Cruising west coast of Portugal

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julianmingham

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Hi

I’m currently in La Coruna and starting to plan the cruise down the west cost of Portugal north to south, and I’d appreciate advice from people that have done that before.

Is it feasible to cruise the west coast in a series of ‘day sails’. From initial look at the pilot and charts it looks like distances between ports are much further than here in Galicia ?

Cheers
Julian
S/Y Golden Eye
 
We sailed down the Portugal coast and from memory it was day sails. One thing to look out for is large onshore swells which make trying to get to a marina dangerousso stand off or keep heading south.
 
It is possible to do all the way down to Gibraltar sailing only in daytime. Some legs may be longer however, if you do not want to sail at night it is certainly feasible.
Before you run to Portugal from La Coruna, spend as much time as you have around the north/west coast of Spain - the Rias.
See these: Baiona,
Viana do Castelo
Povoa de Varzim
Leixoes
Aveiro
Figueira da Foz
Nazare
Peniche
Cascais (Lisboa)
 
Yes, day sails are very possible. Anchorages get scarce once you reach Portugal, but there are a few. Take your time to enjoy the Rias, they're the best cruising ground on that route. Especially the northern ones, which will still be quiet - down towards Baiona it'll get busy now.

Definitely stop for a while in Porto (Leixoes), it's a fantastic city with much to discover.

We've blogged about our journey down that way, starting here: https://sdfjkl.org/blog/2017-08-07-rias-altas/

Do buy some pimientos de padron and fry them in olive oil, salt & pepper. We miss them and the Portuguese chicory coffee :)
 
Graham376 said:
We've day sailed the coast 3 times. Once up, twice down but settled weather needed as there are few ports of refuge when the swell kick up - if it does, stay offshore. If fine, anchor in 14m off the Berlengas isles instead of Peniche, nature reserve with good scuba.
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Agree it is very feasible to day sail north to south but as the daylight hours reduce it is important to remember that the last 3 legs around Cape St Vincent are the longest. Once around Vincent there are a number of good anchorages around Sagres and Baleeria but as Baleeria has foul ground, a tripper could be a good idea.

Alternatively, you could press on to Lagos or anchor at Alvor.

Preferring to avoid the Nortada, (The Portuguese Tradewind) when going north, I have always accepted a long offshore passage. Hopefully outside the pots that infest parts of that coastline.
 
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nortada said:
......it is important to remember that the last 3 legs around Cape St Vincent are the longest. Once around Vincent there are a number of good anchorages around Sagres and Baleeria but as Baleeria has foul ground, a tripper could be a good idea.

Alternatively, you could press on to Lagos or anchor at Alvor.
Click to expand...

Sines to Lagos is the longest leg but, if there's a levant blowing, there's a sheltered small bay directly south of St Vincent or, if SW round to NE then good holding in Sagres Bay, a mile or so further round. We avoided Baleeria, as you say because of foul ground.
 
EldadHadani's post pretty well sums it up though I prefer Porto (marina or anchor just off) to Leixoes. I overwintered in Povoa Varzim and the harbour was closed about 3/4 of the time. Similiarly, stormbound in Viana do Castello for 3 days. Obviously less of a problem in summer but don't rely on local winds: harbours close when the sea is glassy. Aveiro is a very welcoming sailing club though some distance inland. €14 on the pontoon with ⚡ irrespective of size and free laundering. Bit of a grim setting though handy for the town centre. Try the Minho estuary�� My cojones failed me big time with that one, the charts are meaningless!
 
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julianmingham said:
Hi

I’m currently in La Coruna and starting to plan the cruise down the west cost of Portugal north to south, and I’d appreciate advice from people that have done that before.

Is it feasible to cruise the west coast in a series of ‘day sails’. From initial look at the pilot and charts it looks like distances between ports are much further than here in Galicia ?

Cheers
Julian
S/Y Golden Eye
Click to expand...

I made that twice, all with daylight hops, except when leaving from Sines towards Cape St Vincent when I decided to leave in the evening in order to pass the cape early morning: I experienced local +1/+2 Bft around Cabo carvoeiro and especially cabo da Roca (the one just before the Tagus) where it topped 40ish knots in the afternoon (remember the north wind is mostly thermal). The strongest wind episodes are usually well indicated by local bulletins with "Aviso de vento forte", ok it's from behind but better not be caught under full mainsail or spinnaker.
 
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