On the road again…
After three months at anchor in Culatra, I couldn’t wait to set sail again. During the lockdown period, I got so used to being alone that after the week of social interaction with new and old friends, I was actually looking forward to a little rest.
So I raised my anchor and set sail towards the east. I actually had to get used to the swell again, but luckily it was only a short trip of about 5 hours. The next anchorage east of Culatra that I could enter with ahoras draft was “Quatro Aguas” near the town of Tavira.
The anchorage was unfortunately quite full of mooring buoys, but I found a free piece of water a little further back in the field. However, it later turned out that I had anchored just next to a half-sunken buoy, which was only visible below the water surface at low tide. I’m lucky that my chain didn’t get caught.
With my bike it was only 10 minutes to the city center and I quickly found a coffeeshop that I chose for the next few days as my office. It was so nice to finally be able to work in a café again after a three-months Corona break.
I enjoyed the days at the anchorage and in the café, but also used the time and the good weather to take care of ahora a little bit. Two new layers of D2-Deksolje on the wooden parts were urgently needed after almost a year in the sun. Now the old lady shines again in a new, old glow.
After a few days my friends Riley, Elayna, André and Lenny from Sailing La Vagabonde dropped anchor next to me. Together we went on excursions in the dinghy for dinner in the city and to an “anchor cemetery”. There are hundreds of anchors in the dunes that were previously used to hold huge tuna nets in place off the coast.
On Whit Monday I took my folding bike and went on a small bike tour to Fuseta, where I met my French friend Wanie and her son Kalim.
I helped them to sail their boat to Tavira. Wanie built her 30-foot boat out of plywood and epoxy according to her father’s plans and now lives together with her son on board.
It was really fun to sail another boat and I was very impressed with the sailing properties of the lightweight construction with the asymmetrical swords. Almost like dinghy sailing …
The next day I bunkered water at the local sailing club and prepared the boat for the next leg: further east to the Spanish border into the mouth of the Rio Guadiana.
All is well!
Jan
