Bayona to Sines Portugal 37:57.09N 9:52.107W
Shaya Moya
Don & Susan Smyth
Thu 4 Nov 2010 18:18
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Monday the 1st Nov dawned cold and overcast, but the
wind has finally eased and changed direction into the North. We spent the
morning getting Shaya Moya ready to sail south, got in a few fresh provisions
and finally left Bayona at 4pm that afternoon. The late departure would allow us
to arrive in Sines Portugal early morning in daylight, a safer option in an
unfamiliar port.
By 9pm the clouds had cleared and we are sailing at
8-9kt's under a clear sky in F5/6 wind. After a home cooked pasta meal by Reece
we settled into the night watch system. With just three of us in a busy seaway
we rotated one on one on standby and one off watch. This worked quite well,
however we were all a little tired when we reached
Sines.
Fish Hoek lamb curry on the second night went down a
treat. Thanks Jocelyn for the lessons. We had our first phone call on the
satellite phone from Sue, took us a while to work out what was beeping away.
Quite a fantastic technology, clear as a bell miles out at sea.
We are visited by dolphins just about every day now.
They come swimming up to us in large groups frolicking away for what seems like
hours in our bow wave. They are beautiful creatures and really make one feel how
small we are in the universe.
We are broad reaching with full sail down the Portuguese
coast crossing the north south shipping lane twice around the Berlengas
island and Cabo da Roca just north of Lisbon. Our new AIS ( automatic
identification system) has been a great safety feature all the way down from
Ipswich to here. These are some of the busiest waters in the world and to know
the exact course speed and direction of each ship, coupled with its call sign
name and next port of call, allows us to avoid any tense close quarter
situations. As we passed the channel to Lisbon a tanker called us on the radio
by name. Took a couple of seconds to remember that they to can see who we are.
He very kindly asked our intensions and then altered course to pass us, allowing
us to continue to sail past Lisbon. I tried to capture the lights of Lisbon, but
with the movement of the boat and the pitch blackness of the night had no
success.
The sailing yacht Besse Ellen, a 33m three masted wooden
sailing ship that rode out the gales in Bayona with us called up Lisbon port
control asking for the marine police. We of course switched channels to listen
in to what was the problem. It transpired that a passenger had become violent on
board and was being restrained by two of the crew. The police made arrangements
to take him into custody. Must be a frightening situation on board
ship.
We arrived in Sines the birth place of Vasco de Gama
early morning and moor starboard side to the marina pontoon. Sines was a small
fishing village until recently when heavy industry and a huge petrochemical
facility was built here. A stopping off place for us as it is the last deep
water port on the Portuguese west coast before cape Saint Vincente. One night
here to catch up on much needed sleep after the busy trip down and then off on
the 650nm trip to the Canaries tomorrow Thursday the 4th November.
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