Sail to the Med: Porto to Lisbon

Vicki and Andi Dunkel run sailing and diving holidays around Europe on board Isicia II, a classic 51 foot Beneteau First yacht. This year their route takes them from Scotland to the Mediterranean and here is a travelbite from their ship’s log:

The Portuguese trade winds have continued to blow from the north making the trip from Porto to Lisbon a pleasant sailing experience. There was still a significant Atlantic swell present, although predominantly from aft it still makes any vessel roll. A few sailors commented in the marinas that they were looking forward to sailing in the Med where conditions were normally more settled.

Along the coast you would be forgiven for thinking that fishing was the national sport of Portugal – from the crowds of people with rods who lined the harbour walls to the numerous fishing vessels. The flags in the water marking pots and nets made sailing more of a slalom race, with the turquoise flags particularly hard to spot.

The combination of festivals and World Cup football in Portugal at the end of June has guaranteed a lively atmosphere wherever we stopped for the night. There were fireworks and street parties in Porto, choirs and local culinary delights in Figuera da Foz celebrating the local Sardine Festival and brass bands in Cascais. Portuguese football success in Germany was celebrated with concerts of loud car horns.

The coastline between Porto and Lisbon varies from long sandy beaches in the north to rugged and craggy rocks past the Cabo de Roca - the most westerly point in Europe. Berlenga Island, a nature reserve 10 miles off Peniche, and Cabo de Roca were certainly our highlights of this stretch.

As usual the wildlife did not disappoint, from the bottlenose dolphins to abundant seabirds around Berlenga Island. But we were less lucky when it came to catching fish this week as we lost more lures on the way - I guess we should leave fishing to the locals.

There are few anchorages and harbours along this coastline, so we met the same yachts each night as we hopped along the coast. However we found a beautiful anchorage near Nazare surrounded by steep cliffs and overhanging rocks, probably one of the most spectacular anchorages so far.

We are now anchored off Cascais, a charming town near Lisbon, while we stock up and plan our next trip along the coast around Cabo de Sao Vicente into the Algarve and further east through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean, where we are looking forward to some warmer water for scuba diving.

To find out more about holidays on Isicia II (suitable for all experience levels) visit their website at www.sailaway.eu.com or call (+44) 07904 267 561.

	The quaint fishing port of Peniche viewed from the Atlantic.
	The craggy rocks of the Cabo de Roca.
	Festival time in Porto

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