process of seeking a long-term birth here, as well as booking an appointment with the marina to hoist Big Sky out for a check up.

November 11, 2007 -- We wandered around Lagos Sunday afternoon and you can see from the empty centro plaza that everything shuts down on Sunday. The building in the background is covered in green tile. The Portuguese often depict their history in pictures glazed on tile.

We're in a unique area right now, experiencing the warmest weather in Europe. By day it's 25 degrees and cooler at night. People are still swimming in the ocean. Locals wear coats, tourists are in shorts.Wandering in Lagos

November 9, 2007 -- Up at 3 a.m., we were on the water before the sun rose to get a head start on our 12 1/2 hour trek to Lagos. We have been following the western coast of Portugal, and today we turned the corner now moored in a beautiful marina on Portugal's southern side. Once we turned the corner, our sail was perfect, smooth, flat, sunshine in the cockpit and reaching 8 knots. Con was euphoric.

November 7, 2007 -- We left for Sines (pronounced cinch) at 7 a.m. this morning,
and were greeted by a few dozen dolphins who stayed to play for about an hour. They got themselves so excited, twisting and turning upside down and leaping all around us. We actually thought some of them were mating! They make high-pitch squeaking sounds which can be heard before they even surface. I sat at the bow sprit, about four feet above the water and filmed them. What a sight! See the new video called Dolphins Sines
Our sail was fantastic, reaching 7 - 8 knots on a beam reach. Yesterday, we toured Belem, where the Tagus sea meets the ocean.
This is where Vasco da Gama left Portugal to uncharted seas coming back with spices and riches changing Portugal forever. Today, it flourishes with tourist dollars and a casino. We toured the church, the cloister, the palace and then walked to the National Coach Museum.

Dozens of coaches dating from the 17th to 19th century were built for kings and queens, princesses and popes.

November 6, 2007 -- It's the same ol' here in Portugal, sun is shining, sky is blue, temperature is mid 20's, and we're still lazin'. Yesterday we biked to Estoril, enjoyed a popcycle and watched three girls and a dog swimming -- in November!

November 2, 2007 -- Sun is shining again, the temperature at 10:30 a.m. was 22 degrees in the shade of our cockpit. Motivating ourselves past our "lazy mode," we pulled out the bikes and toured north of Cascais.


Below is a map taken from our Charted Courses section.

October 30, 2007 -- We bought an all-day pass on the trams and buses in Lisbon yesterday and toured the old district and the castle. See photos.
Today, we went to the Customs and Immigration to extend our European visas. Marina Customs said they'll simply stamp our passports and we're good for another three months. When we got to the Customs office, they asked that we come back with $1500 (Euro cash) each -- "just to show them," our return airline ticket (who has a ticket anymore, we have our flight itinerary) along with our ships papers, and photo copies of EVERY page of our passport. We said "no thanks." We'll try obtaining our visa status at another port. Failing that, we'll make a trip to Africa and back before we expire in November. We laughed in disbelief, leaving the office.
October 28, 2007 -- Our pace has slowed down considerably. Doug and Merrilee left a few days ago, after two fantastic weeks together touring the Portuguese coast and spots inland. Con and I are enjoying Cascias (just outside Lisbon) and are spending our days soaking up the sunshine and the beautiful town. We've booked in for a week and may stay longer.