I spent several days in Porto waiting for the wind to change. For a few of those I was tied up in the marina, which was great for easy shore access, though in southerly winds and swell, the place gets rocked. Lots of noise, constant motion, and a symphony of squeaking from every other boat in the marina.
In between, I went for walks, one run, did some errands, and explored the city. Porto is a beautiful place: tile-covered old buildings, lots of hills, tonnes of wine, and brimming with tourists.
Once the wind started to cooperate, I set sail for Figueira da Foz, about 70 nautical miles south. A mix of sailing and motoring. It was reassuring to have two other sailboats on the same course.
When I arrived at the marina, one of them was already tied up and helped me with my lines. Three Germans sailing a boat called Lagertha introduced themselves, and it turns out we've been on roughly the same schedule since Guernsey. The other boat, Patagonia, was also German. They invited me over for dinner. We had a delicious mushroom pasta and wine in the cockpit of Lagertha, and chatted about the journey so far.
While we were eating, a Dutch sailor walked by and struck up a conversation in German with my hosts. He told us about orcas ramming and breaking his rudder last year, and the two months he spent getting his boat repaired. There have been a decent number of reported incidents with Iberian orcas targeting sailboats, specifically bashing rudders. It's a strange behaviour that's still being studied. In the last 20 days alone there have been five incidents, all near the Strait of Gibraltar where the orcas are feeding on tuna. There's plenty of advice on reducing the odds of an encounter, and I'll be sticking close to the 20-metre depth contour when I transit the highest-risk area.
Off to Peniche the next morning. I started listening to a book my friend Marc recommended (Children of Time) and it was genuinely lovely having a story unfold while spending the day trimming sails and scanning the horizon.
The marina at Peniche magically produced three spots side by side, perfectly sized for Stani, Lagertha, and Patagonia. I spent the afternoon wandering the town, then had a roasted yam and some cheese for dinner.
In the morning the wind had finally committed to blowing from the north. With 20 knots pushing me in exactly the right direction, I set sail for Lisbon. I kept close to land. Orca sightings have been recent in this stretch. Coming around the corner past Cascais the swell died down, the wind stayed strong, and I picked up speed on the flat water all the way into the city.
That night I went to my friends Fabio and Flavia's place for dinner. A comfy home, warm hosts, two cats, and a dog. A welcome change of scenery after a week of marinas. We drank wine, ate well, and caught up properly.
The next day I walked the waterfront, finished the audiobook, and explored Baixa, Lisbon's commercial district.
I'll stay here through Monday. My friend Paddy arrives Sunday and will be joining me for the next three weeks.
Bonus content: My friend Lisa was curious what the interior of the boat looks like. Here's a short video tour of the place!