After a night in the anchorage we headed west 5 miles to Alvor and this time we headed up the inlet on the tide hoping that we would be able to find a spot to anchor. 

We were delighted when we arrived to find a nice spot and soon settled. We were treated to a gorgeous last sunset of 2021.

     

We then headed to Falkor to see the New Year in with Lucy, Simon, Sarah, Steve and Darcy the dog! We weren’t expecting to really stay up till midnight but we did, we were all treated to a lovely firework display by the town, we could also see the fireworks in Portimao and Lagos as well quite a few flares which were let off in the estuary. All in all another excellent evening on Falkor thank you Lucy and Simon 😘.

The weather was pretty good and we spent a couple more days in Alvor during which time I went for a kayak up to the dam / weir a mile up river with Lucy, Simon and Lucy’s dad Steve, they were all on paddle boards so it was a nice gentle kayak for me, apparently there are sometimes flamingoes there but of course not the day we went! We explored the boardwalks along the sand dunes and on the 2nd it was Lucy’s Birthday, after a foggy / sea misty start we all went for a coffee another walk along the sand spit which runs from the town to the entrance. 

Innamorata in the distance at low water from board walk and at high water.

     

Some of Alvors many sculptures

  

We have been watching the weather as we are heading to Gibraltar soon and it looks like we need to head off in a couple of days or wait while the wind blows out of the Med for a week or longer, so we decided to head to Portimao for a shop and laundry. Our last night in Alvor produced one of the reddest sunsets we have ever seen.

It was spring tides and we knew that the anchorage wasn’t very wide so weren’t really surprised when on the final morning with northerly winds we were sitting on the bottom, not a problem at all for us but it seemed to annoy the locals who all went past at full throttle a few metres from the boat! Falkor also was on the bottom but pulled themselves off and re-anchored, while the catamaran in front of us took in a boat length of chain which allowed them to turn with the tide - it was quite funny to see everyone else turn round and us sit the wrong way for about and hour! 

 

Anyway come 1pm we were heading out of the channel and off to Portimao.