Paddy arrived on Sunday around noon. After he got settled on the boat and splashed his face with some water, we walked into town and found a relaxed restaurant tucked into a cute alleyway. We had a late lunch, explored the area, and even found matching shirts.
The next morning, Paddy did a grocery run while I installed some tank monitoring equipment he'd brought from Victoria. I've been slowly teching out the boat with ways to remotely monitor various systems. The water and fuel tanks were next on the list.
We set off around noon and fought a strong 3–4 knot current flooding into Lisbon. It took about two hours of motoring to get clear of it. Once we did, we put out the sails and picked up speed in 17–20 knots of breeze. Paddy put together a beautiful cheese board along the way.
We sailed right through until nightfall and anchored in the dark in a sheltered spot in the town of Sines.
After morning coffee, we continued south toward Lagos. The plan was to anchor just before town in a nice cove and enjoy some nature. It was an easy day of sailing in moderate winds. The overcast morning gave way to warm sun and calm seas.
Just as we were approaching our cove, the winds picked up and started gusting to around 30 knots. We must have been at exactly the wrong angle during one of the gusts, because chaos ensued.
Both solar panels ripped off the bimini, showering the cockpit with magnets and the steel backing plates that Damian had cut back in Guernsey. Paddy was at the helm, so I hurriedly told him to bear away downwind. It would reduce the wind load and give us a chance to grab the panels. I got hold of them and held on. Once we were running downwind, we were able to pull them both into the boat.
We escaped relatively unscathed. Both panels survived with only minor damage. Paddy took a bruise on the arm from a flying backing plate, and the glass on the chartplotter cracked.
We found a cove to anchor in, with a strong offshore breeze, and decompressed.
The next morning we woke up to the sound of breaking waves and surfers out for a morning session. We motored a few hours into Lagos. I reached out to a local sailmaker to see if they could properly reinstall the panels on the bimini.
We anchored just off the beach and relaxed while we figured out the day.
The dinghy I picked up in IJmuiden has been hanging off the stern completely unused, as I'm still waiting to pick up an electric engine for it. With a bit of wind making paddling the dinghy to shore questionable, we doubled up on the standup paddleboard. It definitely wasn't designed for two people, but we made it to shore without getting too wet.
The plan was to stash the board under the boardwalk, walk to the sailmakers, drop off the bimini, and explore Lagos. The sailmakers complicated this by wanting to take their measurements with the bimini still on the boat. They arranged to come out the next morning at 10am instead.
Paddy had visited Lagos several years back and knew his way around. He took us to some of his favourite spots. After exploring town and securing a marina slip, we paddled back, pulled up the anchor, and moved into the dock.
The sailmakers were on the boat at 10am sharp, took their measurements, and left with the bimini and panels. Paddy worked through the morning while I chipped away at boat jobs. We walked into town, had lunch, visited the beach, jumped in the water, and had a genuinely lovely day.
The bimini and solar panels were back on the boat by 3:30pm the next day. Pretty good turnaround for a last-minute project.
Also, the replacement motor control unit for the Code Zero — which had failed back in the UK — arrived at Fabio and Flavia's place in Lisbon, and Fabio immediately arranged to have it overnighted to the marina in Lagos. It showed up a few hours before the bimini. Solar panels and motor control unit sorted in a single afternoon. Glorious.
We departed Lagos that afternoon, aiming for a cove just before Albufeira. The swell had built since the last time we were out and anchoring looked miserable, so we motored further into the night to reach the shelter of the marina in town. Tied up at the reception dock at 9:30pm, had some soup, and went to bed.
The marina turned a 0/5 night into a 2/5, which is a meaningful improvement.
After a poor sleep, we set off early for Spain. The swell was still big and the wind was on the bow. We stayed close to shore to avoid the orcas and dodged large tuna nets strung along the coast.
We crossed into Spain in the late afternoon and dropped anchor near a town called Ayamonte. People were relaxing on their boats, playing on the beach, and enjoying their Saturday. Paddy and I relaxed, cooked a tasty dinner (deep fried cauliflower and dal), and watched the sunset. It's amazing how much a good anchorage can change the evening. 5/5 night.
The next update should have us in Gibraltar, and past the orcas.