Time zone UTC + 0.00
14.45 - Departure from Cascais Marina
Coordinates 38.º33’701N 009.º23’562W
Wind speed: 20 knots
Wind direction: 110 degrees from starboard
Water temp: 14.3 C
Barometer: 1024
Cloud coverage: 40%
Visibility: 80%
Sea state: small ripples
Bowthruster isn’t powering up, requested assistance from the Marinheiros to be on standby to give us a push with their dinghy in case we couldn’t get enough propulsion to make the berth exiting manoeuvre because of the "Nortada" winds (winds that blow in the Portuguese Atlantic Coast predominantly after lunch coming from North). No further issues.
15.10 - Hoisting Mainsail and Genoa
Coordinates 38.º35’701N 009.º23’562W
Heading: 180 degrees
Wind speed: 23 knots
Wind direction: 110 degrees from starboard
Waves height: 2 meters
Waves direction: 180 degrees
Water temp: 14.3 C
Barometer: 1024 atm
Cloud coverage: 40%
Visibility: 80%
Sea state: small ripples
19.00 - Wind instruments not giving any readings
Coordinates 38.º10’347N 009.º18’918W
Heading: 160 degrees
Wind speed: ? knots (around 20 knots)
Wind direction: ? degrees (around 150 degrees from starboard)
Waves height: 2 meters
Waves direction: 180 degrees
Water temp: 14.6 C
Barometer: 1025 atm
Cloud coverage: 40%
Visibility: 80%
Sea state: choppy
Will have to use the courtesy flag as reference.
Hoping its a cable that might have come loose.
19.40 - Wind speed is back on, wind direction is stuck
Coordinates 38.º06’233N 009.º17’568W
Heading: 165 degrees
Wind speed: 18 knots
? degrees (around 150 degrees from starboard)
Waves height: 2 meters
Waves direction: 180 degrees
Water temp: 14.5 C
Barometer: 1028 atm
Cloud coverage: 40%
Visibility: 80%
Sea state: choppy still but calming down
Maybe there’s something stuck on the instruments up the mast
23.30 - Wind instruments gone again
Coordinates 37.º43’382N 009.º10’773W
Heading: 170 degrees
Wind speed: ? knots (around 20 knots)
Wind direction: ? degrees (around 150 degrees from starboard)
Waves height: 2 meters
Waves direction: 180 degrees
Water temp: 15 C
Barometer: 1030 atm
Cloud coverage: 60%
Visibility: 80%
Sea state: choppy
Wind instruments are definitely gone.
06.00 - Approaching Cape Sagres
Coordinates 37.º04’527N 009.º05’006W
Heading: 170 degrees
Wind speed: ? knots (around 15 knots)
Wind direction: ? degrees (around 150-160 degrees from starboard)
Waves height: 1 meter
Waves direction: 180 degrees
Water temp: 15 C
Barometer: 1028 atm
Cloud coverage: 70%
Visibility: 80%
Sea state: ripples
This time rounding the capes will be easy and boring. Not much wind or waves to make our heart race.
07.30 - Wing on wing
Coordinates 36.º58’123N 008.º58’918W
Heading: 070 degrees
Wind speed: ? knots (around 15 knots)
Wind direction: 170 degrees starboard 170 degrees port
Waves height: 1 meter
Waves direction:
Water temp: 14.8 C
Barometer: 1025 atm
Cloud coverage: 90%
Visibility: 80%
Sea state: calm
First time ever sailing wing on wing!
Mainsail to port (with a preventer) and Genoa to starboard.
08.30 - Porpoise!
Coordinates 36.º58’947N 008.º51’355W
Heading: 070 degrees
Wind speed: ? knots (around 15 knots)
Wind direction: 170 degrees starboard 170 degrees port
Waves height: 1 meter
Waves direction:
Water temp: 14.8 C
Barometer: 1025 atm
Cloud coverage: 90%
Visibility: 80%
Sea state: calm
Just saw a porpoise breaching while I was talking with my mom over the phone letting her know we were already in Algarve.
11.30 - Genoa and 1st Reef sheets come undone.
Coordinates 36.º59’295N 008.º26’837W
Heading: 070 degrees
Wind speed: ? knots (around 25 knots)
Wind direction: 170 degrees starboard 170 degrees port
Waves height: 2 meter
Waves direction:
Water temp: 14.8 C
Barometer: 1025 atm
Cloud coverage: 100%
Visibility: 80%
Sea state: choppy
So much for having “so-called professionals” installing the sails!
Both bowline knots came undone pretty much 2 minutes apart from each other.
First, we see a sheet fall from the mainsail, went to check and learnt that the entire reef 1 assembly had come undone, luckily we were not reefed! On that moment the port Genoa sheet knot comes undone and shit hits the fan.
We managed to quickly furl the sail and start dropping the mainsail, by then we’ve lost speed and steerage so had to start the engine to turn the boat into the wind.
A hard 5 minutes trying to bring the sail down.
After that and since we’re within 2 hours of the marina we decided to just motor while catching a breath.
15.00 - Arrival to Vilamoura
Coordinates 37.º04’661N 008.º07’207W
Coming to the conclusion that the Vilamoura seas are committed to challengers and teach us some lessons.
Bowthruster still doesn’t turn on (well we didn’t do anything to it after leaving Cascais Marina) once again they put us in a tight spot. Nice to hear over the radio the reception lady telling the Marinheiros that now that she’s looking at the yacht moving the spot might be small for it. They replied that yes, they noticed but now we’re docked.
Total hours of the trip: 24h
Total hours sailing: 22h
Total hours motoring: 2h
Average speed: 7 knots
Maximum speed: 10 knots
Distance: 151nm
***In the spirit of sharing our dreams and experiences we have shared this blog post in the NOFOREIGNLAND.COM website sailors community.