Portugal Info required

[Chris_Robb]

'er in doors has decided that the boat must go to somewhere where the sun shines more often. I had thought about Portugal, being within a reasonable delivery journey time. A number of thoughts come to mind:

What is the coast like down say on the Algarve or is the northern area with in reach of the Spannish Rias better. Is it good long week end sailing?

Is the weather better further south? (bearing in mind 'er in doors)

What do Marinas cost for a 12 metre Boat?

What is availablility of births, and dry winter storage?.

Yachting Monthly recently ran an article, but it was actually very light on facts.

It is only possible to consider keeping a boat here because of the ease of access with the cheap airlines.

Anyone have any other ideas? - interesting sailing and anchorages are quite important

 

[dina]

We love nw Spain, only problem can be the fog in summer. You can fly direct to Santiago from LHR, Iberia quoted us £147 rtn for may/june. The atlantic coast of Portugal is not in my humble opinion so interesting, and although the Algarve is nice there is more to see in NW Spain the Rias are endless. We are planning to leave our boat for a month or so around Bayona on the way back to the Uk this JUne, so if you find any cheap marinas let us know!

 

[Goldie]

I agree with Dina that NW Spain is a glorious cruising ground, and also that the west facing coast of Portugal lacks a certain something. It is also prone to swell which makes entering or leaving any one of the ports with a bar (the underwater type!), somewhat fraught. I speak as one who once got stuck in Figuera de Foz for weeks. The Algarve could be just what you're looking for. The prevailing summer winds are northerly (ideal for reaching both ways along the East-West coast) and anchorages abound. Marinas are increasing in number and flights to Faro are plentiful and fairly cheap. An added bonus is the proximity of the Atlantic coast of Spain - try Barbate, Tarifa, Cadiz, Rota , El Rompido and similar. The Guadaquilvir and the Donana national park should not be missed. From Vilamoura, Gibraltar is about 24hours so the whole of the Med awaits you for a longer cruise. Can't remember prices I'm afraid, but bound to be cheaper than UK. For details of the areas mentioned, have a look at the pilot book for the West Coasts of Spain and Portugal (Imray?). Hope this helps to keep 'er indoors happy, good luck in your search.

 

[davidhand]

You might try going to www.marlagos.pt it's a new marina, I was thinking of taking my boat there.

 

[Roberto]

Hello, you may find something interesting under

http://www.manorhouses.com/ports/index.htm

might possibly meet in the future...

 

[Guest]

I have no experience of the Spanish Rias, but Bayona is very nice. However, it is very crowded so I would be surprised if you were able to get a berth there for any period of time.

There is a new big marina in Povoa de Varzim, just north of Porto. There is a fishing harbour next to it so getting in and out in a swell should not be a problem. Fog is frequent, but the coast is easy to navigate - but fairly dull. Porto is a nice old town, you can spend days touring and tasting the port houses.

Lagos is big, fancy and very secure. But I bet it is very expensive.



Andreas

 

[Guest]

You might want to have a look at the supplement with february's Yachting Monthly, It is all about sailing around Portugal (and no I dont work for them!)

A friend of mine sailed down to the Algarve last year in his Wharram Catamaran and found a friendly community of sailors (mostly doing it on a budget) who look after each others boats for nothing, and there are no mooring charges (anchorages in bays etc) I cant quite remeber exactly where this was but I'm sure if you ask around you'll soon find out.

Regards

Sean Foster

 

[Chris_Robb]

Interesting Web site. Quite an expensive marina, but then it is top quality. I am still on the hunt for a cheaper marina if it is possible.

There was a new marina being dug (litterally) at Albufeira - does anyone know when this opens??? Faro is a very convenient airport.

 

[30boat]

that's in Ilha da Culatra in Faro.
I bought my Fulmar from one of the sailors who liked it too much to leave.

 

[Chris_Robb]

Thanks for this info - It appears that the Algarve looks the best bet, so I am going to start planning.

 

[charles_reed]

If it's scenic cruising for which you're looking the Algarve is not the best bet.
I only gave myself 2 1/2 weeks in the Rias Altas and Biaxas on my way down and am still kicking myself. These are comparable scenically to the W coast of Scotland with about 40 ports, 500 anchorages and protected waters when there's a gale outside - makes the Solent look an over-infested rathole.

First cheap flights:

BUZZ - fly to Jerez (ideal for Cadiz, puerto des americas, Chipiona, el Puerto, Rota, Mazagon etc), price about £75 return - 'ware no airport bus and the taxi drivers frequently don't know their way around. For my money the best of the ticIketless airlines

GO - Faro (for Olhao, Guadiana ports, Lagos, Portimao, Tavira, Mazagon), about the same price as Buzz. They also fly to Sondika, Bilbao and are currently offering £40 returns there.

Nearly all cheapos go to Malaga, but I don't reckon the Med as highly as the Atlantic coasts.

BASES

As I've said, I don't consider the Algarve a patch on the Galician Rias, but the weather up there is western maritime ie warm Cornish.

bases I'd suggest -
1. Ria de Vivero - newish marina, excellent accomodation, very cheap - don't know about access from the UK
2. Ria de Muros - super friendly club Nautico at Pontorsin, lots of Brits based there, access thro' Santiago with the pilgrims.
3. Ria de Arosa - Villagarcia, marina upgraded, superb accomodation and facilities in brand-new marina buildings
4. Ria de Pontevedra - OK marina at Sangenjo but only spent 1 night there
I'd suggest Bayona as overcrowded and expensive - nice place but hell to get to, avoid la Coruna, oily, crowded, expensive ramshackle, can't understand why anyone goes there tho' the town is quite charming.
5. Down Portugal way try Nazaré - fly to Lisbon, lots of scheduled cut-price offers - avoid the Tejo, pricey crowded and noisy
6. Lagos - full of Brits, you'll be at home if you're used to the UK S coast, crowded noisy, expensive, full of pontoon sailors, smart boutiques and is hellish inconvenient to get in and out of.
8. Portimao, OK new marina untried.
9. Villamoura, brand new giga-marina having early service teething problems.
10. Tavira - lovely setting, only swinging berths, need a shallow draft (30 boat should be able to fill you in further)
11. Vila Real/Ayamonte - opposite one another across the Guadiana, Ayamonte better for larger boats, Vila Real town more fun, but only 20m wide marina entrance and 3-4 knots ebb thro' the marina when river in flood or springs. The river is fantastic, competent navigators can get up to Mertóla which is a gem of a town with Roman, Mudejar and mediaeval riches.
12. Mazagon - excellent Puertos de Andalucia marina, town's a bit dead out of season
11. Chipiona - earliest of the Puertos marinas, better than majority of UK marinas and 1/3 the price. Up in Seville you have Gelves, very cheap, lots of N Europeans overwinter there, but take 2 tides to get down the Guadalquivir and out to sea unless you've a quick boat. Seville is a great city
12. Rota - another Puertos de Andalucia giga-marina, next door to the US base, which can be scary.
13. el Puerto - good pontoon berths from the Club Nautico (it used to be the centre of the sack-wine shipping) just down the river from Jerez.
14. Puertos des Americas in Cadiz, least attractive of the Andalucia marinas but superbly placed - I've a soft spot for Cadiz, has a slightly raffish air and very sophisticated citizens.

The Algarve & S spanish Atlantic coast is very much sand/marsh, the only features are the repetitive apartment blocks (which aren't too much of an eyesore 3M out but truly ghastly close up), very little wind (except locally around S Vicente) and most exploring will be up sandy creeks, winding channels. One is ahort of overnight anchorages and swell all down the Atlantic coast is an oft-forgotten factor.

 

[Chris_Robb]

Charles - very helpful info.
we had been looking at ports accessible to Faro, but we find that GO's prices, and indeed all the other carriers to Fara double their costs on flights from Thursday to Sunday, which means about £200 a throw. Going Wednesday and back Monday will eat into my Holidays too quickly!

Actually I like the sound of rias, the only thing putting me off was the prevelance of summer fog, which 'er in doors was not too happy about. So long as there is significantly better weather than Cornwall I would probably swing it.

Thanks for your time and effort in your detailed reply!

Chris