Friday 14^th August

This morning we went to the local market to buy fruit and veg but had to go in two separate taxis since there are five of us so I went ahead with Gabriel and Isaac and Paul followed later with Yaz.  The market wasn’t as big or impressive as the one at Cascais but we bought a fine array of produce, including some fish for Paul and Gabriel.  In the afternoon we went to the beach – a 30 minute walk in the midday heat.  It was very crowded but we managed to find a couple of sunbeds with umbrellas – a bargain at fifteen euros!  Everyone but wimpy me ran straight for the water – I stayed under the umbrella reading and relaxing.  A short walk to a stall selling water burned the soles of my bare feet because the sand and the wood were so hot from the sun’s heat.  At five we left the beach to have a walk around the town before returning to the boat.  Once the sun had gone down I cooked new potatoes, carrots, courgettes and a home made tomato sauce to accompany a dinner of fish and pizza. After this we spent a pleasant evening in the cockpit offering solutions to riddles that Yaz was asking from Isaac’s iphone.  At midnight we watched the fireworks that were set off as part of the town’s festival celebrations.

Saturday 15^th August

After breakfast we motored to a nearby beach and anchored so that we could reach it by dinghy.  Poor Gabriel and Yasmin felt seasick due to the motion of the waves rocking us from side to side on the way.  While Paul ferried the children to the beach I prepared a picnic lunch.  The beach was lovely – less crowded than the one from the previous day, and much smaller.  I went in the water this time and had a short swim to cool off, which was lovely despite the powerful waves and the rocky seabed which could so easily bruise your shins or cut your feet if you weren’t careful.  After lunch we were ferried back to the boat and Isaac steered us back to the marina.  The children went off for showers and for drinks in the cafes and bars while we chose to have a hose down and chilled wine on the boat.  At 8 o’clock I prepared a dinner of fried potatoes, sausages, fish and salad so that we all had something we liked – this takes slightly longer when the boat only has two gas rings but the oven keeps things warm.

The festival weekend has turned out to be a bit of a low key affair – apart from last night’s fireworks there are a few boats ‘dressed’ in flags for the occasion but nothing much else going on.  We learned, however, that Supertramp, the hippy band from the 70s would be playing that evening as part of the festivities but at 30 euros a ticket we decided we weren’t really big fans of theirs.  Later, Paul and I attempted to see them by getting into the dinghy – me holding an LED torch aloft as a beacon – and going round the back of the stage but this proved to be futile, we couldn’t see a thing (quite an exhilarating ride though). Back on the boat we could hear the concert clearly but felt cheated that they didn’t plat their classic hit ‘Breakfast in America’, especially as we had all their other hits going round in our heads for days afterwards.

Sunday 16^th August

Early this morning Yaz, Isaac and Gabriel got up and got ready to catch the bus that would take them to a huge water park called Slide and Splash.  This left Paul and I with most of the day to relax and to catch up on jobs.  It was hot today – 35 degrees when we checked at midday so we did the jobs slowly and surely – the slightest exertion had us sweating and exhausted.  During one of the ‘relaxation in the cockpit’ periods a man from one of the neighbouring boats came to chat to us.  Originally from Essex, he now lives here and was able to recommend some good restaurants, places to visit further along the coast and some tips for wintering the boat here.  We had a lovely lunch in the cabin and in the afternoon I washed clothes and swept sand off the floor while Paul fixed faults on the engine and the water pump – very gender biased we are about jobs on this boat J. 

Poor Isaac was very sunburnt when they got back late in the afternoon so we had to treat that before setting off to the supermarket to get some higher factor suncream along with yet more provisions.  It was so hot walking there and back that Paul and I had to stop for refreshments on the return journey.  Since we intended going into town for crepes and ice creams later in the evening for Yaz’s last night here Paul prepared light snacks for the children and we set off at  9 30.  We eventually found a place that advertised the required chocolate pancakes, ices etc and afterwards walked along the beach where lots of teenagers were sitting drinking, having barbecues, swimming and partying.  It was still quite warm and Gabriel won our admiration by jumping into the water and swimming for ages.