Moving from Gibraltar

purplerobbie

purplerobbie

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I'm moving my boat from Gib and i'm heading towards portugal.

Some of the places i'm looking at stopping on the way are

Barbate
Cadiz
Vilamoura
Portimao
Largos
Sines
Cascais
Oporto
Vigo
La Coruna

There is a big jump between lagos and sines can anyone recommend an inbetween place?
Are there any of these places you would say miss?
Or will i be missing any that you think i should stop at?
I'll only be staying a day in each if even that long so i'm looking for somewhere nice and easy to tie up stop for a sleep and than go

If the cew is up to it i might just try and get round cape st vincent in one go

Will i be anywhere near these trunny nets going either of these ways?

Any comments or toughts greatfully accepted
Cheers Rob
 
Just a personal view from visits in 2006. Give Vilamoura a miss,it's noisy,crowded and relatively expensive, in season anyway. Run on to Portimao where you can lay in the sheltered anchorage in the harbour or go into the marina. If you want to, recce's by train to Lagos are dead easy from Portimao.
 
There isn't anywhere to safely stop until Sines once you have rounded Cape St Vincent, but there is an overnight stop at Baleeira, just to the east of the Cape. See http://www.manorhouses.com/ports/baleeira.htm for details plus good info on all the ports in Portugal.
Heading north up the coast can be a slog if there are northerlies, we took rests in Nazare and Povoa de Varzim, both safe and friendly.
 
Just re-read your comment about getting round Cape St Vincent in one go from the East. I'm sure you know already but there is a great anchorage in the small bay just to the East of the Cape light. So if you do come along that coast and need a rest before rounding the Cape and running into the inevitable Northerly and Atlantic swell, it's a place to consider in your plan. I've used it a few times, holdings good in sand quite close in to the beach
 
We came down the coast the other way in 2005. We thought Barbate was awful so would advise missing that although the marina is secure enough. Lisbon is worth a visit if only to travel up the river and visit the maritime museum. Viana do Castello was one of our favourite places.

Good luck with the winds
 
My website is designed to answer your question - if it doesn't, come back and tell me why so I can improve it!

It also outlines a range of strategies for going north against the Portuguese trades. Have a good rest before rounding Cape St Vincent. From there on it can be hard work!

The tunny nets are well marked when they are set, though I don't think it's the season yet.
 
Yep...remember the round of St Vincent as b.... hard work, with sudden wind shifts and unexpected increases.
From memory (4 years ago) the overriding one is the smell of barbequeing sardines and the smell of burnt cork from the land fires that were sweeping the country. The Algarve ports we found were not too bad, but the western coastline bays and harbours were the dirtiest that we have ever visited. The Portuguese seem to use their rivers as open sewers and trash disposal systems, hence the estuaries and bays where they flow out were unsanitary at best and hazardous at worst. Whilst there, there were several cases of infection in fellow yachties just through handling the lines that had been in the water; swimming was "discouraged" to say the least.
However, would be glad to hear from more recent visitors if things have changed as we loved the towns and villages and land side and have otherwise happy memories of Portugal.
 
PS.
If you have time, the trip up several miles of the Guardiana River and a visit to both Ayamonte and Vila Real de Santo Antonio were very worth doing.......AND your hull/s get treated to a freshwater wash to get rid of critturs and weed. Swimming there fine, but watch out for up to 6/7 knots of tide change - a hard swim to get back to the boat, or a wallk along the river bank!!!!
 
For your info...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Station: PORTUGAL MONSANTO
Message type: Rig lists, submarine, and gunnery information
Message id: RL93
MONSANTORADIO
010945Z UTC JUL 07
PORTUGAL-CONTINENTAL PORTUGAL
-WEST COAST-FIGUEIRA DA FOZ
FIGUEIRA DA FOZ HARBOUR
ENTRANCE CLOSED TO VESSELS
UNDER 11 MTS LENGHT.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
If you are only stopping at places for a night it doesnt really matter much what they are like, as long as they are easy to get in and out of.

Lagos is good. Tie up on the reception pontoon for the night if you dont get through the bridge. Lots of nice places to eat in the town ... cross the bridge, turn left, and keep walking until you see a kind of square opening up on your right - just past the repsol petrol station.

We were heading for cadiz but diverted to Rota across the bay - very easy, right on the edge of town ... out of the marina you see some steps up to a kind of footbridge... cross the bridge and keep going kind of straight on, and you come to a couple of squares - it's all there.

Cadiz marina is about a million miles from the town, and there didnt seem to be an easy way to get to and from town.

Cascais - nice, but expensive, (until you get to the Balearics that is!!!).

Oporto, (Lexioes) - bit of a crappy marina in the far corner of the commercial port, but a good stopover for 1 or 2 nights. Cross the road directly out of the port, walk up the little hill till you come to a square - some nice restaurants there.

I would call at Bayona - lovely place.

On our way from lagos to the med. there were tunny nets everywhere as per the charts .. barbate, faro, just north of cape Trafalgar. Well buoyed with cardinal buoys.

Good Luck with the trip
 
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If you are only stopping at places for a night it doesnt really matter much what they are like, as long as they are easy to get in and out of.



[/ QUOTE ]
In a nut shell Yes

If there are any places with nice finger pontoons which are miles apart or nice and easy visitor pontoons, they are the places i want to go.
Dont care how much of a sh** hole the place is.

I dont want to go to the tiny marinas that are so close together that i stand a good chance or running down the boat behind me. I'm in a long keeled boat that dosent do astern and i'm likley to be on my own

Rob
 
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