Gibraltar

As I write this blog we are closely approaching the Strait of Gibraltar.  I can see Spain on the port side and Morocco on the Starboard. It has been a long trip to reach this point but we did it! At this point Joseph and I have logged over 1,865 Nautical miles. Not all of them have been as warm and sunny or even close to glamorous as the last 300. Since we reached Porto over a week ago we have been blessed with beautiful warm weather.

morocco ... didn't expect to see that :)

I will back up a bit a fill you in on what ports we have visited and some of the very interesting and amazing people we have met along the way. First of all, we had a great time with our friends Kate and Alison. The girls were very good sports about helping and being a part of our sailing adventure. Alison has sailed with us before in St. Martin and was so helpful with docking and winching.  We arrived in Porto and went into the old city for dinner. The depth of the city amazed me. I had never experienced such steep hills that lead down to the riverfront. It was breathtaking, with very old churches and buildings with amazing detail. We made our way down to the riverfront and had dinner. The restaurant we chose was not the best but it did the trick! As we walked around we took in the sites of the old city. One of my favorite parts about Portugal and Spain is that they people are out late and eating late! There is always a gelato shop open. The ice cream has been a great treat! They have amazing flavors and I love the cones.

Porto by night

Now, earlier in the day we experienced a lovely visit with this gentleman from Porto.  We had stopped in a local café for a drink and asked about where to find some pastries.  The owner then took us around the corner to a local baker. The baker allowed us to test many different homemade cookies. I cannot remember his name and probably would have had I blogged sooner about this experience! He explained to us that he and his wife had been in the business for over 20 years and that he loved baking cakes. He made a reference to Cake Boss and said that his cakes were a bit overdone and not authentic to real cakes.  It was a wonderful experience to meet this baker and hear how passionate he was about his profession. I think we all enjoyed talking to the baker. We ended up buying a chocolate cake. It was delicious.

The following day we unfortunately had to say goodbye to the girls.

For the first time since May 5^th Joseph and I were alone on the boat. We had to work together to sail our way to Lisbon. It was the first time we did an overnight with just the two of us. Now for some of my readers I must explain to you about night sailing. First of all there is no white light allowed after the sun goes down. If you are on deck at night then you must be clipped in to the boat. Our lifejackets are self-inflating when they hit the water and are also equipped with strobe lights. Joseph and I took turns doing the watch. We have an amazing autopilot system that drives the boat and keeps us on course. A person must be on deck to watch for other boats and adjust the sails as the wind changes. Every hour you must log your position in the notebook and the speed the boat is going. Later, I asked Joseph why we had to log if the GPS records this information regularly. He responded by telling me that it was in case I fell in that way he would know about where and when I left the deck. Wow!

me on watch ... drive by wire

When we arrived in Lisbon we were exhausted. We spent most of the day napping and catching up with emails and family. Joseph had the wonderful news that his first nephew was born.  His brother Fergus and wife Elena had given birth to a boy Christian Luca Burke. He looked adorable on Skype!

That evening we took a train into Lisbon and toured the city. We went to the Castelo de Sao Jorge. It was breathtaking. We walked all along the castle walls and could see for miles. I really enjoyed exploring the castle and seeing the city of Lisbon with Rio Tejo below. 

in the castle

Later, we poked around Alfama’s twisting alleys and enjoyed some local flavor and Fado music. In the restaurant were we ate all of the staff and servers sang Fado. It was amazing to hear all of their voices together.  We enjoyed some red house vino and had an exciting ride home in a taxi.

fado music at its best

The following day we left and headed south down the coast of Portugal to Sines. This Marina was great. We were able to anchor the boat and Joseph got to do some diving for the first time this trip. We had purchased some scuba diving gear before we left the states. Joseph suited up and cleaned the bottom of the boat. I swam around the boat and cleaned the sides. The water was beautiful and warm. It was so hot out that the only place to be was in the water. After we finished the cleaning we headed back to the dock. We met a lovely gentleman from the Channel Islands. His name was Adrian. He mentioned that he used to own Herm, the island and has since retired to sailing. He invited us to have a drink on his boat later. We of course we very pleased to be invited and went over after church.

When we arrived we met his wife Penny. She was lovely! We had some appetizers and a couple glasses of wine with them.  They told us that they use to own Herm and that Penny was one of the first people to have been born on the island.  If you remember earlier in my blogs I talk about Peter Dawson Ball from Guernsey. He told me the story of Herm and who owned it etc. I was so surprised when I later caught up with Peter of Facebook to find out that we were I the company of local Channel island royalty and didn’t know it! What a small world.

Zim in the marina... can you see her ?

Next we sailed on to Portimao and anchored there for the night. We had a nice swim and then a short sail west along the coast to Abufeira were we met up and collected Joseph’s friend John and his wife Kathy. They are going to be staying on the boat for the week while we are away in America. They are a lovely couple and it has been nice to have the company!

getting ready to shop for food ... we love food
Sardines for dinner ... not me :)

They are going to be staying on the boat for the week we are away in America. They are a lovely couple and it has been nice to have the company!

John and JosephKathy

I am really looking forward to being home for the week. I miss my friends, family, and job very much. Joseph and I are looking forward to celebrating with my cousin Jackie and he fiancé Nathan at their wedding in Newport.

The travel and adventure continues. I said to Joseph the other day, “this sailing thing is not always a very relaxing vacation” he responded by saying, “Darling, this is not a vacation but a lifestyle” …

  I am really getting into the lifestyle now and loving every minute of it! We are so blessed to experince so many different cultures and to have this adventure together! 

Hope everyone at home is healthy, happy, and safe!

Oh ya ! Gibraltar:

Now a cruise ship trying to be a sail boat :)