Nomad 2023

This is my preferred marina. Almost walking distance from the airport,  easy connections into the city and plenty of shops and things nearby. So I've paid for a month.

I'm trying out different marina's, trying to decide which one to leave Nomad in for the next six weeks. I have three flights to take from Lisbon airport.. Praca do Comercio. It's raining today.

Huge monument. Padrao does Descobrimentos. Castle in the sea. Torre de Belem.

I've never seen a jellyfish like this one before. The river is full of them.

I'm anchored outside Cascais marina.The forecast wind never arrived and I had to motor all the way from Peniche. Cabo de Roca lighthouse on top of a very impressive cliff. Lighthouse at the mouth of the river Tagus. A Legoland lighthouse at Cascais.

The island of Berlenga. Photo taken from Peniche lighthouse. Apparently there is a beautiful anchorage on this island, I wish I had time to explore. Peniche is also a very nice place and I would like to stay longer (not least because the monthly rate works out at 5 euros per night and that includes electricity). But I have early morning flights to get from Lisbon and the bus service from here doesn't leave early enough. I have to leave tomorrow, it's the only favourable day on the forecast.

Peniche lighthouse and a weird ink blot of a rock. Here they are from another angle. First impressions of Peniche are good. The first shop on the first street is a bar. 

Perfect sailing conditions for the next few days. I going to see how far I can get towards Lisbon.

I have just carried my gas bottle off to exchange for a full one. It cost 13.60 euros, that's a little more than a tenner. I don't want to go on about it but will anyway. Before I left the UK, I paid fifty quid for a refill. Something is completely bent in the UK camping Gaz supply chain. It's a nice day, I'm going to do the tourist bit in old Porto.

Boa Nova lighthouse. 46 metres. The second highest in Portugal. Nearly 3 metre swell. I expected all ports to be closed to small boats but only a couple are. I could have sailed and it's a great day for it. I think I need better information.

All of these Atlantic ports close whenever there is any swell which there nearly always is so it looks like I'll be here until Thursday. But the forecast is good and there are worse places to be than Porto.

Nomad in splendid isolation. For just one night they let me stay on a closed down part of th marina.

There's me, two Dutch boats, two German boats and a Norwegian all waiting to go south. I'm the little one in the middle and the last to arrive. Some of these boats have been here for weeks, waiting, Everyone is hopeful that the next few days will bring a change and we can move on.

L It must have been quite a wave to put this up on the road. I remember when I was last here it was cold and I couldn't find anywhere to get a drink. It's a nice place but strangely devoid of proper bars and people drinking, a bit like what I imagine Italy to be, all ice cream and coffee. Looking at the forecast it looks like I'll be here another five days.

This is just a picture of some hills that I took on the way. Arrived in Viana de Castello and realised that I've been here before, 30 years ago.

Bayona. Valhalla for yachtsmen crossing the Biscay. I passed this on the way, I think it's a tuna. Worth a few bob. I wonder what killed it?

It's still very rainy but the wind has dropped to almost nothing so I was going to head for Bayona today. However, this chart shows the sea state and I'm glad that I checked it, although I'm not sure exactly what it means, I think red is bad. I'll wait another day.