Not just a holiday, you know!

Caramor - sailing around the world
Franco Ferrero / Kath Mcnulty
Wed 13 Aug 2014 15:23
Today I watered the batteries, serviced the toilet and lumbered 25kg of groceries across town, down the beach and out to Caramor.

A toilet service involves dismantling the pump system, scraping out the 'scale', disinfecting everything, changing the seals, putting it all back together and cleaning up - several hours of hard labour (ok ok, I don't know the meaning of the word). I actually quite enjoy it (in a 'pig in mud' sort of way).

I also went to buy a few bits and pieces for Caramor - the pilot says there are three chandleries at the marina - only to find that they have all gone bust (replaced by hairdressers!), though a yacht dealer stocks a limited range and sold me a toilet service kit for Euro 75 (available in the UK for £26) - so we ate gruel for dinner.

Franco worked all day on the second edition of Scottish Rock.

Yesterday we went to Lisboa by train. Thank you to all those of you who sent us information about Lisboa, some of you must know the city quite well. We visited the Alfama and Baixa areas and walked along the river.

Broad avenues in the modern part of Lisboa.


The narrow streets of the Alfama district. The only part of the city that survived the Lisbon earthquake in the 19th century.


The shady (in the nice sense of the word) restaurant where we had lunch.


The rooftops of Lisboa and the River Tejo  in the distance.

When we got back to Caramor I rang my friend Enda while Franco went for a swim. I heard a splash and a squeak, ten minutes later I stuck my head over the side to check where he had got to ... not a scooby! so I carried on talking. He eventually resurfaced, he'd swam to the shore and back! very impressive.

The wind has got up and Jennifer (the wind turbine) is earning her keep. Time to go sailing!

Kath