In awe of the Algarve.. | INCREDIBLE SCENERY | Ep. 41

Porto, beginning of October? Daria, Jasper and the doggies have been holding the fort for a couple weeks? Chris arrives back from some time working offshore in the North Sea, and the stars align with a great weather window to begin the long slog south along the Atlantic coast of Portugal. In a series of day hops inside the 20m contour to dodge the Orcas, the intrepid crew of Ragdoll make their way south port to port in company with a few other buddy boats - Slioch, Empress, Thees Boot, Andromeda I and Kahu (who were going to Madeira!) Leaving Porto, we dropped into Aveiro for the night - as it was springs - the flow up the river had us doing 9.5kts in IDLE? sheesh! Leaving Aveiro the next day, we were expelled into the Atlantic at 9.5kts GOING THE OTHER WAY with the tide? needless to say, we had some lumpy overfalls to negotiate as we re-entered the ocean. Aveiro to Figuera da Foz was uneventful, with an easy entry, and a very well priced marina. Figuera da Foz was left behind for Nazare? we marvelled at the depth gauge as it plummeted crossing the Nazare Canyon? Its a literal underwater cliff dropping from 15 - 20m to hundreds of metres in a matter of seconds! Nazare gave way to Peniche, with a spicy wee sail as we rounded Cabo Carvoeiro, Empress working hard to keep up as Ragdoll leaned into the flat water and neat acceleration zone under the cape, launching herself up to 8kts at times! Peniche to Cascais was a long slog. As we rounded Cabo Raso, we were gliding through wall to wall Barrel Jelly Fish. We met up with the Gang and had some playtime with all the kid boats and the doggies on the beach. A few days in Cascais at anchor was a welcome break to all the recent engine bashing? Looking at the forthcoming weather, the opportunity was taken to punch on and put some miles under the keel - We went Cascais to Sesimbra, with a great stop at Praia do Ribeiro where we surfed our dinghy and dogs ashore to the coolest beach we have seen so far in our travels. Sesimbra to Sines was done in thick fog with less than 100m visibility all day. Chris spent a lot of time behind the radar picking out little fishing boats and pot markers before they became an issue. It's amazing what can be achieved with a modern broadband radar on a small yacht - what they lack in big range they more than make up for in close quarters avoidance scenarios. Sines to Lagos was the final slog of this stretch - even leaving Sines at 0600h wasn't enough to get us in to Lagos in daylight, arriving after 2100h in the dark, at low tide with a 1.5m following sea? getting through the entrance at Lagos (which iOS only 250ft wide!) was about the limit of sketchiness we are comfortable with! And so we are in Lagos now awaiting the weather and the return to some semblance of atmospheric normality before the next big squeeze! Enjoy our content? Don't be a stranger! Subscribe, hit that like button & don't forget to hit that bell while you're at it - you'll get notified of new uploads. We are super grateful to each and every one of you & love to hear from you! Who are we? We are a family of three with three dogs - Chris, Daria & Jasper. We have two Golden Retrievers and a Bernese Mountain Dog - Hachi, Luna and Meems who sail with us. Sailing with dogs has its challenges, but we would not have it any other way. We have been sailing the coasts of Scotland for the last few years, enjoying each and every Scottish island, nook and cranny. In spring of 2023 we have moved aboard Ragdoll and left Scotland for the warmer climates of the Mediterranean. There is no set route or plan. We will go where the wind and life take us. We sail on a 1995 Gib'Sea 472 which has undergone a huge refit over the last couple of years. We made her our own and now? we're off on an adventure! Connect with us! Instagram: http://instagram.com/sailingragdoll Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sailingragdoll Website: http://www.sailingragdoll.com Email: sailingragdoll@gmail.com Music credits: https://www.epidemicsound.com/referra... #sailingragdoll #gibsea472 #gibsea #sailingfamily #sailingmediterranean #dogswhosail #sailingwithdogs #liveaboard #sailboatlife #sailboatliveaboards #goldenretriever #bernesemountaindog #polish #scottish #familieswhotravel #vlogger