Still in Lagos.. We’re still here, been quite busy and have been very fortunate to visit out into the countryside on the last two weekends, but before we tell you about that we must mention the oranges… I don’t know how we forgot but on the last post about Albufeira and leaving there, we totally forgot to mention about a couple of visitors that used to pop round to see us a couple of times a week. It started with Trevor arriving back down the boat and speaking with Liz who had come round to the pontoon that we were on to check out the Scottish flag and then being joined by her husband Sandy and Maurice (Sandy‘s long time pal). Sandy & Liz have a catamaran in Albufeira and were just down to check it out – anyway during the chatting it turned out that they had been in Dunoon for part of their time in Scotland and also involved with the Mountain Rescue and also know people from Aberfoyle. Anyway, Sandy and Maurice used to call in for a coffee and a chat most of the times that they called at the marina and brought some paper-back books and bags of oranges from their grove that they live in a couple of times and also just before we left – so that we have (almost) enough oranges to last us back to Scotland. Should keep the scurvy away….!
Right then – Lagos, we’re still pottering about, Carolyn has been varnishing the woodwork outside the boat and keeping up with the daily shopping. Bob & Di (Sheer Fantasy) are now back in the water and just along the pontoon from us. We’ve met up with a couple of boats that are going east and have been round to pass on the info that we gathered on the places that we visited. Had a delicious meal on Suerte (David & Sue) that David had prepared, we now have the recipe for Persian Spiced Chicken with Jewelled Rice – very tasty.
John and Rita had been down to the boat towards the end of last month (we didn’t manage to meet up when we came through in 2007) and we went to stay at their place for the weekend. They took us on a tour round the area near the small village where they live – it is wonderful. We had a fantastic weekend and also met up with Anne & Nick, who also lived near Aberfoyle and are now based near Silves. Last weekend we were there at their beautiful place – up a hill in the countryside and very near to the old town of Silves. It was wonderful to visit the historic town and to be in the countryside at both places, very picturesque - amongst hills – very like Scotland in some ways but with more blue skies and less frost…. Of course all this opinion is based on an abundance of spring flowers and the greenness at this time of year. If anyone was thinking of coming out to Portugal – and not be on a ‘Package Holiday’ they could consider checking out http://www.photographportugal.com or arrange their own accommodation through http://www.algarve-rentals.com either would give a good alternative.
How much longer we will be here is still a bit of a guessing game – the weather is still from the north and looks that way for a while. We’ll let you know when we’re on the move again and put up some photo’s in a week or so.
1st April 2009 – a few photos
A few photos starting with 2 from Vila Real when Papa Natal switched on the Christmas lights in the town square, next we have one of the weather when we arrived back in Scotland (the drive up to Inversnaid looking towards the Arrochar hills), the Inversnaid school Christmas Dinner, 2 of the weather we left behind in January. Then the weather back in Vila Real, Katie’s birthday, 4 of the Carnaval at Quarteira (near Vilamoura); strong winds at Albufeira, Stacy and baby Alicia, the gypsy site near the marina at Albufeira, BB and friends at Albufeira. Then Grace taking a picture of Carolyn taking a picture of Grace…. , a visit from Darren & Vicki, 2 of strong winds at Lagos, one from when Carolyn went on a walk with a group of people from the marina at Lagos. The last one is of the birthday boy (Richard).
27th March 2009. Lagos.
We were in Albufeira since Wednesday 25th Feb, the weather was not very good and there had been quite few days of rain but now things look like they are improving. Original plan was to stay there a week and then move on to Portimao but the wind had moved round to the west by the Wednesday so we paid up to Sunday the 8th of March and ended up staying another week after that before we headed to Lagos. It’s OK in Albufeira – but a bit of a hike to the shops. But when we were there we did see Stacy & baby Alicia and Lee, and Amie; they were all fine but it had been a quiet winter for them – the last summer season had slowed down early and this year’s season is slow in starting.
Now that the days are a bit brighter and warmer we feel a bit more inclined to get a couple more jobs done – polishing the topsides and making a permanent bracket for the ‘Tiller-Pilot’ to operate the wind steering rudder.
The mosquitoes are not as much of a nuisance in Albufeira as they were in Vila Real – but that will be because there are not the same ‘wetlands’ or salt-marshes nearby. So we’re not getting much chance to use the electric tennis racket that we brought back from UK – we have tried it out and it does the job. Just really stuns them – then you have to finish them off and feed them to the fish…. Very eco friendly – no nasty sprays and all that ozone destruction. Here in Lagos there are virtually no mozzies – yet!
We moved to Lagos on Sunday 15th and life just now is generally quiet; just getting on with the day-to-day business of shopping, cooking, washing, etc, interspersed with some walking, socialising and a few more jobs. Quite a few Scottish boats here ‘Reeve’ (with Tony & Joyce) heading back to Ardfern and ‘Little Else’ (with Liz & Ju) from Ardfern and here for a few months, there are others but I can’t remember them all just now. There is the usual high percentage of ‘over-wintering’ boats in the remainder of the marina population who are preparing to start there travels again and head off in which ever direction of the compass takes their fancy… The tourist season hasn’t really started yet ( I don’t think) because some places still appear to be quiet and the touts for the tour boats and trips are not really active.
We are still planning to look for a weather window near or after the middle of next month and move up to either Sines or (more probably) Cascais.
Now that the days are a bit brighter and warmer we feel a bit more inclined to get a couple more jobs done – polishing the topsides and making a permanent bracket for the ‘Tiller-Pilot’ to operate the wind steering rudder.
The mosquitoes are not as much of a nuisance in Albufeira as they were in Vila Real – but that will be because there are not the same ‘wetlands’ or salt-marshes nearby. So we’re not getting much chance to use the electric tennis racket that we brought back from UK – we have tried it out and it does the job. Just really stuns them – then you have to finish them off and feed them to the fish…. Very eco friendly – no nasty sprays and all that ozone destruction. Here in Lagos there are virtually no mozzies – yet!
We moved to Lagos on Sunday 15th and life just now is generally quiet; just getting on with the day-to-day business of shopping, cooking, washing, etc, interspersed with some walking, socialising and a few more jobs. Quite a few Scottish boats here ‘Reeve’ (with Tony & Joyce) heading back to Ardfern and ‘Little Else’ (with Liz & Ju) from Ardfern and here for a few months, there are others but I can’t remember them all just now. There is the usual high percentage of ‘over-wintering’ boats in the remainder of the marina population who are preparing to start there travels again and head off in which ever direction of the compass takes their fancy… The tourist season hasn’t really started yet ( I don’t think) because some places still appear to be quiet and the touts for the tour boats and trips are not really active.
We are still planning to look for a weather window near or after the middle of next month and move up to either Sines or (more probably) Cascais.
24th Feb 2009 - Long-awaited Update
22nd Feb 2009
OK – here we go again – first sail of the year and a start at heading back home. After being in VRSA since mid November last year it’s time to be moving; we had spent Christmas and New Year back home in Scotland and were back in Portugal on the 21st Jan and stayed with Fran & Richard in Castro Marim (5km up the road) for the first 3 weeks back. So we didn’t have to get straight back into ‘boat mode’; which was great. After moving back onto the boat we did a few jobs and had to change back to the ways that suit doing the various day-to-day things that are specific to living on the boat.
We left VRSA at 7:15am and arrived in Vilamoura at 3:30ish so that wasn’t bad – I was surprised that the paddle-wheel log (tells the speed through the water) actually worked – it normally gets a growth of weed or barnacles and stops working if the boat has been stationary for a couple of weeks or more. But we did have a moment of concern when the engine overheated – when I checked it out we found that the saltwater was leaking into the freshwater side of the engine cooling at the ‘Bowman’ heat-exchanger. The result was overheating and also the filler-cap (same as on the car radiator) was venting all the extra water into the bilge. “Pump ‘til you lose suction, Ballast Pump!!...” The good news was that it wasn’t a burst pipe in the heat-exchanger – just the ‘Jubilee’ clips on the end connectors - 45 minutes and the engine was back in action.
23rd – walked to Quarteira, about 3km away and will do the same tomorrow to see the Carnaval parade.
Internet and WiFi are not easy to get here either so we have to go to ‘O’Neils’ and suffer the beer / wine and comfy seats while we check the weather forecasts and e-mail.
All being well we will move to Albufeira on Wednesday but it’s only about 7 miles.
OK – here we go again – first sail of the year and a start at heading back home. After being in VRSA since mid November last year it’s time to be moving; we had spent Christmas and New Year back home in Scotland and were back in Portugal on the 21st Jan and stayed with Fran & Richard in Castro Marim (5km up the road) for the first 3 weeks back. So we didn’t have to get straight back into ‘boat mode’; which was great. After moving back onto the boat we did a few jobs and had to change back to the ways that suit doing the various day-to-day things that are specific to living on the boat.
We left VRSA at 7:15am and arrived in Vilamoura at 3:30ish so that wasn’t bad – I was surprised that the paddle-wheel log (tells the speed through the water) actually worked – it normally gets a growth of weed or barnacles and stops working if the boat has been stationary for a couple of weeks or more. But we did have a moment of concern when the engine overheated – when I checked it out we found that the saltwater was leaking into the freshwater side of the engine cooling at the ‘Bowman’ heat-exchanger. The result was overheating and also the filler-cap (same as on the car radiator) was venting all the extra water into the bilge. “Pump ‘til you lose suction, Ballast Pump!!...” The good news was that it wasn’t a burst pipe in the heat-exchanger – just the ‘Jubilee’ clips on the end connectors - 45 minutes and the engine was back in action.
23rd – walked to Quarteira, about 3km away and will do the same tomorrow to see the Carnaval parade.
Internet and WiFi are not easy to get here either so we have to go to ‘O’Neils’ and suffer the beer / wine and comfy seats while we check the weather forecasts and e-mail.
All being well we will move to Albufeira on Wednesday but it’s only about 7 miles.
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