By popular request, the Zipadedoda blog service is now restored! In mitigation for the lack of recent up-dates are the facts that we just needed to chill out after what had been a relatively arduous journey south and the visitation of the whirlwind, aka Tom and Ollie, our first two Grandchildren to visit us here in Lagos, together with their parents, Tina and Graeme.

As soon as every one had settled into the boat, we embarked on an expedition to Alvor, which was a challenging 3nm East of Lagos. This is a tidal, estuary, that has many sand bars, which have a habit of moving in rough weather, so pilotage is down to a good eyeball on the foredeck, backed up by the new Echopilot, sonar system. This is a truly beautiful spot, which crystal clear water, which shallow and so relatively warm.  It is also a nature reserve, so there are lots of birds and many species, such as Little Turns, Egrets, Herons and various Gulls.

As this picture shows, there is also an abundance of heather, clinging to the sand stone rocks above the foreshore.

This setting gave Granddad the perfect excuse to try out his new inflatable rib dingy.

Judging by the squeals and shrieks from the boys, as we bounced over the wash from speed boats, it is a safe bet to assume that they enjoyed almost as much as I did!

Later on we motored right into the estuary, and anchored near the village of Alvor. To our delight we spotted Ian and Alice Herve on their Contest 41 “Lodestar” just as we anchored. So we dropped in on them for a welcome cup of tea. A little while later they left on the tide for Lagos.

Graeme and the boys could not wait to go ashore, so they were taken over to one of the many sand banks for a spot of Cockling and sandcastle building. Once the water was lapping at their feet, Granddad returned to retrieve them……………

On our return to Lagos, the Children and their parents took advantage of the wonderful club in the marina, and the extensive facilities. Top of the list being the swimming pools.

The water was quite cold, so the boys new wet suites came into there own, which had the added advantage if keeping the strong sun off them as well.

There were also great days on the beach which is only a 10 minute walk from the marina, which has the marvellous advantage of having a brilliant beach bar and restaurant with the novel name of “Linda’s”. The salads there are simply scrumptious, with tantalising mixtures like Scallops and Mango with a light chilly and olive oil dressing. Ooops, dribbling again in anticipation! The staff there are happy and attentive, which makes the whole experience, one that must not be missed should you ever venture this way……………….

The day after the Grandchildren returned, we were treated to an aerial display by massed Microlights. It was quite a scary sight seeing these rather ungainly flying machines, wing tip to wing tip at 200 feet! There were at least 12 of them, all in different colours, flying over the area for most of last Saturday. This made for quite a spectacle as all the tourist were walking around the place craning there necks to the skies. A veritable Monty Python style scene!!!

Having had a few days to clean up the boat, re-provision and catch our breath, we went back to Faro yesterday,(by train this time),  to meet the second wave of Grandchildren to join us. This time it is Jessica and Ellie, who have brought with them , mum and dad (AKA Sarah and Nick) for a 10 day break from the dreadful weather in the UK. Oh, did I mention that it was 38 degrees here yesterday, with a modest northerly breeze………………

Until the next time!