The Truth About Sailing On The Algarve

PhilipH said:
Apologies for the ignorance, but when anchoring at Culatra and at buoy 21 (or is it buoy 23?) should we be preparing for a Bahamian moor??
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Culatra or Buoy 21, everyone just drops a single hook, to do otherwise would conflict with other's swinging radius. Don't anchor at 23 as you would be blocking the channel to/from the marina. There's a red (can't remember the no.) marking the end of a sandbank between 21 & 23 and there's room for 2 or 3 boats to anchor between the sandbank and the moorings. If you're heading past 21, best do it before about half tide or less when the banks are visible.
 
Re: Thinking of moving to Portugal?

Graham376 said:
Isn't one thread about that enough? This thread is about sailing.
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Reasonable point but the other thread was supposed to be EU wide but has morphed down to just Portugal.

As I have just posted over there, possibly we have gone as far as we can on Portugal so may now be time to leave that thread to the Brits elsewhere and put stuff relating to just to Portugal here.
 
Re: Thinking of moving to Portugal?

Today' CM reports that 2 Dutch flagged yachts are in trouble in Vila Real because they "aren't licenced to sail out of their home waters" I'm not sure what is meant unless they lack the equivalent of the SSR.
 
Re: Thinking of moving to Portugal?

25931 said:
Today' CM reports that 2 Dutch flagged yachts are in trouble in Vila Real because they "aren't licenced to sail out of their home waters" I'm not sure what is meant unless they lack the equivalent of the SSR.
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Owners have been registering with IIRC a Dutch association registry rather than the official one and don't have the right to fly Dutch ensign. Locals who have done this have been told to revert to Portuguese flag.
 
Ria Formosa.
In yesterday's CM there was an article with a photo showing a sea policeman afixing a notice to the mast of a yacht illegally anchored off the harbour of Culatra. They said that the PM are concerned by the increasing numbers of yachts "mainly foreign" anchored in that area. I rang the PM and was told that anchoring between the yellow buoy and the shore is totally prohibited.
Leaving a boat anchored anywhere in the Ria is unwise because the holding is notoriously inadequate in severe weather. Unfortunately although the small boat harbour has been extended and upgraded to a marina there is still a waiting list so the only safe course during winter is to park in one of the boatyards.
If anyone should be interested in the strict legality he can read in RCM 78/2009 that anchoring is only permitted in the designated areas which means that the authorities are being realistic in not enforcing the law as far as pleasure boats are concerned in the vast area of the Ria.
 
25931 said:
........... anchored off the harbour of Culatra. They said that the PM are concerned by the increasing numbers of yachts "mainly foreign" anchored in that area. I rang the PM and was told that anchoring between the yellow buoy and the shore is totally prohibited.
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Can't remember a yellow out there, not on cm93 or navionics - anyone have a lat & long?
 
25931 said:
Ria Formosa.
In yesterday's CM there was an article with a photo showing a sea policeman afixing a notice to the mast of a yacht illegally anchored off the harbour of Culatra. They said that the PM are concerned by the increasing numbers of yachts "mainly foreign" anchored in that area. I rang the PM and was told that anchoring between the yellow buoy and the shore is totally prohibited./QUOTE]

Is this yellow buoy new? Haven't been to Culatra this year.
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A yellow buoy was not there late Summer.........
I have heard that some development work has started on Culatra and that all the boats (mostly catamarans) moored and anchored near the lagoon entrance close NE of the village have been told to move. Apparently a new harbour is to be built in that area, so it will be one for the fishing boats and one for the tripper boats (and us :cool:)
Anyone know more?

Michael.
 
Only that the CM reported early last month that 10.3 million euros were to be spent upgrading the Algarve ports. Culatra was one of the ports listed in the article. It doesn't really say what the improvements will be. I understand that there's a lot to be spent at Portimao next year to upgrade the commercial facilities. Also the river is due to be dredged again in 2019.
 
When you come off the ferry at Culatra or walk up from the harbour and just before the Church, there is a notice about the developments beside the concrete pathway. I asked my other half to translate it as her Portuguese is good. She said " well there is some development work starting, but I haven't a clue what it is". As Greeny says above - it doesn't really say what the improvements/developments will be. My feeling is that it will mean more tourists and the place will lose some of its character, which it already has done over the years.
Cheers,
Michael.
 
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