Somewhere in The Atlantic
Tillymint.fortescue
Thu 20 Aug 2009 15:33
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39:26.394N 009:27.633W
Thursday 21 August - plodding along the Portuguese
coast. Oh those explorers from ancient times must have been patient men; the
Portuguese Trade winds continue to underwhelm us and once again we
find ourselves motoring with the odd knot or two of wind for company. The
forecast had promised more but no sign yet so the engine drones on - a little
Ria would be good just now. The highlight of the day so far was a fleeting
glimpse of a pod of dolphins, they didn't swim alongside like the Biscay ones so
we think they were more preoccupied with some fishing activities rather than a
recreational swim. I should also pay a passing compliment to the lobster pots,
they are compact and well marked with flags, very unlike their Spanish
counterparts were a lot harder to miss. Now I bet you didn't know
that?
Yesterday we had shore leave in Aveiro, the old
town was very pretty and it was our first glimpse of Portuguese architecture and
everyday life. The guidebook's allusion to Aveiro's similarity to Venice was a
bit generous; yes there is a canal and yes there is an old town but that's about
it. You need to add in a liberal dash of Manchester Ship Canal to bring
out the full flavour of the experience! We squashed a lot into the
day; elevenses, a museum, a cathedral, lunch and a fun science museum
with fetching specs for the 3D movie - Fendi they are not but the 3D movie
was groovy. We fared well with the local language (there's lots of English
spoken) apart from elevenses when we managed to acquire fishcakes when
seeking out muffins. I can't begin to describe the look on Immy's face.......the
mention of a meal out is now taken to be a threat rather than a treat - those
two words separated only by an h - for HORRID.
There's nothing to tempt us to stay for another
day, there are beaches but there's the oil refinery too so we moved on. It is a
bit disappointing to find that this portion of the Atlantic coast is
such a poor cruising ground. There is marked shortage of other yachts in the
vincinity so we do feel a bit like the family trying to have a caravan holiday
on the M25. Still Lisbon and her chic resorts beckon so hope springs
eternal - lets see where we get to by the end of the
day....... |
