Blog #32 Sea life we like, some not so much!
Cassini's blog
Simon and Sally, Nigel and Catherine
Thu 28 Sep 2023 13:08
| Sea life we like, and some not so much! Dolphins we see regularly; a wonderful sight, no matter how often they turn up to play in our bow wave and show off around us. Orcas (killer whales), none seen thankfully; if you’ve not seen the reports, there are a group of them along the Iberian peninsular attacking sailing boat rudders causing quite a lot of damage - no one really understands why! We continue to keep up with the reports of sightings and occasional attacks as we head south. There are good reporting sites on Facebook and a couple of others run by the Portuguese authorities and the UK Cruising association. Our emergency bag of sand (which apparently poured over the stern, disrupts their sonar as they go under the back of the boat) is still unopened. On the passage from Peniche to Cascais we spotted huge jellyfish, bigger than footballs and quite ugly (pictured in yesterday’s blog). Then at the dinghy dock yesterday, crawling on the rocks were loads of black crabs. Sadly, our initial good luck with catching fish has not yet been repeated, partly because of lack of opportunity, but we have though bought plenty of fish ashore: sardines, large prawns, sea bass, dorado, all for a fraction of the cost of UK. Despite the delicious meals we have eaten, we have all tightened our belts and will be asking for a size smaller from Father Christmas! Cascais harbour is a really busy and active place. Yachts and motorboats in and out, paddle boards, wind surfers, dinghies and yesterday a 'party boat' which collected a wedding party. It looked impressive; decorated, live band at the bow, waiters serving cool drinks, and a 'garden terrace' on the top deck. What a venue for a wedding reception! Today is maintenance morning - time to change the lubricating oil and filters, and sea water cooling impeller since we have done over 250 engine hours since we last changed these, 150 hours just since we left UK five weeks ago. After two days at anchor, the batteries have been taking a beating! Thankfully the sun is shining again so hopeful by teatime we will have restored to something near full power again. It was 'baby wipe' showers for the girls, boys used the lukewarm water after their engine jobs. Fingers crossed for the solar heated shower later. Catherine Shelling a couple of kilos of prawns for supper/ lunch, and the crab migration at low water on the dinghy dock   |
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