Arrival in Portugal

The sail down the Minho region coast of Portugal to Viana da Castelo was very enjoyable with a poled out genoa and full main in anything between 10 and 20 knots of wind. Miggy had her second catch of the trip with three mackerel on the line which she gutted and filleted there and then ready for supper that same evening. They taste so good and so different when very fresh.
There are three elements of the weather that one must take into account when sailing down the west coast of Portugal. Firstly and perhaps most importantly the Atlantic swell. It emanates from storms well offshore and is present to some degree most of the time. It becomes critical at about 2.0m to 3.0 metres when some ports may close because it is so dangerous to get in over the sand bar at the entrance. Secondly the wind. The north-easterly Portuguese trade winds are reinforced by local sea breezes to reach Force 6 or 7 by evening time. Most people therefore set sail in the early morning so as to arrive at their destination before the onset of the worst of the wind but having to cope with the third element, the fog. This can take the form of sea fog 4% to 10% of days which lingers throughout the day or coastal mist which burns off around midday.
Viana da Castelo where we stayed for two days is a 13th century town that prospered from fishing. Wealth derived from trade with Europe and Brazil funded the many opulent mansions built in the Renaissance and Baroque styles. The town’s interest today lies in its winding streets and intimate squares.

From Viana we sailed down the coast of the Douro and Tras-os-Montes region to Leixoes, pronounced Layshoesh, the port serving Porto. The Portuguese language is so difficult particularly in its pronunciation. Every Portuguese that we have met to date speaks some, if not near perfect, English. When we asked the boatman in the marina at Viana why he spoke such good English he said that he had been all over the world with the Portuguese Navy and that, if he had not spoken English, he would never have made contact or spoken with another soul.

We caught the metro, built for the European Championships in 2004, into Porto. What an amazing city with its fabulous Cathedral Se at the top of the hill and the riverside district of Ribeira at the bottom full of narrow cobbled streets and tile clad or pastel colour painted balconied buildings. Ever since the Romans built a fort here the city has prospered from commerce. Its wealth was generated from Portugal’s maritime discoveries in the 15th and 16th centuries. Later the loss of the lucrative spice trade was compensated for by the wine trade with Britain.
In the 17th century British traders, cut off from their supplies of Bordeaux by frequent wars with France, took a liking to the full flavoured robust wines of Portugal. But these wines did not travel well so the Traders added Brandy to ‘fortify’ them against the rigours of the Atlantic sea voyage. Before long pure grape spirit was added during fermentation and Port, as we drink it today, was created.
We had a guided tour around the Taylor’s Lodge, one of the oldest having been established in 1692. It is still owned and managed by the founding family descendants. We learned about the vineyards, which are situated about a 150 miles from Porto up the Douro River, the fermenting, blending and ageing and about the styles and vintage. All so very interesting but too long a story to tell here. Taste it as we did at the Lodge and all will be revealed!
Having caught up with the mundane chores of yacht maintenance, cleaning, and the like, including Miggy successfully cutting her own hair!! tomorrow, the 15th of July, we leave Leixoes for the 70 mile sail to Fiqueira de Foz, a lively resort in the Bieras region. We will be glad to be at sea again because it has become so hot – 30 deg in the shade.
Those of you in the BBC Radio Solent region who rise early may have heard Miggy’s regular broadcast on the morning show with Julian Clegg at 0630 on the 3rd of July. Her next scheduled broadcast is on the 26th of July at 0630 or thereabouts.

Our Portuguese telephone number is +351 936 338 049.