We left Vigo on 22 Jan 2020 for an overnight sail South with the aim to get to Cascais at the mouth of the Rio Tejo, the river passing Lisboa. Since the coast is littered with fishnet markers we decided to head far out to sea to avoid them. We didn’t want a repeat of the Muros debacle (see earlier post). But guess what?? Even at 200 meter water depth you run into these lines. In order to have a stress-free night we decided to go even further off-shore. But there the depth contours become very close which means the drop-off from 200 meter to 2000 meter is very steep, causing very uncomfortable seas. Not prepared to spend a second night in a washing machine we changed plans to coastal day sailing and headed for Nazare for a good night sleep.
Next day we had a short sail to the next marina, keeping a continuous look-out for the markers. We were literally “slaloming” our way South.
The next port would be Peniche only 27 nm further South from Nazare. We arrived early and spend the afternoon exploring this small village build on a peninsula. During summer Peniche is bustling with surfers. The beaches are consistently windy and the waves form powerful “tubes”, sought after by surfers, and among the best in Europe.
Again, we stayed for one night only and left for Cascais the next morning.