Departure Portamaio

Just leaving now. Madeira next stop all being well.

A cunning plan!

Well that's not it, but I did find out that we could make toast by plugging the toaster into the heavy duty inverter that Gavin, the previous owner had installed 😁.

However, back to the cunning plan, which is to set off tomorrow afternoon for Madeira.

We have a few jobs to finish off in the morning. Then we'll head over to the Marina to top up our water and fuel tanks and then we'll head off.

You thought we were going to the Azores didn't you!?

Well we are (I hope) but the weather system and winds between here and the Azores are all to cock and a direct route to the Azores from here, just now, would mean we'd face a large area of very light winds followed by winds directly on the nose. However, we should have a pleasant sail to Madeira where we can wait a while for more normal weather to kick in, which should provide a close reach (wind just slightly from in front)  up to the Azores. We should be there in 5 days.

That's the plan anyway. What could possibly go wrong? Come back in a few days to find out! ☺️

"Ice with everything"

So said, I think, Tristan Jones, at one point, in his novel "Ice".

The great adventurer/story teller, was referring to a rather different form of ice to that featured above. However, on the good ship "Bonny" we were pleased to discover that we could indeed make ice on board! I hasten to add that we won't be downing G&Ts all the way to the Azores, but it is rather pleasant to have the odd one or two at anchor here in Ferragudo!

Today was another shopping day. This time in Portamaio. We got ashore just in time for lunch and on leaving the restaurant noticed this chap...

...the thing is, he or she, is sitting on a nest on top of a chimney that is very much in use - the kitchen at the bottom cooked our lunch...

After lunch we went on a tour of a number of retail establishments in search, primarly of yet more stuff for the boat. Our mission was pretty successful and after an eight mile hike around town we finally returned to the boat to consume G&T's with home made ice 😁!

Tomorrow, I hope we'll complete our essential jobs and so be 'ready' to leave on Wednesday.

Headway

Further to my slightly downbeat posting earlier, I'm pleased to say that things are looking brighter now.

The photo above is of course of the steering wheel, but if you look closely you will see two lines from the floor in the centre going off at 45 degrees to the wheel via a couple of black boxes. That's our home made wheel lock. The black boxes are jam cleats. We need to be able to lock the wheel when using the Hydrovane (wind vane self steering system) and the existing wheel lock mechanism is not strong enough in fresh winds. That was done yesterday but i forgot to mention it!

Given our late night yarning with Peter we were up even later that normal but we did get through a few things. Firstly, thanks to Mick's visit to "HIPERCHINA" on Thursday, we now had the tools needed to remove the water filter for the engine cooling system..

Mick's purchase was also by way of attonement for, some years ago, dropping a previous wrench to the bottom of the Medway only nano seconds after scoffing my suggestion to tie the thing on first!

The filter is in the right-hand arm of the upside down 'V'.

I then re-secured the spare anchor in the cockpit locker having previously cocked up the first attempt. Mick tackled the fuel tank repair...

And then installed a safety bar in front of the cooker to prevent people from landing on the cooker in rough weather....

I fitted the deck life - lines and secured some more locker tops down below. 

Tomorrow we need to get ashore forcstill more boat bits. With luck we may be ready to push off on Wednesday or even Tuesday.

Back to Ferragudo - full version!

So, our three days in Legos were not nearly enough to buy all the stuff we needed and complete all our jobs. 

Day 1 was a day of exploring and shopping. First stop was a hardware store. Next a DIY store to look for stuff we couldn't find in the hardware store (we still didn't find everything) and finally "HIPERCHINA"! 

Here's an indication of the hardware and other 'stuff' we were after.

Day 2 was a jobs day. Jobs such as these...

The end of day 2 was when I realised we still needed at least 2 more days to complete our jobs plus the best part of another 1 to finish our shopping/provisioning.

I wrote the above yesterday night (Sunday) after we had entertainment Pete from Samsara, an old friend of Bonny's previous owners, Gavin and Geraldine who hailed us a few days ago when passing in his dinghy. We eventually saw him off at 0130! Now im the warm light of a rather late Algarvian morning, I suspect we will need longer still.

This is our current list of outstanding jobs ..

And despite a mammoth shopping expedition by Mick on Thursday and a joint one to the Supermarket on Friday...

 we have started to build a new shopping list...

We're in the grips of a never ending cycle of jobs needing more stuff to do more jobs requiring more stuff ... At some point I'll just have to call time and go and be dammed!

But that raises another question - go where? Or at least in which direction? The Azores are almost directly West of here. Normally we would have a perfect beam reach (wind on the side) to there. However, the weather in the mid Atlantic is not normal at present. The Azores High (pressure) has turned into a Low. As a consequence the so called "Portuges Trades" - northerly winds - now peter out about 400 miles offshore then there's a ridge of high pressure with very light variable winds to cross before being confronted with strong westerly winds blowing directly from ...... the Azores!

So if things are still like that when we are finally ready to leave we may need to take a rather circuitous route via Maderia! 

Back to Ferragudo summary.

After 3 hours gentle sailing a little reward!

This I'm afraid is a summary only having lost the full version. I will try and re-write later.

We spent four nights in Legos. The original plan was to complete all our jobs there in a couple of days and provision the the boat for our passage tothe Azores. The problem though was, of course, I had forgotten to factor in the cardinal rule of estimating boat jobs. Estimate the maximum amount of time any given task will take then double it and double it again! The upshot of which was that after four days at just under £50 a night, we still had at least 2 days of jobs left to complete.

So, I decided we would provision the boat and then sail back to the ancorage at Ferragudo to complete our jobs and so that's what we did.

It took most of the day to workbout what we needed and to go and biy it. But eventually we left the Marina in Legos at 1715 and headed back to Ferragudo, whwte we arrived at 2015.

G&T followed and then dinner cooked by Mick, which we are now about to consume.

Legos

Legos is the old capital of the Algarve and apparently was Henry the Navigator's base for many year. In the photo below, the replica of his ship can just be made out in the distance. Close up she looks rather neglected I'm afraid.

The city has a dark past it was the centre of the international slave trade during Portugal's glory days of exploration and empire.

Spring arrived today!

It lasted until about 1700 when despite the continuing blue sky the north wind increased and developed quite a bite.

It was to be fair a very pleasant day until then. We spent it shopping and sightseeing!

Before then we introduced ourselves to our nearest neighbours - a couple on their way to the Med and a chap on his own who spent the best part of the last 10 years in these waters.

It wasn't quite as decedant as it sounds because although Mick did take the opportunity to top up his wardrobe, our shopping was for the most part focused on buying much needed bits for the boat. First we headed for the hardware store about half an hour's walk from the Marina. Then on to a big DIY store. After that we went into the old town for lunch - grilled sardines and very good too. That was followed by an outing to the boat Chandlery. These are special shops where sailors are charged exorbitant prices for boat versions of many everday items - hence our visit to the hardware store first!

Once we had recovered from the shock of that and I had decided that a number of essential jobs could be left until back in the UK, it was off to the supermarket. By the time we had finished it was 7pm. Time for a quick beer in the cockpit before Dinner!

Tomorrow we need to crack on with that ever growing list of jobs!

A mid Summer cruise to Legos🤣

Yes OK he is hamming it again but only a little. It really was quite chilly!

We got the anchor up around 1200 on Monday 21/6 and proceeded out of the harour under power. Once at the outer anchorage where we spent our first night we got the mainsail up and then the genoa. We had light westerly winds to start with and commenced beating the 7 miles to Legos. Progress was slow but it was fairly pleasant sailing after the first hour or so.

As we got within a couple of miles of Legos at around 1400 our tummies started rumbling and so Mick whipped up a great omelette for lunch. Around the same time the wind did exactly what the forecast said it would do and went into the North and Legos was once again directly up wind of us! Had we been half-way competent sailors we would have taken that into account and stayed close to the coast so as to be able to take advantage of the wind shift when it came but we didn't. As a consequence it was almost 1630 before we entered Legos Harbour. Mooring on the holding pontoon and checking in took almost an hour and so it was 1800 until we completed mooring up in our designated marina berth (thankfully without any embarrassment).

Mick dashed to the supermarket for ice for our G&Ts and got back just in time for our Zoom meeting with our warm water Sailors' pals. That was immediately followed by another Zoom with my family. It was great to see them again and the two youngest grandaughters (approx 17 months)  seemed to enjoy it immensely.

Then we dashed out for food and found the only establisment in the Marina willing to serve food at 2130!

We'd only covered 7 miles as the crow flies but it seemed worthy of celebration nevertheless!

Plan B

Plan A was to sail to Legos today. However, it was raining so we didn't. The fact that Mick had left his water proof trousers outside inside out all night to air, and it rained most of the night also had something to do with it.

So instead we (eventually) continued working through our list of jobs.

Mick started off by planning the installation of additional 12v outlets for charging phones and the like. Once Stephen and Vincent arrive in the Azores the current 🤣 4 sockets will probably be insufficient. Unfortunately, we could not actually install the sockets for want of the necessary 30mm spade drill to make the necessary holes in the woodwork.

I got on with securing the cockpit table in wardrobe (well it's small cupboard actually and will mostly be used for hanging our foul weather gear in). During our test sail yesterday it jumped out of the locker all on its own.

Next we got round to reading the manual for the wind vane and followed the very simple service instructions - wash with soapy water and spray with WF40!

Next I repaired the broken mainsail outhaul. The piece of string that pulls the dail out to the end ofvthe boom had broken. It needs a thicker bit which I'll buy in Legos, but re-attachingvthe existing bit will get us there.

After that the delightful job of repairing the pump on the Loo. Not a big deal but fresh sea water had started to leak out of the top. The manual says that when this happens a gland needs replacing. Well we didn't have one so i packed grease around the old one and that did the trick.

Then we (well mostly Mick) tackled the job to secure the cooker. Mick spotted that there was nothing to stop it from jumping outvof its gimbals in the event of heavy weather and so we had to make up some wooden blogs and fasten them over the gimbals.

Tomorrow we head for Legos (maybe 🤣).

First proper Sea Trials

I was determined to make an early start today and so set my alarm for 0800. I dragged myself out of be at 0830 made a cup of coffee and tidied up a bit. Mick and not stirred by 0900 and so I made him a cup of tea and announced the fact to him. To give him his due he emerged within minutes to consume it.

Then to coin that immortal Monty Python phrase, "all of a sudden, nothing happened". At least that's what it felt like! We were finally ready to go sailing by about midday!

So we got our life jackets on and started working out what the various bits of string attached to the mainsail did. You'd be surprised how many bits of string are required to control a triangle! Having worked out what most of them did, we decided that quite a few were in the wrong place. So the next few hours were spent reorganising bits of string and the things they were attached to!

By 1400 we needed sustenance and so still at anchor, I made sandwiches for the crew. Finally at around 1515 we got the anchor up and sailed gently towards the harbour entrance.

[There will now be a short intermission while we have dinner - cooked by Mick]

That was great - Dahl, potatoes, cabbage and ravioli!

Had a cracking sail. Various things got stuck or broke but nothing beyond what one would expect after a long period of inactivity.

Returned to the anchorage by about 1830.

More from Ferragudo

Two post in one day may seem excessive but the primary reason for this one is to practice posting photos on the blog from my mobile. I've finally worked out how to do it. Vincent my youngest will dispair at my ineptitude!

Anyway after our chat with Peter earlier we eventually launched the dinghy and went in search of the Chandlery for a few boaty bits.

Then it was over to Ferragudo to look around and have a very late lunch.

The "gem of the region" was clearly rather shy as there was no obvious means of getting ashore at the town quay. Initially we attempted to moor the dinghy near a local fishing boat but got shop's away by the grumpy Fisherman. I hope his brother or sister don't run one of the local restaurants desperate for visitors!

After a further look round we found a spot that would do but we needed a long mooring line and so had to return to the boat for it.

We finally got ashore and yes Ferragudo is a pleasant town....

After looking around it was back to the square for our late lunch...

Lunch was followed by a gentle stroll along the beach with views across to the town and Anchorage...

The town looks quite something at night...

Tomorrow we plan to go for our shakedown sail 🤞

Another message from Ferragudo

 

A Dutch hazard

I should not really have titled the previous post as it is because we were not actually off Ferragudo but we are now. A bit of a wind blew up last night and our Dutch neighbour whom we were well clear of when we anchored, ended up rather close by. We let out more chain in the wind and rain and that was just enough to make us feel sufficiently comfortable to turn in for the night.

This morning however we decided to move and after some delicate manoeuvring to get our anchor up without fouling our Dutch neighbour, we motored further up the river to anchor off the acual town of Ferragudo - described by in the Pilot book as "the gem of the region" and so a trip ashore will be made later.

Ferragudo

The Fort at Ferragudo 

Whilst writing the above, a chap in a dinghy passed by and hailed us. He came alongside for a chat. Turned out he knew Bonny and her previous owners - Gavin and Geraldine who have now moved inland to the mountains north of Lisbon. Peter was his name, from the yacht Solera - a Nicholson 38 anchored in the main Anchorage that we had just left. He had come up the river to collect a new Dinghy from the Chandlery.

A message from Ferragudo

Goodbye dinner in Albufeira - Steff, Peter, Mick, Me & Anita

An Albufairy

Men behaving badly

Anita & Steff 

Blue Tack repair and offending Fuel Tank Gauge

As I write Mick and I are discussing whether I should buy an Ocean Cruising Club Burgee or House Flag. The difference being the shape  - triangular or rectangular. The etiquette governing which should be flown by whom, where (on the boat) and in what circumstances, is very eseoteric. After much research and debate we opted for a House Flag. I will have to ask Stephen and Vincent to bring it with them when they fly out to join us in the Azores.

We motored all the short passage from Albufeira to Ferragudo yesterday in an effort to reduce the pressure in the fuel tank. The Blue Tack repair held and our plan now is to attempt a more permenent repair with liquid metal or similar when we reach Legos.

All at sea!

We had a very late dinner last night and as a consequence did not emerge until 1030 this morning! After an even later late breakfast and general faffing around we started back on the jobs list (to which we are still adding). Mick had to re-position the VHF because it was fouling the chart table lid when opening it and I secured the headlining  in the Forpeak that had come detached from its fastestings. After lunch I tackled the throttle/gear lever mechanism that was misbehaving - neutral was difficult to find and the throttle eased back on its own volition, requiring a handle to be dangled from it to provide the necessary weight. This job required emptying the stern locker of loads of stuff that needed sorting out and tidying up and so kept me busy until gone 8 p.m.. Mick took the Chart table multi 12 volt socket apart and reassembled it. It was playing up.

VHF with backup set

Despite the leisurely not to say slothful start to the day, complaints were received from  the crew about not having the opportunity to see much daylight or much of Portugal! It may therefore prove necessary to provide some time off from our labours in order to forestall mutinous behaviour!