Whales, and the Rock that is Gibraltar

Conditions were good when we set off on the 211 mile trip from Lagos to Gibraltar, the spinnaker was in use and we were making good progress.

We sailed on into the sunset.

Sunset at Sea

Then at about midnight the wind died and we wallowed around for a while before we resorted to the motor

Night Sailing

Eventually as the sun came up, the wind picked up, and we hoisted the sails - then the wind dropped again, and we were back to the motor.  We had our daily work out, repeating this experience at least 6 times!

As the sun got higher in the sky, we noticed the rigging was covered with what seemed to be cobwebs - we didn’t see any spiders, we were at least 40 miles from the nearest land and these cobwebs seemed to be drifting in the air.  

Cobwebs?

During the day the wind picked up again, and 36 hours after we set off we saw whales!  Not only did we see them, they swum up to the boat, had a quick look and headed off again.  We saw three adults and a calf, and think they were Orcas.

As night fell on day two, the wind started to build - by 0200 we were beating into 

a force 8, well reefed down, heading towards the Straights of Gibraltar which looked like the M25 in rush hour, and not enjoying it!  By 0400 we had dropped the sails and the wind was a Force 9 - our options were to continue attempting to tack our way through the shipping lanes (didn’t appeal!) or resort to the Volvo!  Maximum wind gust recorded on our instruments was 57.3kts - very glad we are in an Ovni, not a J-109!

All calmed down to a manageable 30kts as we neared the Rock  and the sun came up - we continued motoring,  as we’d been sailing for 45 hours and it seemed like the easy option.

First view of the Mediterranean Sea

Gibraltar really is very British - with more mopeds and sunshine.  Lots of little tiny alleyways between streets, loads of street cafes and endless opportunities to have full English Breakfasts or Fish and Chips.  Plenty of places to enjoy a pint in the sunshine.

The High Street, Town, Gibraltar

We cycled round the Rock - you can obviously see Spain to the North, and Africa to the South.

Europa Point, view towards Africa

Being the Tourists that we are, we took the Cable Car up to the Top of the Rock - very glad we did, it would have been quite the climb!

The view from the top - we're in the Marina in the centre of the photo, Spain surrounds us.

Top of the Rock - Towards Spain

Towards Africa

The Barbary Apes - they were much more peaceful than I'd expected, and really quite cute ...

Man Meets Ape

Barbary Ape

There are fortifications all over the Rock, showing it's strategic importance throughout history.

We walked back down from the top - taking the very steep steps that were built in order to facilitate communication between those stationed at the top of the rock and those lower down  during the numerous skirmishes over the ownership of the Rock. A very impressive set of stairs.

The stairs and wall that lead most of the way down to town from the top of the Rock

We have enjoyed our few days in Gibraltar, and are now heading for Spain to catch up with a friend near Puerto Banus.

Lagos - More British than Britain!

We had an excellent sail down from Lisbon to Lagos, the wind was with us - quite a lot of it - and we took the opportunity to get to grips with the Hydrovane self steering.  Harry, as he has become known, did a very good job.

Happy Days - letting the Vane take the strain

The big excitement of the trip was seeing whales - a new experience for us - lots of water spouts, and the occasional glimpses of dorsal fins accompanied us for about 20 minutes - no photos, as it was blowing a good Force 6, the sea was quite rough and the whales very fast moving. We think they might have been Minke whales.

Lagos is beautiful.  We arrived at 0600, and the wind was taking a short break - it was very peaceful.

The Marina is lovely, but there really are no Portuguese in Lagos - it is a little piece of Britain, complete with Indian restaurants, with a smattering of German visitors amongst the  hundreds of Brits.  There is a very quaint old town, full of winding streets - guess what - cobbled and hilly - but we've come to expect that.

Plenty of choices of places to seek refreshment

And of course a statue of Henry the Navigator!

So apart from the various light refreshment opportunities, there are an almost endless choice of trips to see dolphins, whales or grottoes plus fishing, and kayaking along the spectacularly beautiful coastline.

One of the Grottoes - it all goes on here.

So - time marches on, and we want to get to the Mediterranean!  Next stop, Gibraltar

Lisbon - a city older than Paris, London or Rome

Our plan to arrive in Lisbon in daylight was not to be, and we arrived in at 0400 to the sounds of the local nightspots in full swing - we decided against mooring in front of the local nightclub and moved slightly further up river to a marina behind the container port where we are surrounded by Maersk containers.

25th April Bridge

 We are a stones throw from this bridge - and it sounds like a hurricane is blowing 24 hours of the day!  It's an open grid construction and the noise of the tyres on it is deafening when you are underneath it.  Built in 1966, it's 2277m long with a unsupported span of 1013m, it's 70m high but still scary to sail underneath!  (Apparently one of our followers knew the man who built / designed it - next time, tell him to make it a solid surface!!)

The sights of Lisbon - you really need to see it for yourself, but here are a few of the many reasons to visit:

Belem Tower

The Belem Tower is a Unesco World Heritage Site because of the significance it played in the Portuguese Maritime Discoveries of the Era of the 'Age of Discoveries', built in the 16th Century.

Monument to the Discoveries

Continuing the theme of Discoveries, this huge sculpture built in 1960 was one of several projects to mark the anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator, an important figure in the early days of the Portuguese Empire - each figure is a renowned navigator or mathematician.

Jeronimos Monastery

Another Unesco World Heritage Site - building originally started in 1459 and was completed over 100 years later.

And this is why it took so long to build!

Then we followed the cycle path

Extreme Cycling - and no, we didn't cycle down the other side either!

Past the Urban Gardening Scheme

Along the Promenade

Past the Boat Yard!

Up and down the cobbled streets - the tram tracks really are a cyclists' nightmare!

 Along to Estrela Basilica

A quick pee stop - men only!

The View from the Top

Back down past the Sao Bento Palace, the Parliament Building

And finally past the Lisbon Cathedral, Lisbon's oldest building, built in 1150 for the Cities' first Bishop - the English Crusader GILBERT OF HASTINGS!!!

Enough Culture for now, we're heading back out to sea - on to Lagos.

1,000 Miles

One Thousand Nautical Miles, and we're in Figuera da Foz - we managed to tear ourselves away from the lovely Porto, where they even deliver freshly baked rolls to the boat in the morning - and had a fantastic down wind run to Figuera. Fantastic, that is till the harbour entrance where the tide was running at about 3.5kts and the wind gusting 42kts!  

It was always going to be hard to compete with Porto, but the best we can really come up with for Figuera was the shower block: It was state of the art.   As for the other attractions:

The Market was fun, very traditional even though it was in a giant tin shed.

Possibly the umbrella market?

There was literally miles of white sandy beaches - in fact, the beach seems to extend from Porto to Figuera - more sand than people.

Little bits of old Portugal

Things we've found most useful so far:

The iPad:  For very easy route planning

The 'Gybe easy' boom brake:  For all those miles of down wind sailing, keeping the boom under control

The Folding Bikes:  For all the places you can get to

The Solar panels and battery charge monitor: we have hardly turned the fridge off yet and the beers are still cold!

The cockpit table mug holders: You drink on deck is safe in all sea states.

The wifi bat: so we can do the blog from the comfort of the boat (mostly)

The Snorkel and flippers:  For Ian to use when he dropped a bike pedal in the marina in Figuera and had to dive in and get it - the water is NOT a pretty sight! (3m deep and he did actually find it!)

The Deck Shower:  For decontaminating him when he got out of this water!

And now, on to Lisbon ...