Leaving Porto we stay close to the coast. Its unusual for us as we prefer relax a bit further off the coast where the wind is often more consistent, there is less fishing gear to avoid and less hard bits to hit. But along this coast the local orcas have a habit of breaking yacht rudders and staying in shallow water has been shown to reduce the risk of meeting them.

It looks a long way but we were usually only a mile or two from the beach

First stop Aveiro. We heard the Port Authority on the VHF radio chastise the yacht at in front for not calling the port before entry, and quickly announced ourselves on the radio. The current runs hot along the channel and we guess they want to be extra careful with commercial shipping entering the ports narrow channel. Most other ports ignore us if we call.

Aveiro has a canal system for moving tourists around the town in cute gondolas with large four stroke outboards.
Washing window is usually hung out the window
Tiles. All tiles and more tiles. There are also flamingos here, but we just saw pigeons.
We had to try the local deserts
Lots of sugary eggy goodness

We had a good sail down the coast to Figueira da Foz, but the wind finally died to 7 knots as we approached the last headland. WE motored as it was only 30 minutes to the port entrance. Suddenly we had 17 knots again and up went the staysail. But it was 25 knots by the time the sail was set, and then 30 knots and time for another reef in the main and then 35 knots and our 30 minute trip was down to 10 minutes as we sped across the bay. We saw 40 knots before the wind dropped away to 2 knots at the harbour entrance. An educational way to finish the day.

The winds increasing. Should be a great sail across the bay..
15 seconds later it was looking a little busier. We didn’t manage to take any more photos after this one.
Figueira was a popular beach resort with several beaches to choose from. We stocked up at the local market and headed south.

Of the top 11 biggest waves ever surfed (all greater than 70 feet), 8 were surfed at Nazare. Maybe Away could catch a wave at the point and break our speed record.

Our chart gave a clue as what made the huge waves. There is a huge canyon system just off the coast that funnels Atlantic swells onto Nazare.
Alas all was flat at the take-off point today
Everyone had gone to the beach instead

We decided to take the funicular up the hill to the Big Wave museum on a warm sunny day.

Riding the funicular, Bernie got his own special dog place,
But he complained that he should have a full person chair on the way back down, so Fi explained the options to him…
The view back along to the beach to the north. When we sailed along the coast we could see people on their surf safaris parking their modern day combi vans at all the best breaks.
A few streets back from the main beach we came across a cafe making simple fresh food.
The local cat community saw Bernie coming and kept a low profile

Our prevailing northerly wind was not forecast to return for a week so we decided to visit Lisbon by road and managed to hire a car for the trip.

First stop the picturesque hill top town Obidos
Coach loads of tourists, but also quiet lanes away from the main streets
Dog sign in post
Rooftop views
We took the opportunity for a posh meal in Lisbon…suitably shiny
Bernie spotted a yellow funicular and wondered if he could have a real person seat?
Lisbon had a different feel to Porto. A little more formal perhaps.
People were queuing to go into this strange looking building so we took a picture of it.
When it got too hot to sight see, we found the hotel gave us access to next doors pool…
As the temperature fell, we watched the sunset over Lisbon with a glass of wine and a belligerent spaniel who just wanted to go home
On the trip back to Nazare, Fi navigated us through smaller and smaller villages until we came upon a winery on a hill
Our happy place

Next time we return to Nazare and discover if the wind has returned…