Last call in Portugal in  Faro lagoon, at anchor in Culatra island. Here you can already smell Africa! It’s hot, an atmosphere of end of world on a sand island, storks, no cars. There is many people, the fishermen live here, many other come to the beach, for holydays or a week end with the ferry, just coming out of an african river. Kids, small mamies, dogs and cats, it’s joyfull and quiet, bars are full and beer flows….

Soon Maroco, first Mohamedia, it’s seems to be moving there, the wind is coming…

We are in Nazaré, Portugal, after visiting Porto, we liked very much , then Aveiro, we liked  too . Here it’s Portugal in the old days, not many tourists, nice people, a large beach where the fish is driyng, an old town and small streets, old portuges weman in traditional suits. to morrow we will sail to Berlingas islands, then Cascais, close to Lisbon. It’s hot, still good winds.

Skøiern and crew are well.

We are at anchor in the ria of Cedeira, in the NW of Spain, a litle East from Corugna. We are waiting for the wind to ease before going on further South. The anchorage is well protected, the small town of  Cedeira very pleasant and we don’t lack of anything. Then we will anchor in some other places in Spain before reching in Portugal. We wish to stop first in Leixoes, to visit Porto… then Aveiro, Lisboa and Faro at the end. Then Maroco, at the end of June. The crossing of Biscay bay was not so bad, not much wind, except on arrival with  40 knots at finish. Skøiern sailed well, more than half sailing. Many dolphins, flocks of ten ( Dick love  them and would want to play with them but Zoé is afraid).  The fishing :  a jack.

In fact our great sailings started realy in 2006 ( But we went already to Brest, Douarnenez and Ouessant, passing trough Azores, for the Maritime feasts of Brest 2000), when we left the Med for the Atlantic : Majorca, Ibiza, Carthagena, Gibraltar, Porto Santo, Madeira,  Azores, Santa Maria and Sao Miguel, then  Douarnenez for the winter. Manon (our gran daughter) sail with us for most of this journey.

2007 : Back to Azores, Sao Miguel, Terceira, Faïal, Flores, Corvo, Sao Jorge, return to  Douarnenez with wintering in the Port Rhu. Manon is with us, except for the oceanic crossings.

2008 : Heading to Norway. The channel, North sea, arrival in Bergen, then all along the west coast. Then  Tromsø, start for Spiztbergen, but back after 2 days, the wind in the nose, too hard for Manon and we are short of time. Manon stays with us until Bergen, we visit Grimstad  then wintering in Douarnenez.

2009 : We go to Calais to  enter the pets in Dover, then the South coast of England, pilgrimage to Cowes, where Skøiern left some tracks by Beken, then Irland by the West coast, Aran islands of course, Scottland and Islay, Caledonian canal, Oarkneys, Shettlands, Norway through Ålesund, wintering in Svolvaer, Lofoten.

2010 : Back again to Spitzbergen, but we are told in Tromsø that cats are not allowed. Disgusted we head South, back to Grimstad, then Sueden to see our friend  Pele in Gotteborg,  Danmark through Limfjord, Esbjerg again, arrival in Paimpol for the winter.

2011 : Start from Paimpol, Douarnenez to visit our friends, Groix for the 4 kids holidays, then ,  Belle ile, Houat,Yeu island and so on…