Cascais

So we left A Coruna bound for Las Palmas in one hit, we thought the trip would take 6 or 7 days so in theory I should be writing this whilst packing up the boat for the return flight home. However our plans have changed slightly due to the weather.

The first thirty six hours out were glorious with a slight upwind start and a dying breeze we soon picked up the long awaited north westerly to send us on our way down the Portugal coast. The second night out we entered a bank of sea fog which lasted all night, we thoroughly tested the AIS system with a few close passings. The following morning was distinctly autumnal with grey skies and a building wind and sea. The lunch time forecast showed a period of strong winds in excess of 30 knots despite this being behind us we thought it would be better to head in and wait for it to pass. So we hardened up onto a beam reach and picked up the pace to 7 or 8 knots heading for the coast. We arrived at Cascais in the early morning enjoying coffee and crossaint before entering the harbour.

After showers, laundry a boat tidy and well earned lunch with a beer followed by an afternoon snooze we consulted the weather. The charts still had big winds on the menu and with time window for returning to normal lives for the time being closing we decided that we needed to let the weather pass but be on our way by the Friday.

So with a couple of days in Cascais on hand we set about a few jobs and some exploration of the town.

Friday will see us embark on the last leg of the trip to the Canaries all being well a Thursday arrival is our eta at present.