Location: Viana do Castelo

Lat/Lon: 41:41.75N 008:50.15W

DOUGLAS:

We stayed at Bayona for a week with John’s wife, Helen Mactaggart flying out to join us a couple of days after our arrival. Meanwhile we got the electrics fixed, we’d had the boat wired and all the new Raymarine equipment fitted at Ardrossan, as it turns out to a very poor standard. I should have guessed when the guy came aboard on the first day wearing a John Wayne outfit. Anyway we had a very pleasant stay at the club and I was delighted to see that it hadn’t changed a bit since my last visit in 1997. We did the tourist bit, walked around the castle and made numerous visits into this lovely town and generally chilled out though we still had work to do on the boat. I installed the fridge and freezer whilst the two Johns took the brand new Avon Rib out of the bag for the first time. Imagine the upset when they found a serious air leak in it. So there then followed days of phone calls to Avon to have it replaced.

After lunches in the cockpit and a couple of evening meals at the club we finally had to drag ourselves away. We left Bayona about 9 am on Sat 20^th October and had a gentle motor along the coast to Portugal, our first stop being Viana do Castelo where we stayed for two nights. A nice little marina bisected by a road and rail bridge designed by Gustaf Eiffel of tower fame. Sounds horrendous but the road section was closed for repair and the trains only passed through a few times a day. We didn’t stray far on the first night but made it to the local yacht club at the top of the pontoons to watch the rugby final between England and South Africa. Viana is very pretty town so on Sunday we walked to the funicular railway and travelled up to the Basilica on Monte de Santa Luzia. The Basilica (church) was certainly worth the effort and there were amazing views along the coast and over the docks. Bev was taken by the bougainvillea which was in full flower everywhere. In the afternoon we visited the old town and had a very leisurely lunch of sardines at a roadside café close to the sea front.

Two Johns at a dinner table.

A pickup truck...and the Eiffel Bridge in the background.