Lagos, Portugal

August 11 -- Left Cascais on August 10 around mid-day and arrived at the Marina De Lagos on the south coast of Portugal today. Half of the trip was sailing under glorious conditions in the Atlantic swell. Newbie Robyn enjoyed the breeze and sun for a while till it got cold. Shipping traffic around Lisbon is fairly intense but we had fun identifying the ships' positions, headings, speed and range by their AIS signals. Towards nightfall, the seas began to build with 3 to 4 metre waves but clear skies and cold temperatures. It was uncomfortable moving around as Skylark rolled about in the waves. Lee cloths on berths were a must to prevent hard knocks from being thrown around in bunks. Robyn went green in the gills and retreated to her cabin, declining dinner and trying to sleep. We reckon she must have thought she died and was in hell for most of the night. During our watches, Francois heated his leek and potato soup which accompanied by bread with copious amounts of butter were just what we needed on this cold night. Our initial sail was on a broad reach with steady winds. The full genoa and the mizzen ws all we needed to move at 7.5 to 8 knots. By nightfall, it became shifty and light from the stern and with the significant following seas, it became pointless to sail. The canvas was taken in and we motored at engine at 1500 rpm as we did not want to approach Lagos narrow channel entrance in the dark. The skies were star-filled and we spent some time identifying the constellations like Scorpio, Great Bear and also the Polar Star. The moon provided beautiful ambient light and despite the rolling seas, it was a curiously enjoyable ride (perhaps Robyn might disagree). Francois finally caught a tuna (he says about 3 kg) which was quickly gutted, filleted and stored in the fridge. Because the sea was rough, we did not think to take a picture, so you'll all have to take our word that this is not another fish story. The fish was rendered into sashimi and sushi for today's lunch. The fish and other condiments brought by Robyn from the Hokkaido food fair in KL were delicious, not a morsel was left.

The entrance to the marina is a long, narrow channel. We called at the crowded reception pontoon to check in. Following that, a quick request for the draw bridge to be raised on VHF channel 9, we headed for our berth, which was a little small for Skylark. Her stern sticks out about 10 feet beyond the finger pier.

Lagos is a major tourist destination and its retail establishments reflect that. Lots of souvenir shops and beach stuff. The side streets are fairly repetitive but the old sites like the slave market and the fort made up for it. Tomorrow we head to Cadiz. Pictures to follow in the next post.