From Tavira to Vila Real de Santo António

After a week in Tavira, I set sail again and headed for the mouth of the Rio Guadiana, the border river with Spain in the far east of the Algarve.

Contrary to expectations, I did not encounter any problems in the border area, even though the border between Portugal and Spain is still officially closed due to the Corona pandemic.

My friend Micha from Sailing Terra had the same destination, so we took the opportunity to take photos of each other’s boats along the way.

Apart from the start in Tavira, where I started the diesel engine when raising the anchor (for safety reasons due to the strong current in the tight anchorage), I did not use ahora’s engine at all that day. The wind was great and just from the right direction. So I was able to sail the entire route completely relaxed and just with the genoa.

Here are a few impressions of this wonderful day of sailing:

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Perfect sailing with 5 knots on a broad reach with just the genoa
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Thanks to Micha from Sailing Terra…
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…there are a lot of “outside perspectives” on this trip.
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At the mouth of the Rio Guadiana: In the background you can see Spain,
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…and on the other side Portugal.
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My “co-sailor” Micha at the entrance.
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Anchoring under sail. Thanks to Elayna from Sailing La Vagabonde for the snapshot.
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For dinner we had mackerel, caught by Micha on the way.

That’s the way to live! Even though there are still no official rules regarding sailing in Portuguese waters, the authorities at least seem to tolerate moving back and forth between anchorages.

At least my little world feels almost normal again.

All is well

Jan

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