FROM PORTIMãO TO CULATRA

Ancorage at Portimão

Just after dawn

 Another fine, clear morning on the anchorage at the bay overlooking Praia Grande, Portimão and I'm setting sail for the short 36 mile hop East to the island of Culatra that lays off Faro, making up the beautiful marshland that is the Ria Formosa.  There's a trickle of a Northerly blowing and I want to catch as much of it as possible, as will probably decrease to nothing as the day develops.  As I have Lea, the ship's cat on board, it's a good idea to run ashore quickly one last time to give her a little run and a chance to dig a little hole in the sand, if she so desires.  In fact, she takes the opportunity of scaling the cliff to go exploring and it takes me slightly longer than anticipated to get hold of her again.  In true cat fashion, she thinks it's all part of some game for me to chase her.  Thing is I'm not in the mood for shimmying up cliff faces today and one swift swipe and I've swept her up in my arms and we head back to the dinghy to up anchor and make way.

With the wind gusting up to 15 knots or more, I had my work cut out for me at the helm, but when I heard the familiar sound of dolphins jetting through and up out of the water, I quickly grabbed my compact camera and started shooting.  As no self steering was connected, I had to keep one hand on the tiller and one randomly hitting the shutter release button on the camera!

There's always something exhilarating when you're amongst one of the most wonderous mammals of them all!! I never tire of their presence and on longer ocean passages, welcome their company as they are just as curious to go out of their way, to check you and your vessel out.  They'll be more than willing to give you a free display of their abilities in motion, with leaps, flips and slaps and you can also get a rare sight of baby dolphin with mother, which can only fill you with adrenaline induced joy, leaving you sensing everytime you have been witness to something remarkable.

The wind predictably dropped throughout the day, which slowed down my boat and feeling fulfilled with the day's events already, I was more than content to just go with the slow flow of a gentle Easterly for the duration of the journey.

 

Santa Maria Lighthouse on Culatra

 I chugged into the entrance and passed the distinctive lighthouse on the last approach before the short motor up to the anchorage.  There's always plenty of room at this anchorage and as I only draw 1,20M depth, I can usually slip into shallower waters and drop the hook, therefore making it a much shorter dinghy ride to reach the beach or pontoons.

Though tired from the days sail, the combination of sealife and pure air usually will leave one pleasantly weary, I put my head down and had a quick 40 winks, before going to see who was about and what was going on, on harder ground.