I came to Nazaré a few weeks earlier 20.4.2015 to get the boat ready for leg two. I had two weeks time and a lot to do.
My friend Pertti from the university years had promised to sail with me the whole leg from Nazaré in Portugal to the Canaries.
Thanks to Pertti and to Jens who helped me with the boat. I thank also the whole staff in Silcar Yacht Yard who helped me with challenging works that had to be done before hitting to the Atlantic Ocean.
Nice days full of work. We got some relief to see the beautiful girls in Silcar and good portugese food gave us the power we needed with the hard work.
TO DO in Nazaré:
III reef in main sail. New sprayhood. The service of the heath exchanger and new o-rings and bearings to the water pump for our Volvo engine. New reefing system for mainsail and new pins for the lower spreaders (this task we do in Canaries). New batteries and a battery separator. Reorganizing the battery compartment to lift the critical components as high as possible. Toilet seat above the water line. We also changed one new Lewmar porthole that leaked. Normal spring service, running rigging, bottom painting and new anodes. stailes steel works as extra fuel tanks fittings and Wat & Sea lifting fittig with a cleat.
We had a farewell party at Luis´s place with eight different nationalities and five boats.
Chris and Jens sailing to the warm waters of Med. Sy Amelie´s crew sailing between Portugal and Bordeaux. Two newcomers with a beautiful 32 foot long keeled boat from Guernsey, which were about to leave for work to England. A huge English boat with sea beard growing ( in the water line). They were welding diesel fuel tanks with Alec (the all round mechanician from Abrigo).
Dodi a lady from Germany repairing here 50 footer, Sy Tonga. A woman with her 50 footer and a huge work! Only 3 bulkheads were left of the whole interior works. Full restoration of the deck was on its way.
I must not forget our French solo sailor with his 34 foot boat heading for Brazil. He helped us with the new yankee cut genoa. He liked the Bryth Sails system to top up the sail just after the foil. Many thanks for the Polish sail makers, the sail is strong and works perfect. Greetings to Taxell in Bryth Sails.
Porto Abrigo a nice place. Also the town Nazaré in THE NORTH (as people in Porto Abrigo used to say) was an old original fishing village from Portugal.
Logbook with related photos
A video of the II leg Lagos - Porto Santo - Madeira / Atlantic Ocean
Nazaré - Berlenga - Penishé / 7.5.2015 35 Nm
S - wind and big swell has been forming from the S-SW wind. This has lasted over one week. We must respect the huge swell that is common here, because of the deep tongue of the seabed that ends here in Nazaré. 35 m wave has been measured here for a few years back.
3 - 5 m swell is quite normal here.
Next morning we start with the engine towards the South. We want to get along after one weeks waiting in the harbor. The old harbor captain has drawn a map for us on a serviette from Luis place. When our philosophie Jens saw the map, he couldn´t believe his eyes. Navigating with a such a map.
There was too much swell in Berlenga and we left the beautiful island and sailed further to Penishé.
Penishé - Sines / 8.7.2015 / 110 Nm / n. 34 h
Start 9.00 to Sesimbra. We eat breakfast on the sea. We did not visit the town at all, we have been there numerous times. S-wind, we sail with the genoa and engine is helping us on headwind. In the evening we hear a MOB in VHF. We check out the message in VHF and our position is too far south. We really hope that the coast guard finds the poor sailor. The night is cold and humid. We reach Sesimbra but we decide to sail further to Sines. The wind shifts to S-SW and that gives us the possibility to sail.
The traffic is busy in front of Lisboa and Setubal where the whole coast is lit with thousands of bright lights shining to us. Beautiful.
A very hot and beautiful day follows from the early hours after 9 a clock. The first swim in the Atlantic Ocean. Big waves and the wind is from aside we sail almost beam reach. We get good speed! The sun goes down 20.30. Black 21.30. We glide slowly to the dark harbor of Sines. Swell is huge and it takes two strong sailors to get the boat secured to the pier.
We are planning to sail direct to Lagos. There is a natural anchorage that can be used for overnight stay if the weather is nice and the wind from east. The bay of Arrifana half way to Cabo de Sao Vicente.
Sines - Arrifana bay - Lagos / 10.5 95 Nm
We have a late start 10.55 towards the Lands End Cabo de SaoVicente in the South West Portugal.
N-NE wind today. It is good for us. Yesterday we met a couple sailing Northwards with a 40 foot Najad. We were eating a delicious dinner with the English guy and a lady from New Zealand. They were sailing to Galichia and maybe returning to Med. Not sure! Depends on whom you ask.
It´s summer weather for the first time. We are anxious to see how Cabo de Sao Vicente affects the weather and the wind.
We get some fish! Macrel. No (A Bonito = Baby Tuna. We get to know later). We anchor near the beach in Arrifana Bay. Really beautiful and a great odor of Pinja trees.
We put down our 12 kg Bruce with 3 m of chain. This must be enough here. The beach shallows very dramatically. If the wind changes we are immediately out in the sea or on the surrounding stones.
I put all the electronic watches on and check the land marks before it gets dark.
The bonito is very good and we eat it all. We are tired and go to sleep. The captain don´t sleep because we have our back against the Atlantic Ocean.
Sun comes up and I get a bit of sleep. But then the wind starts to blow quite hard and I immediately wake up. I shout to Pertti that we have to leave. The wind comes from E and from the high cliffs. Anchor watch alarms right away and we take the anchor up and eat our breakfast in the Atlantic ocean.
The same thing than happens in South America channels between the mountains. Williwaws, the higher the mountain the harder the wind.
Today the wind is blowing strong from E-SE and we move fast down the Portugese coast. We sail along 150 m depth curve. Cabo de Sao Vicente can be seen far away. It looks as majestic as seen from the land.
We have winds from 0 to 18 knots. And from down wind to head wind.
We even have to tack around the cape and sailing close hauled almost all the way to Lagos. We arrive to the harbor when the night falls. We pass the old castle and enter the channel to the harbor. We tie our boar to the waiting pier in front of the bridge.
Now to the harbor boulevard to get some fish in one of the harbor restaurants, Lulas. We even walk to the old town to see the life and there notice that we are no more valid in the party market. Just two old seadogs!
Lagos - Porto Santo / 16.5.2015 460 Nm ( 3days 20 hours )
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Paper charts and plottings
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Electronic charts inside
Our vegetables and the medicament dose bottle
The last day at Lagos is busy with bunkering water, gas and fuel. We bunker fresh food quite modesty, we have only 4 days passage over the sea and a lots of canned or dry food aboard.
We have moved to the waiting pontoon, timing our leaving to the evening. The weather forecast for 4 days is good with 15 to 23 knots north easterly winds, wave height moderate 1,5 to 2,5 m.
We leave with the beautiful sunset 19.20. It is dark 21.30. Cabo de Sao Vicente is again playing with the wind. We put the preventer in the main sail and start the engine to get more comfort in the rolling.
Light wind, we pass the Lighthouse 23.45.
04.55 we can´t see the lighthouse any more. We are on the North bound shipping lane 24,1 Nm of the lighthouse. We pass the shipping lane not exactly 90 degrees but acceptable angle.
We get good speed some 40 miles after passing the cape. The big capes of the world have great affect on the prevailing winds.
06.00 it´s again lit, sun comes up 06.30. The wind comes up fresh. We take the spinacker down, the wind is too strong. We set the course direct to Porto Santo to Ilheu du Cima lighthouse.
The next night comes after a fine sailing day with fresh wind. During the evening the wind remains 28 knots True wind. We cut the course in able to stabilize the movements of the boat. We sail between 6,5 - 7,5 knots and 8,0 knots in surfs.
We are sailing fine with maximum speed towards Porto Santo.
During the night the wind is building more force over 30 knots. We must reef during the dark morning hours. When we reef the main slaps powerfully and one schackle breaks. When I see the situation and the low hanging boom. I shout to Pertti that I let the sail come down totally. It´s too dangerous for us two to start to fix it during the night hours. I set the autopilot and we coil the sail to the boom and secure it on the deck constructions. We reef the genoa and continue sailing only with reefed genoa 6,6 - 7,5 knots. I think this was the best solution for two old sea dogs in the boat.
During the day the wind is more than 30 knots True wind, the wave starts to form. We are sailing constantly over 7 knots in speed. The bow is under the waves every now and then and the side decks are under the water. The cockpit remains dry. We put the engine on every now and then to balance the boat when we cut the course.
11.00 we are between Monte d´Ampere and banco Coral Patch shallows. We don´t notice much of wave formation here, we are about 40 Nm from the banks.
21.30 we try to get confirmation for the weather, wind is 28 - 36 knots, True wind. Wave height increasing. No response.
The weather gets near gale, wind is constantly over 35 knots and in gusts over 40 knots. Wave formation 3 - 4 m, the crests start to break.
Suddenly Cencomar Madeira Navtex is sending the weather forecast. N-NW 4-5 Beaufort, increasing 5-6 beaufort. Waves 2-3 m and increasing. The weather is much stronger that on the forecast, (this was confirmed later in Porto Santo harbor office by the captain). It is possible that the wave formation is due to the Corringe ridge which follows Cabo de Sao Vicente to S-W.
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Wind 28 - 36 knots, Atlantic Ocean is full of potholes and breaking waves are crashing to the stern.
We are on the limit to sail downwind because of the waves coming from almost the same direction.
I don´t want to turn the boat to another course to Azores, we continue on this course direct to Porto Santo. The night becomes difficult. We loose our autopilot when one bigger wave crashes into the cockpit. The aluminium bar connecting the pilot turns like spaghetti. We take watches in 1,5 h intervals and continue the night like this. We repair the pilot next day.
To give a more dramatic approach to the story; When sailing with the genoa and motor during the dark night. Suddenly the alarm signal (that watches the exhaust water temperature) sounds. We first think that the intake doesn´t take water because of the air bubbles that speed creates. We check and double chek everything and take the pump apart. Everything Ok. we put all the parts back again. After 30 min the alarm sounds again. What the heck!
Pertti goes back and thinks, he explains to me that the pump lock was worn too much and the mechanician also told us this in Nazaré. He advised to change it when problem comes or when ever the next service is.
Pertti takes the water pump cover and turns it around and grinds the outside of it and assembles it back. The motor is running perfect!
This is a simple task on the pier but here on near gale, beaufort 6 it is a challenging task down in the engine compartment. After the incident we continue with the reefed genoa with good speed.
20.5.20015
In the early morning hours the weather eases a bit and the waves start to form more like normal ocean waves long vale and mountain format. In the morning Cencomar Madeira sends an announcement that they are working again. We get the weather forecasts normally again. The wind is not so much less. About 20 - 25 knots and in gusts little over 40 knots. The sea is much calmer although the wind remains strong. We arrive to a windy harbor of Porto Santo. The mariners help us with our mooring lines to secure our boat to the pontoon.
Scarlet is at the port already, they have managed to sail ahead of us sometimes during the night. The captain has to... anyway the boat is a brand new Beneteau cruiser/racer of 45 foot. They came between 11.00 - 12.00.
We are not yet moored when a nice voice comes from the Swedish yacht. Would you like to have a cold beer! They had anticipated that hard wind was on the sea between Portugal and Porto Santo.
The harbor is taken by Scandinavians, 3 Swedish boats and 1 boat from Finland. Next morning a hot cup of coffee and a hot salami sandwich on the deck!
The skipper of the french boat on the port side wondered our Wat and Sea hydro generator. He also said to me that we could buy a wind vane in Las Palmas in Gran Canaria. There is a shop selling all kinds of boating stuff that comes from boats coming and leaving from the Canaries to the Caribien. He was living here but was heading with his boat to Brazil. Sy Clary with Ulf and Pia are also interested in sailing to Brazil.
We´ll see if we get company.
The wind remains strong for a few days more, even here in the harbor 27 - 30 knots. We have now stowed the sails into the bin under the front bunks. It is dry now from our filling operation of the bow tanks hah haa..
The east end of the island is dry and rocky. The village of Vila Baleira is green and extremely beautiful. The history can be seen here on the streets and the old buildings. Christopher Columbus house is well maintained and serves as a museum today. You can feel Christopher here on the garden chair drinking his portion of rhum and waiting for his gargo. A load of sugar canes to be delivered to the mainland. He even got married with a lady of this nice island.
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Porto Santo
Porto Santo - Madeira, Quinta do Lorde / 25.5.2015 35 Nm
We sail with Sy Clary to Madeira. Funchal harbor is full and we only got a harbor place at Quinta do Lorde in Madeira. Sy Clary is going direct to Funchal which is the capitol of Madeira and also the old famous port. Pia from Sy Clary was the early bird in harbor masters office to book the last place to the Funchal harbor.
Quinta do Lorde was a new complex with a nice and clean harbor and some shops and hotels built around the harbor.
We set the sails to Funchal next day because we see here no people and it is just the people that make the harbor.
Quinta do Lorde - Funchal / 26.5.2015 15 Nm
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