Half way up Portugal

Panulirus
CR and KN Williams
Wed 5 Sep 2018 17:38

40.09N 8.52W

Figueira da Foz, Tuesday, 4th September, 2018

We motored all the way north against 10kts wind and arrived where we picked up Tom England and Guy Hoare prior to the ARC 2006. We’d been camping here back in 1979.

Notwithstanding the nostalgia, Nazare is very nice, but has of course expanded a lot in the last 39 years. The marina is a fair way out of town with no bus but even I thought a taxi would be a bit lazy. It only has a few visitor berths of which we took the last, much to the chagrin of a Frenchman (perhaps there is a God after all); there is also a municipal town quay which we didn’t try. The staff are very proud that, in bad weather, this is the last port to close for 50 miles in either direction. Despite the small size, we were one of no fewer than 3 Island Packets in the marina.
The town is a bit Southend-like but nonetheless we liked it and took a funicular up to a slightly less vandalised subsidiary village. We also had a superb meal in a restaurant (including a vivier) which clearly supplied the entire town with retail shellfish. 39 years ago I wanted to treat us to a lobster amoricaine and carefully asked for hot lobster with a tomato sauce; after some time they produced a warm boiled animal with tomato ketchup alongside. I now know that had I asked for Langosta con Arroz I would have got exactly what I wanted.

K


This boat is exactly like a model we bought 39 years ago and which the children all play with in the bath! Had a fantastic seafood meal with huge crabs and rice with seafood (langosta in tomato sauce). There was excellent food in a small restaurant in the harbour too. Big relief as the Algarve was a gastronomic wasteland! Now in Figueira da Foz where the harbourmaster is conspicuous by his absence leading to berthing chaos.

C