More exploring in the Algarve

Tuesday 4th September…  Time to check out Albufeira this morning with a short walk into town. It was cloudy again meaning we could all actually walk somewhere without getting exhausted. Albufeira is just as touristy as you would imagine. We stopped for a drink (and Apple Pie) at a nice little friendly place overlooking the huge beach. 

Plenty of space to choose a sunbathing spot

We were back by midday and Dean washed the decks down. The marina here is quite unusual, completely sheltered from the sea by a small canal and we’ve noticed a range of different fish to what we usually see. Some small and large stripy flat fish that you would expect to see in an aquarium. We also saw the most weird sea creature swimming past the boat today. Dean thought it was a poo bag at first. What do you think?

 Is it a monster from the deep? 

It was about 10 inches long

Later on we did some laundry and a little shopping. In the marina there’s a bunjy jump near to us and we had some entertainment watching the jumpers on and off throughout the day. We think today has been our cloudiest day so far in Portugal, with temperatures down to around 23 degrees, but it’s still warm and pleasant. 


Wednesday 5th September…  Another cloudy start but it soon improved. There was a Dutch boat near us in the marina. Dean has been chatting with them and they had to have new batteries delivered last night as their old ones went kaput. Looks like we’re not the only ones having battery probs. 

We departed about 10.30am and made our way back to Portimao along the lovely coastline. It took about three hours or so and there was a cruise ship (Seabourn Encore) at anchor in the bay at Portimao when we arrived. It was our aim to anchor in the harbour like we have done before, but it was so windy with some swell rolling in, and there were so many boats already anchored there was really not much room at all in the depth we require. We must have messed about for an hour trying to decide where to anchor, in the end we decided the marina was our only option. 

Holidaymakers having fun

More rocky coastline and lovely houses

Seabourn Encore at anchor

So here we are tonight in the marina again, same berth as last time. Once again it was tricky but fortunately the neighbours were in to fend us off their boat. It only took two attempts this time… getting better. There was another cruise ship here too... Seven Seas Navigator. Got a feeling we saw this in Vigo. Will have to re-read our Vigo blog.

Thursday 6th September… The bikes are out and we have freedom once again. So we took a ride up past the cruise ship terminal and into Portimao seafront proper. On the way we saw two storks that had nested on an old chimney. The nest was absolutely massive, and so were the storks. 

Have you got a baby up there?

Then we headed across the bridge and to the fishing port where the workshops and chandlery are. Guess what? The chandlery was closed, surprise surprise. After messing about for a short while they miraculously opened but they didn’t have much to offer and we were disappointed after all our effort to get there. So we took off towards Ferrugado as Linda has been itching to get there. It was a lovely little place and we stopped for a drink. The amazing orange juice went down a treat. After re-tracing our tracks back across the river we stopped off for an ice-cream before heading back via a short-cut through the cruise ship terminal. It was good to get out and about on the bikes once again. It seems ages since we did that, in fact I can’t even remember where it was. Here's some more of today's photos...

We saw this boat in A Coruna, think he's having a few problems

Weird fruit on this tree

Here we are at Ferrugado

Saffy in a basket.... not a baby

Cycling the quaint back streets at Ferrugado

Now it's time for a drink and a map read

Must be low tide

Hanging baskets.....fish not flowers

Friday 7th September… Bike day no.2 and we headed into Portimao old town again where we locked up the bikes and went for a walk about. There wasn’t a lot to see in fact it was a bit weird and run down. Then we stopped for a lunchtime snack along the seafront which was good and cheap. 

This is the part of the main touristy/cafe area on the seafront

From there we had a little explore on the bikes and bought some fairy lights to go around the bimini from a Chinese Bazaar (our favourite kind of shop at the moment). We got a bit lost around the back of town but eventually made it back to the promenade and hence back to the marina. 

Nice fairy lights Dean

The replacement alternator parts that Dean ordered have arrived in Portugal and the latest tracking says they are being 'held' in customs. Oh God who knows when or even if they will arrive! It's not looking good at the moment, it's really frustrating.  

Saturday 8th September… A very leisurely Saturday here in Portimao. We invited our friends over from Silhouette for an afternoon social. They are spending time here in the anchorage before heading off to the Canaries for the start of the ARC+ to Cape Verde and St Lucia. We spent a real nice afternoon together and it was good to finally repay the compliment after they hosted us back in Figuera da Foz. Dean seems to have made a little alternator progress having found a place who could possibly help here in Portimao. Fingers crossed and we’ll follow it up on Monday when they’re open (hopefully).

Here's the Silhouette ARC+ ers. What an adventure they've got ahead.

Sunday 9th September… Hot day today. We had a walk along the seafront streets looking for car hire places but it wasn’t very forthcoming. We had a couple of quotes of 180 euros plus for a week, yikes! Got on the internet when we came back and think we’ve managed to book something online, let’s see whether our booking gets confirmed or not. Fingers crossed. Tonight we walked around the ‘block’ (the hotel that sits in the middle of the marina) and we noticed that they had a wedding reception going on. Seems we just missed the outdoor nuptuals. Dean’s finished his book ‘Airframe’ and Linda’s 1000 piece jigsaw is about 85 percent complete. 

The beach and sea look welcoming today. Great visibility.

A few gaps across in the anchorage

Monday 10th September… Determined to move forward with the alternator repairs today, Dean found a phone number for the Customs Office in Lisbon. They sounded helpful but didn’t get back to us with a reply. His next plan entailed him cycling 3 miles to get to an alternator repair shop which he found through the grapevine. They hadn’t got the specific parts we need, but have ordered some that will get us by for the time being in case we never get our package delivered from Customs. Back at the marina a letter had arrived from the Customs Office, all in Portuguese of course. Do we understand Portuguese? Dean had to get the marina reception to look at it and tell us what was required. Back on board we managed to get onto a website and do the necessaries…..after a lot of trouble. We just hope we’ve done it correctly and they will reply quickly.

Linda made a sponge cake this afternoon along with tracking Jade & Co’s flight to Lanzarote. It was a very calm and warm evening and we took quite a long walk to the beach and along the red breakwater. The high season here has well and truly finished, it’s so quiet there’s hardly anyone about. 

 Lovely view from Thesee at high water this afternoon
At low water the crabs climb all over the rocks

Runaway hawk on the local hotel roof

Pudding.... Sponge cake with chocolate buttercream topping

Tuesday 11th September… I forgot to write about ‘Saffy’s Great Escape’ yesterday! She loves to be on deck chilling out and yesterday we couldn’t find her. Well she had only walked off the back of the boat onto the pontoon and taken herself along and up to the entry/exit gate. Good job it was locked! She obviously wanted to go for a pee. Funny thing is when we come back to the boat she knows exactly which boat is Thesee and waits to be lifted onboard.

This morning it was ‘Thesee Salon Time’ with a haircut for Dean and a colour for Linda as usual, because it’s only 4 days to go until the Fab 4 are re-united once more! For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, the Fab 4 are Linda plus her three fabulous school friends… Brenda, Sharon, & Sue. We are all (including hubbies) meeting up here in Portugal starting with a meal this Saturday night in Carvoeiro. 

It was very hot again today…over 30 degrees inside the boat. We didn’t go anywhere today, just had a relaxing afternoon. Linda finished her 1000 piece jigsaw and Dean refitted his anchor light with the new brackets that were sent over from work in the UK. Thanks to Gavin & Linda for sorting that out for us. Dean had sent a sketch of what he needed and Gavin got it cut out of 316 stainless steel and Linda mailed it out super quick. He did actually fit it yesterday but there was an issue with a wire becoming disconnected and so he had to refit it today. 

Feeding the fish in the marina at lunchtime

Pub Jigsaw finished (5 pieces missing).

Takes hours to complete..... and mere seconds to put away!

Here's the newly fitted anchor light in situ on the backstay

Dean agreed to a no swearing day and he nearly made it. We had an email from Customs and it looks like our correspondence yesterday has been accepted and they have approved our package for release. That’s all we know for now.  

Wednesday 12th September… Wow!  Excitement! The marina reception called just after lunch to say our package had arrived from Customs and we had to pay 38 Euros for import tax and fees. Not as bad as we were expecting really. Dean went to pick it up straight away. When we opened it Dean realised immediately that the part was slightly different to what he had ordered. Oh my God, he wasn’t happy. It will do the job but he had actually ordered a higher spec one. After some email correspondence with the company, we have now asked them to refund the difference in price. Let’s see what happens from here. Why can’t anything go to plan? Here’s a photo of the item in question.

That's not what i ordered!

The post on this is only 6mm. I ordered 8mm.

Looks like I've got no choice but to fit this one

Next, we hadn’t heard from the Plan B alternator parts that Dean ordered here locally in Portimao. Eventually he got someone on the phone, and they said they hadn’t been delivered as promised (48 hours delivery time) …  as I said, why can’t anything go to plan here?  Dean told him if they haven’t arrived tomorrow he will cancel and have a refund thank you very much.

Linda has a new hobby now the jigsaw is finished....feeding the fish in the marina. Breakfast and Supper today for the little fishies. They're timid at first checking out the bread, but once they get brave it turns into a feeding frenzy. All the stripy fish come to the top, it's like sitting on top of an aquarium. She also had nice catch up on the phone with Sharon who arrived last night at their place in nearby Carvoeiro. There’s a meal booked this Saturday night for 16 of us! Hope they’ve got a very big table for us all at the restaurant.

Thursday 13th September… Would you believe it if I said NOTHING WENT WRONG TODAY? Everything went absolutely to plan and more. The man turned up with the hire car on time… even a little early. It’s a Volkswagen Up. Never heard of that model before, but it’s a nice little runaround. Just perfect for our requirements. It’s been four months since we sat in a car… how weird is that? And we both enjoyed our new found freedom. It was funny as nearly everywhere we went today, Dean recognised it from cycling the streets the other day when he went to see the alternator man.

Our wheels for the next week

Can't wait to get out and about now

We got to the pet groomers appointment with Saffy at noon. Took a little trouble to find it but we got there eventually and on time. We left her there for her haircut and went to see the Plan B Alternator parts man, and Dean got a full refund because they could not supply until next Monday, and we don’t really need the parts now anyway. Then we went to the nearby shopping mall as Linda wanted to get a few items but came back empty handed. Dean did buy a pair of shorts though. Well done Dean. After we picked up Saffy we went to the British Supermarket and Linda had a whale of a time. Here’s some of the things she bought… Pork pies, Real bacon, Cocktail sausages, Beef & Onion Pasties, Richmond sausages, Dry roasted peanuts, Frozen roast potatoes, Pepperoni pizza, Jacobs  crackers, Sliced beetroot, Chocolate hobnobs, Corned beef, Honey roast ham, Milky Ways, Club biscuits… and more. Forgot to look for Apple Sauce so will have to go back again before we leave Portimao.

We got back to the marina about 4pm. The neighbours were out but just afterwards they returned in their boat. It was quite windy and they had a bit of trouble berthing, having to abort and ended up catching one of their stantions on our anchor. The sound was awful. We don’t think there is any damage to Thesee, but it seems their stantion ended up somewhat worse for wear. They didn’t attempt another go but went to the reception pontoon instead, and are spending the night there. Hopefully they will be able to try again tomorrow morning if the conditions are calmer. 

After dinner (pasty,chips,gravy) we took advantage of our new found freedom and drove to Aldi to get another load of shopping. It’s so nice to be able to shop without worrying how we’re going to carry it all and how far to walk back. This time it was mostly water, pop, milk, wine, beer… all the heavy stuff, and we got plenty of it. By the time we got back it was dark and loading the bottles of water onto the boat a pack of 6x1ltr bottles fell into the water. Luckily Dean was quick off the mark and rescued the whole lot before they disappeared into oblivion. 

Even though we bought this Baking Powder at Aldi, 

it looks like something straight out of the Black Country Museum

Friday 14th September… Only 1 more day to wait until the Fab 4 are re-united! This morning Dean was up early and soon fitting the fixed alternator back onto the engine. It’s a rather awkward job because he has to get under the galley sink to do it, so the cupboard doors have to come off first and the cupboard gets emptied. By 10.30am everything was up and running and all looks like it’s working as it should. Bravo Dean, Mr Fix It. Please let this be the end of our alternator troubles. 

We had the rest of the day free and so went off in the car to have a look around Lagos, about 10 miles away from here. Our friends on Silhouette have been in Lagos marina and this morning they texted us to say they had departed on their big 4/5 day journey to Lanzarote (because they are doing the ARC+ this winter). What a shame we missed them, but wish them happy sailing and lots of fun on their upcoming adventure. Also another boat we know called Bora La (in the same marina) we found out that they also departed this morning on their travels. We definitely chose the wrong day to go to Lagos! Anyway we had a nice lunch and a walk about. Dean went in the Sopramar Chandlery and said it was the best well stocked chandlery he had EVER been in. Wow!

Dean's Friday phone call to work. He's even got a shirt on today.

Beautiful flowers in Lagos old town

Linda and Saffy Dog in the Church Square

The bridge is raised for yachts entering/exiting the marina

View from the bridge looking out towards the sea

Heading back to Portimao, the navigator (Mrs C) missed the junction (we don’t have a map or GPS so we are winging it as you would say). We had to get off at the following junction but that did enable us to go over the big fancy bridge over the Rio Arade, and then back again over another bridge. We stopped off at Pingo Doce (supermarket) and then returned to Thesee. It’s Thesee Friday (our official Rum & Coke day) and sitting outside with our drinks we watched some hotel newlyweds having their photos taken, along with someone using a drone to film it all! 

We missed our turning but got to traverse the bridge

There’s a superyacht here in the marina called Dorothea III. It’s so big it doesn’t fit on the superyacht pontoon and has had to drop its anchor off the bow to keep it in position. Alongside it is its tender called Post One which is a rather fancy super-duper sea fishing vessel (there was a picture of it on the blog the other day). They like to catch Marlin so it says on the internet. We got intrigued when we couldn’t recognise its ensign but have now discovered it’s the Marshall Islands. 

Dorothea III....you can just see the anchor chain off the bow

....and with its tender (lol)... Post One

So it was quite late when we ate dinner, and now it’s even later and I’m still blogging. 

This will be the last blog post entitled 'More exploring in the Algarve'.

The next post will be entitled 'Fab 4 re-united' of course.