The Prince on land

Well, this is the last post for about two months. By now, I am back in Copenhagen, back at work and in the cayak-club and reunited with Rainer.

My last, very short trip brought me to Puerto Sherry, a huge, ugly and anonimous, but professionally run parking-ground for yachts.

The price for 2 months on land is, anyhow, a lot higher than I had hoped. (500 Euros!) Actually even higher than in Cadiz, but now the Prince is here and I leave him here.





This morning they came an took my boat on the hook, or better into their arms...

Still in Cadiz

Some days ago Jan Henning left for Hamburg. In the meantime I am doing some repairs on the boat and negotiating options for a stay in one of the harbours close by. Apparently the best place to leave the boat for the next 2 months is Puerto Sherry, only 3 miles from here. They offer a place on land for 300 Euro which includes the lifts and is far cheaper than a berth in the water for the same time. So I might go there tomorrow.

Later on (next week) I will travel to Madrid to meet friends from Las Palmas there, and then, on 4 October I will be working again in Christianhavn, Copenhagen. I am looking forward to seing you all then.

In Cadiz at last

Despite some unfavourable weather reports, advice not to leave the harbour (the harbourmaster in Nazaré: ".. only fools would leave today..") and long periods of neither wind nor the possibility to start the outboarder, we finally reached our aim, Cadiz in Andalucía.

Jan Henning used the last 3 nights and 2 days of his holydays together with me on the boat, sometimes in longer lasting periods of no wind.

We will possibly have to leave the boat on land, because there is not too much space in the harbour for the time being, but it is cheaper, anyhow, on land, and Rainer and I will be able to give the boat a new layer of paint in december.

Here you can see Jan Henning, my sailingmate during the last 2 weeks, and me, preparing meal in calm weather.

Citybeach in Cadiz.

Close to Lisbon

We made it overnight to a village close to Lisbon. We are anchored outside the new harbour, but we can see that we won't be able to sail the boat all the way to Cadiz before Jan Henning has to leave. Thats not a real problem, as we already are in a region from where Rainer and I will be able to continue in december.

The last port of call was a little harbour between Porto and here, Nazaré, and we already feared, we would not get any further as there.

Jan Henning on his way from our boat, anchored outside, and the harbour.

Casa da Musica

Today Jan Henning and I visited the famous Casa da Musica in Porto made by Rem Koolhaas in connecion with Porto being Cultural Capital in 2001. Anyhow, the building was only completed in 2006.

http://fotos.afasoft.net/porto/casadamusica.htm

Entrance to Porto

It was a bit foggy, when I passed the bar, on the other hand, it was quite calm weather, so it was not too difficult to enter all by myself.

In Porto City

Well, now I´m here, in Porto. Towed to the wall in the most prominent tourist-area of the town.
A heavy barrel, filled with water, and hung out towards the riverside, keeps the the rigg clear of the wall.
Jan Henning has arrived this afternoon, but we will have to stay until Wednesday to wait for more favourable winds.

Porto?

I´m considering to move the boat up the river to the center of the Porto city instead.

I´m still a bit afraid of that, but it would be really thrilling.

The tidal currents run up to 6 knots, which the Prince is not able to do and one has to moor the boat in the current. The entrance is tricky, the tide is 3 m high... and I'm all by myself.

The picture shows the only sailing visitor today in Porto at slack (highwater). In 6 hours time the ship will be 3 m further down.

From Viana do Castello to Leixos

So, in the end the vessel's own competence team of the technical ressource section did the impossible and repaired the Prins Henrik engine.



So now, the narrow harbour entrance was no longer a problem, and the Prince proceeded south.

Anders and I arrived yesterday in Leixos, 8 km from Porto. Anders left this morning Portugal and Jan Henning from Hamburg will join me tomorrow for the next 2 weeks.

Portugal

Here is the prince at the very end of the harbour.










For a time we had a friend of Anders (to the left in the dinghy) with us to the Isla Cies, from where he took the ferry back to Vigo.

All those days, Anders was on board, we either had no wind, or dense fog, or both.

Viana do Castelo

Dear all
Now Anders and I have reached Viana do Castelo in Portugal.
Unfortunatly we chose the wrong harbour bassin. We entered a huge, long, narrow and very old bassin, stinking, like only real old harbours do, and, we cannot get out again, because our motor does´t work any longer, and we had the wind from the back, and still have.

So, we are kind of locked here. Anders will probably have to take a bus to Porto, and the mecanico will, I hope, be able to repaire the outboard of 3,3 hp.

Mushrooms

While the Captain is enjoying himself in Spain, the 1st Communicator has not been lazy and collected mushrooms in the area of Copenhagen (and survived the meal).