Lady Drake Diary - 18-06-2006 to 22-06-2006

Lady Drake
Peter Drake
Mon 3 Jul 2006 02:37
Title: 18-06-2006

18-06-2006

 

We went for a stroll in Figueira da Foz and bought some supplies.  The fish market was great, although the fish stands had been cleared there were plenty of other stands with fruit and meats. 

 

The Market Place:

 

The rally boats in Figueira da Foz:

 

19-06-2006

 

We sailed the next leg from Figueira da Foz to Peniche,  a total distance of 50 miles.  We finished third in our class the same position as in the previous leg.

 

One of the Rally Boats ‘Waylander’:

 

 

 

20-06-2006

 

The rally boats in Peniche:

 

There was a trip to the local fort organised by the World Cruising Club, this was a truly great experience.  Inside the fort there was a number of exhibitions including a collection of shells,  cells used for political prisoners until 1974 and also fishing relics.

 

The fort entrance:

 

An arch by the fort,  it looks a good spot to land with the dinghy:

 

The Chapel inside the fort:

 

A water tank dating back to the 16th century and under the courtyard,  the water was really clear:

 

A view of the harbour from the Fort:

 

Peniche was a quaint little village with a number of restaurants and shops.  We went for a wander around town during the daytime and then for a meal in the evening with the skipper of Mary Lou ‘Alex’ and a member of his crew.

 

Small Fishing Boats in Peniche:

 

Me in Peniche – Notice the short hair cut now the weather is getting warmer:

 

21-06-2006

 

We sailed on another 50 miles to Cascais, this is a port very close to Lisbon.   Cascais itself has great sandy beaches and I recall sitting in a restaurant by the beach one time when on a business trip Portugal and hoping that I would one day sail into this harbour.

 

Fishing boats just outside the marina in Cascais:

 

The Waterfront to Cascais taken on our approach to the Marina:

 

Some of the rally boats during the leg to Cascais:

 

Kittiwake:

 

Mary Lou:

 

Vita:

 

We finished first in our class on this leg and attained the highest recorded speed for Lady Drake ever.  We reached 14 knots on the log (13.5 knots over ground) when strong Kabatic winds hit us just of Cabo de Roco.  The winds were gusting above 40 knots, some of the other boats reported winds speeds of 50 knots.  We were downwind with full main and Genoa sail and accelerated like a wind surf board.

 

Some Pictures of Surfing Lady Drake taken by Emma on Kittiwake:

 

 

 

22-06-2006

 

This was a free day from organised rally events so we started off by exploring some of Cascais on foot.  There was a park just outside the marina,  this was really impressive as it had some wonderful wildlife and buildings.

 

Some photo’s of the park:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then went to the beach and some seafood in one of the beachside restaurants.  It was a wonderful spot by the sea, but unfortunately no photo’s to show.

 

After a late lunch we took the train along the coast to Lisbon, we had a wonderful meal at a restaurant called Alfaia in the Bairro Alto with great seafood and wine.

 

Lisbon Castle: