Faro to La Guadiana River

Thursdays Child
Robin & Joanna Minchin
Thu 4 Dec 2014 23:27
37:11.680N
007:24.784W

La Guadiana River

After heaving up the anchor off Faro Town, we left as soon as the flood tide started this morning. Motoring carefully around huge sandbanks in a very cool gentle breeze for over an hour we eventually left the river and set off to sea. As we headed out we followed another English yacht and slowly caught them up after several hours of wonderful downwind sailing with blue water and warm sunshine. During which time we were visited by a pod of the biggest dolphins I have ever seen who played on the bow wave as we sailed past enormous fish farms. Harry and I had fun playing with the GoPro camera and took some underwater photos and video of the dolphins, as well as photos from the top of the mast.

As we were just alongside the British yacht the wind died and we both stopped. After a brief chat the breeze returned from a completely different direction and we managed to pull away gradually. We finished the day with a beautiful upwind sail all the way to the entrance of the Guadiana River.

Motoring up river to the marina was slow progress against almost 3knots of current, but made worth it as we were met by Ashley and his daughters from Martha Primrose (last seen in Cascais) who caught our lines as we docked. We have just been ashore to the 'Christmas fair' where they went on dodgems, an ice rink (made of PTFE not ice!) and a very bouncy bungee thing that made them soar 30ft into the air.

All back to TC for rowdy supper and the three girls picked up where they left off in Cascais (Oct 27) last time Isabelle's bunk was turned into a Jelly Fish Museums, this time it became a Terrapin Museum.

We plan to head up the River with Martha Primrose tomorrow.

Bol

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