2018

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2018
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Legend

2018
Driving

Gruissan, France ‐ Oct 30, 2018

Now I have made my mind up. I will stay here in Gruissan for the winter. It wasn't my first choice, but I dont want to take the chance on going further up the coast without having any guarantees for a place to stay at a decent price. I mailed the marinas in Nice and Menton, but was informed they are full, and some others that didn't bother to answer. Probably they have space, but they want to see the boats before they accept them. They are afraid to take in boats in bad shape that they don't get [...]
rid of. On Tuesday I will lift the boat and put it on the hard for the winter. I have to rip up the teak in the cockpit because rain water is leaking down to the engine compartment. It's quite a big job, it will keep me busy for the rest of the year I guess. I also have to put new antislip paint on the deck, the old one is falling off in patches.

At sea again!

New cockpit sole

Winter is coming
Port Vendres ‐ Oct 26, 2018

This morning I moved a few miles up the coast, to get better shelter from the gales that are lining up. I might be stuck here for a week or more as it looks now. But it seems like Port-Vendres is a fairly nice place to spend some time. If it isn't raining too much I would like to go up in the Pyrenees, the mountains look very beautiful from down here. I have no idea what to expect when I continue, this is completely new territory for me, all the way to Camargue, where I have been on the bike.
Banyules sur Mer marina ‐ Oct 25, 2018

Back on French soil again! It took me three months to go around the Iberian Peninsula, from the western foothills of the Pyrenees in St Jean de Luz in Pays Basque, to the eastern foothills in Banyuls sur Mer in Langedoq-Rousillon. Quite a detour to come from one end to the other of that mountain chain, one can say. Banyuls sur Mer is a very small town, just a few miles from the Spanish border. I see on internet that George Orwell spent a winter here after having volunteered in the civil war in [...]
Spain. He found it very boring, it also said . Hopefully there is some more action nowadays. At least they have good crafted beer and good music on the snack bar where I am celebrating my circumnavigation. Tomorrow I will try to find a better place to wait out some bad weather over the weekend. This area is one of the few in France where I have never been before. I am still looking for a wintering location, but maybe this is too much in the line of the Tramontana and Mistral winter storms.
Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Spain ‐ Oct 24, 2018

Today I left Costa Dourada and entered Costa Brava. Brava stands for wild, savage. The land here is more rugged, steep rocks forms big parts of the coast line. There is numerous bays, or calas, many suitable for anchorage. The most feared winds here are the Tramontana and the Mistral, they can appear without warning and in very short period of time reach storm force. Today I didn't have to fear them though. It was hardly any wind at all. Four or five times it seemed like it was going to be som [...]
e, but as soon as I furled out the genoa, the wind stopped. I started to wonder if the sail was cursed. Eventually I gave up and went for the engine the rest of the day. The marinas here on Costa Brava are all expensive. San Feliu cost 30 euros now in low season, in summer it would have cost me 89! The natural beauty here attracts the people with money and fancy boats, I see many of them in the marinas, not so often at sea. In Port Vell in Barcelona I saw more Super yachts than I've ever seen in one place before. I hope it will be cheaper when I come over to the French side!
At anchor outside Mataro ‐ Oct 23, 2018

Winds from all around the compass rose took me to Mataro. Quite strong westerly in the morning, Atlantis was up and sniffed on seven knots again, but significantly lower in the afternoon. The two last hours we were doing less than three, but I had no other ambition then coming to the anchorage before dark. And it felt good to go almost all day without the engine, only two times I had to fire up for a short while between the windshifts . Mataro is described as "dreary" in the pilot book, so I won [...]
't bother launch the dinghy in the dark. I should be able to be in France in three days from here with reasonable good winds, two days with very good. Which doesn't seem to be the case though, there is gale warning for the last bit of coast up to the French border, both Wednesday and Thursday. Better find me some good shelter tomorrow.
Vilanova i la Geltrú ‐ Oct 21, 2018

Sunday morning started with no winds at all, so I motored for four hours, until one o'clock. When I was passed Tarragona some ripples appeared on the surface and I could start sailing, first making just three knots, but soon the southerly wind increased and made for a very comfortable broad reach in between four and five knots. I reached Vilanova around six, so after dinner and a shower there was some time for sightseeing and a beer in the town. Tomorrow over 20 knots of easterly wind is foreca [...]
sted, so most likely I stay one more night and take the train to Barcelona, where I have never been before. It's only 45 kilometres with the train.

+3

Daytrip to Barcelona
San Jordi marina ‐ Oct 20, 2018

After two days with strong winds, hammering rain and ferocious thunderstorms, Saturday seemed to offer some release. At the first sight of the sun around eleven I took that as a sign it was time for moving on, even though some strong winds was forecasted. I had a pleasant sail out of the delta, and also as long as I was in lee of it, but when I turned to more easterly it got too uncomfortable to beat against the wind so I took the genoa down and started the engine and went like that for three h [...]
ours. Getting passed the delta I could change the course towards the coast, which gave me a better angle towards the waves and a more comfortable ride. The wind decreased a bit and I could start sailing again, on a very nice beam reach towards San Jordi marina in the sunset. It got dark before I was in port, the sun sets now around seven o'clock, so I was a bit nervous about nets, there had been a lot of them further out. Also there was a lot of debris in the see , brought out by the flooding rivers and creeks after the heavy rains, but I was lucky not hitting anything. Marina San Jordi is very small and in quite beautiful surroundings. And also on the expensive side, low season price was 37 euros for Atlantis 11,47 meters.
Sant Carles de la Rapita ‐ Oct 17, 2018

Very heavy weather, with winds over 40 knots, was forecasted for Thursday and Friday, so I was eager to find a good shelter to wait it out. Vinaros didn´t seem like a good choice any longer, so I decided to go to Sant Carles, 10 miles further up. It´s in a big lagoon, created by the river Ebros huge delta. The delta extends 10 miles out from the cost, and the lagoon is south ot it. Which means a long detour when I continue north again, but I had heard good reviews of this place from other cru [...]
isers. And of course foremost because it would protect me from a direct hit by the gale. I took off from Las Fuentes before the sun was up. It was up to 15 knots of wind when I came out of the marina, and the sea was much better than yesterday, long waves and not high at all. But I didn´t want to take any chances, harder weather was forecasted for the afternoon and I had no intention to get into the same situation as the day before. So I kept going for the engine straight against the wind, and before one o´clock I was in Sant Carles. The strong winds never appeared in the afternoon, I could as well have spent the day sailing there, even if it would have taken much longer time, beating against the wind. But it was lovely weather and especially when I came in lee of the delta, the sea was flat with still a good wind. Fooled by the forecasts once again. But on the other hand I had some time to see the town by bike, go shopping at the Mercadona and buy some oil for the engine. Time for oil change after all this motoring, and I have to stay here at least to Saturday it seems, maybe more. It gives me some time for maintenance work, and to do some correspondence with tax offices in Sweden, Norway and France that I have procrastinated for a long time now. There might be free movement for people within the EU, but it sure is a bureaucratic hassle still. I had also hoped to do some sightseeing on the bike, this is said to be an interesting place, both the delta and the mountains behind the coast, but as the weather is now it seems I can forget about that. The rain is pouring down and will continue for two days more, tomorrow and Saturday with chance for thunder as well. Over 40 knots is forecasted for the waters outside here, ventuska.com says over 50.
Marina Las Fuentes ‐ Oct 16, 2018

A very unpleasant day at sea and a new weather forecast fiasco. I left Castellon before the sun was up since a bit rough weather was forecasted later in the day. I was going for the marina in Vinaros, but I only made it a little more than half way. 12 knots, gusting 17 to 19 became a steady wind well over 20, gusting up to 30. It is not dangerous conditions for a boat like Atlantis but with the short high waves it became extremely uncomfortable. A smaller boat that relied on a forecast like this [...]
would be in danger for sure. I understood that Vinaros was no longer an option. I decided to go to the small marina Las Fuentes, outside the little town Alcossebre. Atlantis was rolling violently outside the entrance, getting the lines and fenders out before I came in was not to think of. I had to go back and forth inside the little breakwater a couple of times before I was settled for docking. I really wonder how singlehanded sailors made it before auto pilots came around? They sure have my admiration. Since I was in port early in the day I had some time for sightseeing. It looked like the marina and also the town once had some upmarket ambitions, but now is a bit in of decline. Of foreigners there seemed to be only Germans, whom all appeared to know each other. But there was a market going on even this late in the day, and I found a jar of almost black forest honey. One kilo for 8,50 elevated my mood a bit.
Port de Castellón marina ‐ Oct 15, 2018

The haze that often hangs over this coast due to air pollution was washed away by the gale. I was met by crisp air and good sight when I steared out of the marina in the first morning light. The wind was from southwest and let Atlantis make good speed, over five knots, often more than six. Lovely sailing for three hours, before a windshift to east took some 45 minutes to establish and I went for the engine. Then the wind lasted for the rest of the day, albeit not so strong as in the morning. [...]
I could do over four knots most of the time though. My mood gets so much better when I don't have to use the engine, and it has been a lot of motoring since Gibraltar. But I am eager to come up to France as soon as possible, partly because I want to avoid the autumn storms, but also to get my health insurance problem cleared with Assurance Maladie, I now have all the documents I need for that. The marina here in Port Castelon is tucked in behind a big commercial port so it is a bit industrial here. An oil refinery to the south doesn't add to the scenery. The town itself is some kilometres inland, the village inside the port is named Grao. I took the bike up to Liedl in Castelon, but was too hungry to do some sightseeing. Maybe I have to stay one night more, hard winds are forecasted again, and I will have them against me. I will go out on the pier in the morning and see what it looks like.
Valencia marina Juan Carlos ‐ Oct 13, 2018

Very little wind forced me to go for the engine 9 hours to Valencia. Staying at the anchorage was not an option since hard winds was forecasted for Sunday. I thought I should be able to go and see the city on my "day off", so I got the bike ashore. The marina Juan Carlos is in the outskirts of the city, walking was not an option. Rain was forecasted in the afternoon, but I barely made it to the city center at noon before I could feel the first drops. I returned to the marina quickly. Then it was [...]
drizzling all afternoon before the really bad weather came around five. It didn't last long but was quite intensive, I guess we were at the western edge of the front, it looked more severe out st sea in the forecast. Valencia is Spain's third biggest city and is said to be beautiful. This was my second missed opportunity to see the town, I was here some years ago to look at a boat but had a too tight schedule to do some sightseeing. Maybe on my way back, if I don't take another route then.
At anchor outside Moraira ‐ Oct 12, 2018

It was not much wind when I came out at sea from Alacante, but I was able to do a bit over three knots for some hours. Since the marina was expensive, 36 euros, I was eager to find an anchorage for the night, and the pilot book gave me several offers. I decided for the little town of Moraira, where there is also a marina if the weather should turn bad. But the feeble winds lasted all day, and I had to motorsail big part of the time. When I filled the tanks with the tax free diesel in Gibraltar [...]
I was naive enough to hope it would last up to Cote d'Azur and back next year, but if it continues like this I'm glad if it lasts on the way up. I came to Moraira in the last daylight. It was some other boats anchored, and some on buoys, but I was able to find a free space over sand on the three meters curve. The wind had come from southeast all day, but was forecasted to turn easterly during the late evening. The little bay seemed to offer very good shelter for such winds, but some bad swell still found its way in for periods during the night, and made sleeping difficult.
Alacante marina ‐ Oct 11, 2018

From one big city to another. Alacante I have visited before a couple of times. The marina is big, it was built for Volvo Ocean Race some time ago, and is a popular stop for the luxury yacht crowd. The reception - they don´t call it capitania - is the most luxury I have seen in a marina, it feels more like checking in at a 5 star hotel. I arrived just after dark, so I had already eaten dinner at sea. Which gave me some time for going ashore. Alacante is a very elegant city, with lots of very [...]
smartly designed bars and restaurant, at least in the central parts. There is also a nice old town not far from the center. I had a beer at a cerveceria close to La Rambla, and enjoyed studying the lively street life typical for all big Spanish cities. I had some provisioning to do the following day, but it turned out to be Spains National Day so the only store that was open was a tiny Carrefour Express with limited assortment. I also needed to buy the Imray pilot book for Mediterranean Spain. I had ordered it from Imray in England direct earlier, to have it sent to Ayamonte, but TNT failed to deliver it, not once but twice, since Imray sent it express one more time. Incredible, never use that company for sending any packages, their incompetence is of galactic dimensions. Cruising without a pilot book is a bit like being blindfolded, so I really wanted to have it. To my surprise a small chandlery in the marina was open when I returned from the shopping, and they had a copy of the book. When the store owner saw my satisfaction for finding it, he jacked up the price to 92 euros! Normally it is around 70 in the stores (Imray take 42 pound on their website). I managed to get it down to 80 euros, but my bad opinion of Spain had got some more nourishment.

Alicante
Cartagena marina ‐ Oct 10, 2018

Due to hard winds and rain I stayed one more day in Garrucha. The town is quite small, less than 10000 residents. It is not that pretty, quite ordinary. In the first morning light on Wednesday I continued eastward in variable winds. Some sailing, motor sailing, motoring and then in the afternoon 3 hours of good sailing. It seems to be the rule at this cost that the wind starts late in the day. I arrived in Cartagena around six. The marina is quite big and popular for wintering, since the prices [...]
are low. Catamarans are not charged extra, so there was a bunch of these, from different corners of the world. After dinner on the boat I went up to the city center for a beer. As usual in big cities of Spain, there was a lively street life and an abundance of restaurants. The little I saw looked nice, with a mix of old and new architecture in different styles, that somehow melted together to an attractive whole. The city has a big commercial port and also a naval base. It's history goes back before Roman time.
Garrucha ‐ Oct 8, 2018

A very bumpy ride today to the marina in Garrucha. The wind continued through the night and built up higher waves than what I have seen so far in the Med. Luckily they were not so short as before, so the boat performed better today. At least when the wind was strong enough to allow the boat to keep it's momentum against the waves. But that was not the case all the day, the wind shifted between periods with 8-10 knots, followed by stronger periods with up to 20, in the afternoon even higher. Firs [...]
t I took a reef in both the main and the genoa, but ended up with reefed main and full genoa, since the boat got so badly balanced that the autopilot didn't work properly (I use it all the time at sea, it steers much better than me). I made it to the Mercadona supermarket and back before heavy rain broke lose. The first real rain since Bilbao two months ago as far as I can remember. It's supposed to be raining tomorrow as well, in that case I stay for another night. The town is said to be pretty, maybe I can have a look at it between the showers.
At anchor in Cala San Pedro, Las Negras ‐ Oct 7, 2018

I was eager to take advantage of the west wind forecasted for Sunday, so I was out of Almerimar marina before the sun was up. The wind was enough to give Atlantis between 4 and 5 knots on a broad reach for about two hours, before it died. I motorsailed for an hour, starting to fear a new major meteorological fiasco. But the wind started to pipe up again, even stronger than in the morning, and increasing. My plan was to go to the little port San José, but there I passed already around three, [...]
now making six knots most of the times. I didn't want to waste several hours of daylight, so I searched Navionics for suitable anchorages further up the coast. Nearest marina was too far away. Cala San Pedro looked promising for the forecasted wind shift to north east, albeit a bit close. I now had the wind right from the back, and it was getting stronger. The main blanketed the genoa so I decided to go goose winged, the main out to port and the genoa to starboard. After a while like that the wind increased even further and I was now making over seven knots for long periods. Cruisers sometimes talks about "the magic seven", and there I was! A great feeling but I was also a bit nervous because the wind showed no sign of going down, sooner the opposite. Atlantis started to move like a snake in the gusts and I realised I was severely overcanvased. I took in the genoa and continued with only the main, but in short I was over seven knots again in the ever increasing wind, now gusting over 30. At five o'clock I was at the bay where Cala San Pedro is the northern tip. Now I didn't care about waisting daylight, I started slowly moving to port into the bay, trying to avoid getting the wind on the beam, because with only one sail in such a strong wind Atlantis is impossible to steer with the wind from the side. Well inside the bay everything got easier, no waves and much less wind. I anchored first in the southern end, to wait for the forecasted windshift. Which didn't took long, so before six I was anchored in Cala San Pedro. There it looked like a hippie camp on the beach, and after some googling I found out that it is one of Spain's last remaining hippie communities, with people living there all the year. It would have been fun to go ashore but I was too tired to launch the dinghy, plus that the shelter from the northerly was not as good as I hoped. The wind was coming down the steep slope even faster than at sea I think, it looks like a typical place for katabactic winds. I dropped the anchor at three meter and gave out 20 meter of chain, but the boats jerky moves told me it was not enough so I took 10 meters more. I'll see if it is enough to give me peace of mind for sleeping.
Almerimar marina ‐ Oct 6, 2018

Very little wind was forecasted for Saturday. For a while I considered to stay for a night more and do some maintenance on the boat, but the marina was a bit too uninspiring. And the pontoons was completely full of birdshit. Cleaning them was not in the work instruction for the marinero, or they hadn't supplied him with a high pressure cleaner. So I took off around eleven, expecting to motor the 10 miles to Almerimera. But coming out of the marina I was met by a gentle breeze. Since I had all t [...]
he day for the short distance, I set the sails and switched off the engine. And to my surprise I made better speed than in three times harder winds the day before. So I got a very pleasant ride up to Almerimera in between 3.5 to 4.5 knots speed. The marina here is very big, with many foreign boats. This is because of their pricing policy - it is said to be the cheapest marina in the Western Mediterranean. And the town seems to prosper from it, the whole port is surrounded by restaurants, bars and hotels. Not to mention all the enterprises that cater for the yachts, here one can find all kind of service and chandleries. From October first it is low season prices, so I paid only a bit over 10 euros. The cheapest marina I have been to. Otherwise is greenhouse agriculture a very big business on this coast. From the sea you can see huge areas covered with them. To get an idea of the extention, search Almerimar on Google maps. Every white or grey square is a greenhouse. Not very attractive, but the landscape isn't pretty either. Mountains sloping quite steep towards the sea, with very little greenery on them, they appear mostly brownish. This part of Spain is marketed as Costa Tropical, but the only tropical about it is the summer heat. Tropical vegetation is not to find, besides a palm tree here and there.
Adra marina ‐ Oct 5, 2018

Once again a day with good winds that was destroyed by the short waves. Atlantis is apparently not built for this kind of sea. If this is typical for all of the Mediterranean I'm in trouble, either I have to stick to light winds if I want to beat against them, or I go for the engine. Which is boring and expensive. Adra is a small town that doesn't take any prices for being pretty. On the other hand it's kind of liberating with towns that doesn't pretend. The marina suffer from some lack of lovin [...]
g care and maintenance, and a big load of Euros. The marinero (who was from Romania of all places) was nice and helpful though. The evening was spent with a German couple who was kind to invite me for fish soup, with fish they had caught on their way there. A bonito and a golden mackerel, we figured out.
At anchor outside La Herradura ‐ Oct 4, 2018

Anyone ever heard of La Herradura? Neither had I until today when I searched on the chart for a place to drop the anchor. It's in a sheltered bay east of Malaga, the name means horseshoe. Though it isn't more horseshoe shaped than any other bay. I came hear 18:30 after having been forced to motorsail most of the 45 miles from Fuengirola. The wind remains from the east, so beating against it wasn't an option if I should be at anchor before dark, or even dawn maybe. I tried to do some tacking the [...]
first in the morning but i was never over three knots so i gave up. My anemometer seems to be out of function so I wasn't sure of the wind speed, though it felt like I should have done better. I'm too tired to launch the dinghy and go ashore, I hope to be in better shape tomorrow cause I need to do some provisioning. On this cost there isn't too many marinas, especially if the weather slows you down. I will try to make it to the little port Adra, 35ish miles to the east, measured distance, beating against the forecasted easterly considerably longer. The only other option is Motrin, only 15 miles away.
Fuengirola marina ‐ Oct 3, 2018

Winds today much like yesterday - it started good but then increasing gradually to become constant over 20 knots. I took in a reef both on the main and the genoa and was doing over 5 knots like that for a while, before the waves got to big. I'm starting to get some symphati för the old English expression - gentlemen don't sail against the wind. I took the sails down and went for the engine the straigthest way to Fuengirola. Of course this strong wind was not forecasted, same as yesterday. I [...]
arrived in Fuengirola around five, in good time to meet my old friend Börje who has a house west of here. It was nice talking old memories from Oslo, and also speak Swedish for a change (I am still fluent).
Estepona marina ‐ Oct 2, 2018

I was hoping to make it to Fuengirola today, but in the afternoon the waves got to difficult. Not high at all, but short and coming from two directions, so Atlantis was more stomping up and down than going forward. Around three o´clock I was making less than three knots in the good wind and then it was no fun anymore. I gave up and went in to Estepona marina. Quite cheap, very nice staff and a nice enough resort town. I make a new try for Fuengirola tomorrow, where I shall meet an old busdriver [...]
friend from Oslo.
La Línea de la Concepción ‐ Oct 1, 2018

The east going current towards Gibraltar starts 3 hours before high water Gibraltar. I had to start from Tarifa around 8 o´clock if I should be able to take advantage of it all the way. The first hour I had to go for the engine but then the forecasted westerly began, first quite feeble but increasing gradually, and soon I was doing over 5 knots on a broad reach, With some help of the current of course. The first thing I did when coming down to the Rock was to go in to the UK part and fill up t [...]
he diesel tanks, that now was close to empty. Gibraltar is a tax free zone, so I saved myself a couple of hundreds Euros there, paying with my Norwegian savings. Price per liter was 0.67 pounds. There are two marinas on the English side, but expensive from what I have heard, so I opted for the one a bit north, at La Linea on the Spanish side. Very well maintained it turned out. Nice and welcoming staff and very priceworthy. When I go back I will definitely stay there again. The afternoon I spent on a shopping spree in the tax free zone. A new phone, desperately needed, and a new Casio Wave Ceptor and some other stuff took a cut in my bank account, but I saved at least 300 hundreds Euros more compared if I bought it somewhere else. And one shall not underestimate the therapeutic effect of shopping.

Gibraltar
At anchor outside Tarifa ‐ Sep 30, 2018

I had to wait until 4 o´clock in the afternoon in Barbate marina to catch the east going current to Tarifa. Well outside I could not detect any current. If it was the hard easterly that neutralised it, or if I was in a back eddy I dont know, but I was barely making 5 knots. I never bothered setting the sails against the wind, but motored the 18 miles down to Tarifa and dropped the anchor on the west side of the peninsula. I had some strangely composed dinner due to lack of provisioning and went [...]
to sleep early.
Barbate marina ‐ Sep 29, 2018

There was no more time for sightseeing in Chipiona if I shall make it to Gibraltar on Monday. A strong easterly wind, called the Levanter, is the prevailing wind in the strait. It can stop sailors for a week or more going through. On Monday though there is a short weather window open for cruisers going into the Med. And I am very eager to take that opportunity if I shall make it up to Cote d'Azur before November. Good winds was forecasted, coming from east though so I had to tack all the way d [...]
own to Barate. Outside the entrance to Rota and Cadiz the wind was increasing, more than forecasted. Normally I would have gone in to Cadiz for the night instead of beating against such a hard wind, but then my chances to reach Gibraltar on Monday would be slim. So I took in a reef on both the main and the genoa and continued. After going an hour like that I realised it was not a smart move. The wind got even stronger and was now steady over 20 knots, building up a nasty short sea that stopped the boat from making much speed. Should I give up and go with the wind back to Cadiz, or fire up the engine and continue straight against the wind? I opted for the latter, well aware of that it would not be a nice day at sea. With Atlantis stomping against the waves, I cursed the poor state of meteorology, for what time in order this summer I don't remember. I worried about not coming into Barate marina before dark, it's difficult enough in daylight when one is siglehanded and the winds are strong. And it was soon obvious that this would be the case, the high, short waves made it impossible to make a good speed. I was a bit exhausted when I reached the marina entrance, but luckily the whole port was very well lit, it was not any more difficult than in daylight. It was also lots of space, so I could get the ropes and fenders out in lee of the breakwater. It can be quite a nuisance to do that rolling in the waves, not to talk about getting the main sail down. That's the time when I miss a crew or two the most.
Chipiona ‐ Sep 28, 2018

Chipiona was a nice surprise, quite a charming little town. Otherwise Spanish small towns can be a bit ugly, in the same way north American towns can be - very little estetic concerns has been made when making them inhabitable. There is no time for sightseeing now though, for the nearest month there will be mostly transport sailing up to Mediterranean France. Which is okey for me, me and the nation of Spain are not at the best of terms for the moment, and have never been really. And the food suc [...]
ks, with few exceptions. At least at the places I can afford.
At anchor outside Mazagon ‐ Sep 27, 2018

Mazagon has the second longest breakwater in the world and a 12 km long beach. That's it. I didn't go ashore.
Ayamonte ‐ Sep 21, 2018

Lazy days on the Guadiana

Still at anchor on the river. Seems I left Alcoutime in time - they had 42 degrees up there yesterday. Only 33 down here. In the shadow that is, and out on the water there is none. Yesterday I rigged...

Too hot up the river

On Friday it was becoming way too hot at my anchorage. 38 degrees was forecasted for several days. Down at the river mouth it was said to be a little above 30, so I decided to go back to my old anchor...
Pomerao, Portugal ‐ Sep 20, 2018

On Thursday I went a little bit further up the river, to the little village Pomerao. Here the river and the Spanish border have diverged, so the village is Portuguese even though it is on the east bank. I anchored a bit downstream, since there is a very tricky navigation past a collapsed roman bridge, leaving some dangerous unmarked rocks. I had got a detailed description and a hand drawn map from an Irish sailor, but I decided to make a recce with the dinghy. Up at the village I didn't find i [...]
t of that much interest, I returned to the boat and had some lunch and waited for the tide to turn. Around two o'clock I went back again, and anchored a few miles downstream, at a small tributary called Ribeira da Vascao. It's too small for Atlantis, so I explored it with the dinghy. One can see kingfishers there and I spotted two of them and also an abundance of beautifully coloured magpies. An eagle circled above the ridge a short while to fulfil my ornithology ambitions. It's very peaceful up here, no other boats at anchor. The evening I spent gazing at the stars from the cockpit.
Alcoutim ‐ Sep 17, 2018

Going up the river

On Monday afternoon I left my anchorage between Ayamonte and Vila Real and went north on the river. A gentle southerly took me a few knots against the current, and one more when the tide turned. But a...
At anchor in Guadiana river, Spain ‐ Sep 14, 2018

For once the forecasted wind was wrong in my favour. Quite feeble winds was promised for Saturday, but I decided to give it a chance, starting early and letting it take the time it takes. But already outside the Lagoon I was met by a fresh easterly, that after an hour or so turned a bit to the south so I got a better course against Guadiana river. I actually managed to do the whole distance, 30 miles charted, with only three tacks. Now I am in quite familiar waters, I have been here several wee [...]
ks with my sailing guru Peter Lightfoot at Faro Sailing School. Guadiana river is the border between Portugal and Spain. On the Portuguese side is Vila Real de San Antonio, on the Spanish side is Ayamonte. Both towns has kept much of their originality, mass tourism hasn't really made a great impact here. I will be around here at least a week, then I will decide about the plans for wintering. It seems like my idea about staying in Nice isn't realistic, the marina there has become too expensive even in low season I learned earlier this week. I will check prices in some other marinas on Cote d'Azur, but if It isn't possible, Portugal doesn't feel like a bad alternative. Time will tell.
Olhão, Portugal ‐ Sep 13, 2018
At anchor outside Ilha Culatra, Faro Lagoon ‐ Sep 12, 2018

At eleven we went out from Lagos. Outside it was dead calm, but good wind was forecasted later on by at least on of the marine weather websites. After two hours for engine we got a nice easterly, with more and more south in it, so I gradually could adjust the course towards the entrance to Faro lagoon. The wind was very steady around 17-19 knots, but we didnt made as good speed as we should in that wind. Maybe a current against us? Or I have too much growth on the hull? Next week I will go up th [...]
e Guadiana river and get rid of the growth in the fresh water. Saves me a good deal of money, not having to pay for lifting and cleaning the boat. And it is said to be beautiful up there. The wind died around six (not forecasted) and we motorsailed the last bit. We arrived at the breakwaters at mid tide, when the tidal currents are as strongest. But nevertheless I was taken by surprise, the current was very strong and made for some very nasty seas when it met the swell outside. We were tossed around a bit but Atlantis showed her seaworthyness once again. For a smaller boat I think it would have been outright dangerous. It was now dark, a thin new moon gave no help, but the channel up to the anchorage is marked with lit buoys. Popular anchorage indeed, more than 40 boats I counted to in the morning. After low water at 11:45 I dared to go in to Olhao on a rising tide. Axel had to catch a plane back to Vienna and I had to do some provisioning. I dropped the anchor east of the marina, with less than a meter under the keel. The wind is quite strong so I will stay for the night. The wind will settle later, but I have to stay up to after midnight to see what happens at low water. It's not a very big pool of deep enough water I am resting in.
Lagos ‐ Sep 11, 2018

It was 40 miles to Lagos on the Algarve coast, and according to the forecast we would have to go for the engine all the way. And of course the forecast was accurate, for once. Often there is at least some wind so one can hoist the main sail to stabilise the boat, but now the sail was just flapping and making noise, so I took it down again. Rounding Cabo Sao Vicente we got the swell from the side and it also got bigger and made it very uncomfortable. It was not in the best mood we arrived in La [...]
gos marina and it didn't get better after paying for the berth - 43 euros. The most expensive so far. The town is a tourist machine, catering mainly for people from UK it seemed. We went out for dinner and then early to bed.
At anchor outside Arrifana ‐ Sep 10, 2018

A strong northerly brought us a good part of the way to the anchorage outside Arrifana beach, but the last hour we had to start the engine. It was around five o'clock when we were settled some hundred metres outside the beach. We decided to row the dinghy ashore and have a look at the little village. There were some swell rolling in, but nothing serious and we made some jokes about the surfers that tried to ride the small breakers. Then coming close to the shore I saw a big wave coming in and l [...]
ifting the dinghy high - and then an even bigger one! It broke just under the boat, lifted it up and flipped it 180 degrees lengthwise. Not a very dignified landing! Soaking wet we cancelled the sightseeing and returned to Atlantis. We didn't make any more attempt to go ashore, it was the last time I tried to make landing on a beach! The anchorage was quite uncomfortable as well, especially at low water the swell made it difficult to get some sleep.
Sines ‐ Sep 8, 2018

After one night in the marina in Sesimbra we started in the morning to Sines. It started with good winds but the last two hours we had to go for the engine. Sines is a big commercial port and an industry town, mostly petrochemical. The harbour master described the town as dead all the year except for a fishing festival one week in July. After two days there we found no reason to argue with him about that. The reason we stayed one day more was strong winds forecasted for Sunday, and between Sin [...]
es and Cabo Sao Vicente there are no ports of rescue. On Sunday Axel tried his luck with the fishing rod. All he got was a fish that turned out to be poisonous. He stuck his thumb on the fin and soon had strong pain and a very swollen finger. After some googling he learned that the poison could be killed with the hand in hot water for 30 minutes. It worked as promised. How did people manage before the internet?
Sesimbra ‐ Sep 7, 2018

Axel arrived from Vienna the 6th, and the day after we took off for Sesimbra. We had a nice sail all the way, except for the entrance to the harbour when the wind piped up to over 20 knots. As usual when I go into port. We went into town and had dinner at a Portuguese restaurant. Grilled cod, normally very good around here, but the man at the grill had probably looked a bit to deep into the wine bottle, so it was a bit of a disappointment. After a stroll through the town we went back to the mar [...]
ina and prepared for an early start to Sines.
Cascais ‐ Aug 22, 2018

When I woke up this morning it was with a feeling that I wanted to get away from this part of the coast. The anchorage was bad, swell made it difficult to sleep and I didn't want to take the risk to get stuck here after yesterday's experience. A look at the forecast made it clear that it would be motoring, maybe all the way to Cascais (there is no other stop in between). But my natural aversion against motoring was weaker than the desire to get away. There were still some fog but the visibility [...]
was much better, maybe a 1000 meter or so, and it got better underways. My mood got much better too, sitting in the cockpit reading about Manafort and Cohen. I hope for more to come! Rounding Cabo da Roca and then Cabo Raso I got really good wind after six hours on the engine, and I could steer east towards Lisbon in a more stylish way, doing over six knots at times in 15-20 knots of winds from behind. But Lisbon was a bit too long away tonight, first stop Cascais. I anchored east of the marina, outside the center of town, among. lots of other boats. Cascais is the first place since San Sebastian that is not new to me, I was here some years ago with my kids Agnes and Axel. Maybe I stay another night, Lisbon is just a few hours away. There I plan to stay about a week. If you feel for some vacation there you are welcome on board! 24/8 Still at anchor outside Cascais, the marina in Lisbon I wanted to go to is full at least over the weekend I was told. But Cascais is a nice place and I save money at anchor.

Sintra

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Day trip to Sintra

On Wednesday I took the bus up into the mountains and visited Sintra, a famous Portuguese destination. Normally I have quite a low opinion on tourists that go to popular places and complains about how...

More wind and stronger

The Portuguese northerly took a break on Tuesday but was back today even stronger than on Sunday. I had an appointment with a sailmaker in Cascais marina and since it is quite expensive there I was go...

Strong winds

For the third evening it is strong northerly in the bay outside Cascais, stronger than forecasted. Last night it was 30 knots most of the time for some hours, the highest I saw on the instruments was...
Peniche ‐ Aug 21, 2018

My worst day at sea so far. I woke up with a foreboding that something bad would happen this day. But that feeling I shock of when I came up on deck - bright sunshine and a fresh westerly coming in through the bay entrance. I was quick to set the boat in sea state, eager to take advantage of the wind that was more favourable than forecasted. But I had fooled myself. Coming out of the bay I realised that the wind had curved and accelerated through the narrow entrance, outside it was a very modest [...]
southwesterly. Forcing me tacking down the coast in at best three knots, most of the time a bit less. But Peniche was just 15 miles away, no big problem, I could let it take the time it took. But after midday I could see fog rolling in from sea. Fog that isn't broken up by the wind or sun is bad news, it can last for a long time. And there is no ports of rescue before Peniche. I kept sailing, staring into the fog without any visual reference whatsoever. From the waves to judge the visibility was less than 50 meter. Something dark appeared in front of me - a fishing boat at high speed passed me by 15 meter. I was hungry and thirsty but didn't dare to go down to eat and drink. The wind made it possible to keep sailing so I could at least hear other boats coming close. Around three a clock the visibility improved and I was quick to get some food and water. But it didn't last for long, after less than 30 minutes it was as before. Now the wind died and I had to start the engine. I could here other boats around me, fishing vessels I assumed, at one time I saw the lights and contours of one. I was making as much noise as I could with my fog horn, to how much avail I could only guess. At least I had the electronic navigation, I knew my position all the time. Getting close to Peniche I called the harbour master and asked if I could anchor inside the breakwater, but he told me it was full, I had to stay outside. When I was passing the harbour entrance I could hear big engines all the time. Short waves told me big boats were passing close by. And all of a sudden a huge fishing boat, at least 20 meter, comes out of the fog, heading towards me at high speed. I released the auto pilot and threw the boat 90 degrees to starboard, avoiding collision with less than 10 meters. And the crew, maybe 8 to 10 men on deck, happily smiling and waving their arms at me! But now I was passed the entrance and I slowly ventured close to the nearby beach, still with no visibility. I dropped the anchor at the three meter curve as I use to. It was close to low water and a bit before seven o'clock. I ate some cold leftovers and decided to take the dinghy to port and go to the local Liedl. I figured I could find my way with Google maps on the phone, I was close to the breakwater. But the worst was yet to come. After climbing down in the dinghy, I made some reckless move at the same time a wave hit the boat. In a second the dinghy capsized and I was in the water. Normally there is an inflateable tube around the dinghy, which make it in practice impossible to turn over, but this I had removed some days before since the Genoa sheets always wanted to get snagged under them. My first thought was about my brand new phone, less than a week old. The smallest problem it turned out - I couldn't climb onboard again. I tried for at least 15 minutes but it was impossible. There is a ladder at the stern that I use when I want to go swimming, and there is a quick release line hanging down to it. But that line was to no use since I had secured the ladder with another line to the pushpit. Probably thinking it would never happen that I would need to release it from the water. I was thinking of swimming to the beach, but I had only a vauge idea about the direction. What if I was wrong and could not find back to the boat? I decided to swim up to the bow and try to climb up the anchor chain and the snubber line. No chance, too difficult. I had now been in the water for about 20 minutes. Then I suddenly saw another boat through the fog. A big catamaran had come in for anchoring after me. I shouted at them and asked if they could come over and help me. Of course they could. One of them launched their dinghy and climbed onboard Atlantis and released the ladder so I could get back on board again. Wet and frozen and with a dead phone, but still alive. A warm thanks to Australian Keith!
São Martinho do Porto ‐ Aug 20, 2018

I woke up at five this morning and wasn't able to fall asleep again. As I lay in bed reading I could here some wind starting, but I had to wait until nine before the marina office opened, to return the electronic chip for the gate and get my 20 Euro deposit back. At eight the wind was really good and I cursed myself for not leaving it in the evening before. But the forecast had said little winds in the morning, and some good northerly in the afternoon. Quite the opposite happened. Out at sea at [...]
9:30 I got a strong easterly on the beam that let Atlantis make over 6 knots at times. It didn't last long but it was a nice ride and a good start. 30 minutes motor sailing followed, then there was some ripples on the surface again. Out with the genoa for the second time and then I had almost three hours very pleasant sailing on a westerly beam reach, making up to 5 knots. Also this wind died, but was soon folliwed by a northwesterly that lasted to three a clock. Then it stopped, like someone switched it off with a button. All these winds was completely contrary to what was forecasted, and so was the rest of the day - the strong northerly that was promised turned out to be total calm. I went three hours for the engine, now beginning to accept the sad state of meteorology science. And it's negative impact on my economy. Atlantis 49 hp Lombardini slurps 4 liter per hour. My first intention was to go to Nazare marina for the night, but in the calm weather I decided to take a chance on Sao Martinho do Porto, five miles further south. It is a beach resort inside a sheltered bay with a narrow inlet, you can see it in satellite view on Google maps. Very lively place I found after coming in, all kinds of small craft and some bigger as well. The bay is quite shallow and half of it is full of local boats on buoys. It was not easy to find a good place, I am now anchored rather close to the entrance where a little swell is coming in. I have anchored in worse places though, and the little town is quite pleasant. I launched the dinghy and had a nice dinner a a restaurant. I will let the winds decide tomorrow if I shall explore the area or if I go the 15 miles to Peniche. Cascais is a bit too far away.

Sao Martinho do Porto
Figueira ‐ Aug 19, 2018

Arrived in Figueira around six Sunday evening, and as usual the wind piped up to 18-20 knots on my way in, after I had motored for two hours. I went to the pontoon for big boats since I saw some people on the dock that could help me with the lines. On my way in I called repeatedly on the radio without any response. It turned out that the marinero in charge was alone and he had no VHF license and forbidden by his boss to touch the radio! The city is quite big, more than 60 000 inhabitants. Aft [...]
er I had moved Atlantis to the right pontoon when the wind had settled, I went up to look for a restaurant. I found a Chinese and had beef Chop Suey, mixed salad and two beers for less than 10 Euro. Maybe Portugal is the place for the winter? Hard to beat economically at least. There were plenty of Scandinavian boats on the visitor pontoon, with me we were three Swedes, also two Norwegians and one Finnish.
Aveiro ‐ Aug 18, 2018

After a day at sea with variable winds, i arrived in Aveiro a bit before eight in the evening. Or actually quite a bit outside the city, the only place to anchor is just inside the river mouth, 4 miles from Aveiro. A bit too long for a dinghy trip that late. Otherwise it is said to be a beautiful place, a little mini Venice in a river delta with a lot of canals. I was tempted to stay an extra day, but Sunday is the only day before Friday with some winds. Seems like the Portuguese northerly is t [...]
aking a break, I had got the impression it was a very reliable trade wind. Maybe it is the climate change? The weather seems completely screwed up this summer.
Povoa do Varzim ‐ Aug 14, 2018

Yesterday I changed the courtesy flag from Spanish to Portuguese. Very good winds tolk me all the way to Povoa do Varzim, a bit more than 50 miles. I decided to stay here for some days, for boat maintenance, provisioning and also because of very hard winds Thursday and Friday. This is also a very good place för visiting Porto, the subway goes all the way from here. The marina is also very cheap, and the city is big enough to have everything I need. Tomorrow I take the subway to Porto, and h [...]
opefully I can post some pictures from there. The weather seems to settle on Saturday and then I hope to make it to Aveiro. 16/8 I didn't dare to leave the boat in the hard winds today, so I stayed in the marina to tend to the mooring lines. Porto has to wait, maybe i can go tomorrow. It is gusting up to 36 knots and quite noisy, so I guess there will be little sleep tonight

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Porto

Touristing in Porto

Today I took the Metro to Porto, a 50 min ride. The city is a big tourist attraction, and it's easy to understand why. The historic center is very picturesque, with narrow - and often very steep - all...
Baiona, Spain ‐ Aug 13, 2018

Baiona, one of several Spanish cities I've seen only from the marina. I checked in around eighth o'clock and after dinner, shower and planning for next day it was too late for sightseeing. Tomorrow I am done with Spain for this time, Portugal next.
At anchor outside Muros ‐ Aug 11, 2018

Today I passed Cabo Finisterre. Not Cap Horn exactly, but still a small feather in the cap. But no dramatic strong winds this day, as a French sailor I met had warned me for at this place. Instead the wind died while I was passing, and I had to go for the engine a while! But it didn´t took long before the wind was back and pushed me slowly against Ria de Muros, where I arrived around four in the afternoon. I launced the dinghy and went to the supermarket. The town looks nice but not overwhelmi [...]
ngly pittoresque. Ria de Muros is the first of the four Rias Bajas, or lower Rias. It is a popular cruising ground, mostly for French and English sailors it seems. They look a little like Scottish lochs, but warmer and not so much mosquitos. I have not decided yet if I shall stay here one more day, or if I continue towards Bayona tomorrow. I´ll have a look at the winds in the morning and make my mind up then. But first I take the dinghy to town again for a beer.
Muxía ‐ Aug 10, 2018

I arrived at Muxia marina 19:30, after checking in, eating dinner and taking a shower, it was not much time to have a look at the town. Pretty much all the houses looked fairly new and not very attractive. The marina though is nice and spacy, with welcoming staff. The harbour master saw probably that I was singlehanded, he met me at the dock and had me tied up in less than two minutes. Must have been new record!
A Coruña ‐ Aug 9, 2018

A Coruna is very different from what I anticipated. First, the city is much bigger than I thought, 200 000 inhabitants. It gives a quite wealthy impression after a stroll through the city center. I had also expected a bustling boat life, with lots of cruisers of all nationalities coming and going. The port is where most yachts makes landfall after crossing the Bisquay, or where they take off from for France and UK. There were no doubt more foreign boats than in other ports I´ve been to but far [...]
from as many as I thought. I saw some other Scandinavians, at least five, could have been more, and there were also some really big yachts. A bunch of big motor yachts and one huge superyacht did their best to give an atmosphere of an international yachting center. But all repair facilities is in another, industrial port further south in the bay, and the chandlery in the marina I stayed was very basic. I was sure to get hold of an sail maker to help me fix the main sail problem, but there is only one in the whole city - and they closed for vacation for some weeks the day of my arrival! But the marina is nice and well organized with helpful staff. Very spacy, but that seems to be the rule for almost all the Spanish marinas I have seen. San Sebastian is the exception. Tomorrow I will try to reach Muxia, 40ish miles southwest, a port and town I have not the slightest idea of what it is like. Kind of exciting to come to places like that. All the ports from Camaret sur Mer and forward is places I visit for the first time (San Sebastian is an exception in this respect too).
Cariño ‐ Aug 8, 2018

Today I rounded the northernmost point of Spain, and got a harsh reminder of the fact that when one have chosen this lifestyle, one has to take the bad with the good. Very little or no wind was forecasted when I took off from Ribadeo this morning. It seemed like I would have to go for the engine all the 40ish miles to Ria de Ortigueira and Port Carino. But after 3 hours I could see some wind coming up, so I started sailing in 5 to 6 knots of wind, occasionally a bit more. That's enough for Atla [...]
ntis to move at between 3 to 4 knots. Not that fast but a lot better than going for the engine, and even in that speed I would be in port before dark. And the sun was shining, instead of the rain that was forecasted. I had some pleasant hours, especially since the wind was increasing a little. When I was coming close to Estaca de Bares, the northernmost point, it increased a litlle bit more. And then more… And then hell broke lose. All of a sudden I was going against winds that was gusting up to 30 knots, rarely under 20. And after I had rounded the headland, going for Port Carino, I would have the wind right from the side, with way to much canvas up. I decided to get the genoa in, but still the boat healed in a very uncomfortable way. I had a long way to go before I was in lee of Cabo Ortegal and I started to feel I was in trouble. I turned a little to go a more southerly course to get the wind more from behind, but that was not a lasting solution, I soon got too close to the shore of the east side of the Ria. So I turned more to the west again, and eased out on the main sheet, more and more, still Atlantis was making over 6 knots. I started to imagine all kind of bad scenarios how this would end. But then the wind started to go down, instead there was pouring rain. No doubt I preferred the rain, I could take a lot of it in exchange for that wind! Within short the west shore came in sight through the low clouds and soon I saw the breakwater of Port Carino. Going around the corner I saw 4 other sailing boats for anchor, but there was lots of space for me as well. Lesson learned: I have to figure out a method to reef the mainsail also in hard winds even when singlehanded. The rule for reefing is to do it when you first start to think of it. But here things was happening way to fast. I recalled how I had read somewhere that these squall like winds that comes very fast without warning are typical for the waters around Cabo Ortegal, but I guess there are other places where you can be taken by surprise. Tomorrow I can (maybe) go around Cabo Ortegal, and then it´s all downhill with the Portugeese northerlies. A Coruna, a classic cruising destinatioin for boats that have crossed the Bisquay, is in reach for a days sail.
Ribadeo ‐ Aug 6, 2018

Yesterday morning the wind forecasts had changed to be more favourable for sailing. 10 to 20 knots they said, unfortunately from the west so I would have to beat against the wind, but Ribadero is only 22 miles from Luarca so I decided to go. I hoisted the main sail in lee inside the outer harbour, but outside the entrance I was hit by a steady wind of 20 knots, gusting up to 28. I was considering going back for another night, but ended up giving it a try. It was soon clear I would not make much [...]
headway, beating against the wind and waves, so I started the engine and went with only the main sail up for an hour and a half. Then the wind started to settle a little and I could take the genoa out and had some good sailing for a couple of hours. Going zig zag against the wind, I prepared for a long day at sea. But in the afternoon the wind piped up again and the waves had now become bigger, so the rest of the way I had to go for the main and the engine if I should make it before dark. Inside the Ria, once again I was in the middle of a regata! This time smaller boats and not going so fast. What kind of people are racing on a monday, I wondered, but well in the marina I was told it was an annual regata week going on. It is a club marina, very well maintained with good service, so I decided to stay for another night and have a look at the town. It has been too much of transport sailing lately.
Luarca ‐ Aug 5, 2018

Good winds today took me from Gijon to Luarca, a little port in the west corner of Asturia province. Here is no marina, visitors moors with the stern to a buoy and a long line to the 5 meter high breakwater. Couldn't figure out how I would be able to get a line to the top of the breakwater, but a friendly French sailor that was already there saw my confusion and helped me with his dinghy. I saw he was alone as well on his boat, so I asked him how to do it. Tres facile, he said, and showed me a [...]
line with a weight in one end that he used to throw around the bollard. Difficult enough, it seems to me. I can't go ashore without launching the dinghy, or swim, and I don't feel for that tonight. Maybe tomorrow if there is as little wind as forecasted.
Puerto Deportivo Gijón ‐ Aug 4, 2018
Ribadesella ‐ Aug 3, 2018

At seven o'clock this morning I was out of Santander, after motoring 40 minutes in the first morning light. Sun doesn't rise until after seven now, days are getting markedly shorter. A factor I have to increasingly consider , since I have a strong aversion about coming singlehanded into an unknown port in the dark. Between Santander and Gijon it is more than 80 miles, and there is only two small ports in between for a boat Atlantis size. None of them are safe in strong onshore winds. But st [...]
rong winds was nothing I had to worry about today. No wind at all for the whole day, 9 hours for the engine. Well into Ribadesella, the second port, the water was too low to enter the little marina. Two other boats was moored onto the quay on the opposite side, so I went there and asked one of them, an Englishman, if I could raft up outside him. No problem, very helpful and nice people. No facilities though, it had to be a bucket shower on deck. I am very tired of motoring now, plus it is expensive. I have soon finished the 290 liters red diesel I filled up on Guernsy 13 months ago. Next stop will probably be Gijon, but the forecast does not look good, little or no wind until Monday they say. Passageweather has the most positive forecast, so I put my faith in them. 4th of August There was a big fiesta going on in the town, celebrating the Asturians victory over the moors. This part of Spain was never really under muslim rule, the people were able to defend their freedom during the centuries of muslim occupation. The fiesta is still going on, though it is after seven in the morning. The music has stopped, but the party goes on, and will do so on Saturday too, it is a two day fiesta. It is somehow linked to a kayaking competition up the river and back. Kayaking seems to be a big sport here, there is even a kayak monument in the town. I will try to gather some info about this before I leave. It is quite an interesting area this.

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At anchor outside Santander ‐ Aug 2, 2018

At least one day with good winds. Had a nice and pleasant sail all the way to Santander. I went for sail all the way into the city, and just as I had them down I was surrounded by 60 - 70 regata boats. I had been too busy taking down the sails to notice the start line, I just saw over my shoulder and was like "lots of boat out today". Coming into the bay, the wind had piped up to 20 knots, so all the boats made tremondous speed and many of them had to tack to come out to sea. A bit of organised [...]
caos followed, the crews shouting at each other about right of way. I got my share too, since I was now motoring and had to give way to all of them. What would have happened if I was five minutes later to take the sails down? I don't think there is a rule for a singlehanded sailor going for engine, being on deck taking down the sails. But all went well, I didn't see any collisions. A French dock neighbour in Laredo had told me about an anchorage deep in the bay, where it narrows to a river. I went there and dropped the hook, to get some shelter from the strong wind. Being far from the city center now, I didn't bother about launching the dinghy and row three miles or so. I made some dinner and spent a lazy evening on the boat.
Laredo ‐ Aug 1, 2018

Today I walked the streets of Laredo. Didn't see any dieing cowboy though, all I saw was the supermarket and the marina. My opinion of meterologists are at a historic low. Bad wind forecasts complicates my life, even makes it dangerous at times. Especially on this coast, where there are long way to sail between the safe havens. Today the forecast was a total miss. What should have been a pleasant sail for 4 - 5 hours from Bilbao in 10 knots of easterly, became 7 and a half hours, first in alm [...]
ost no wind, then just a few knots mostly from west, turning south during the day. When I was not far from Laredo I got the promised easterly, only problem was that it was 20 knots instead of 10. No use for that wind, it just made it difficult to take the sail down and get into my berth in the marina. Which is normally complicated enough when I am single-handed. They have the strongest supercomputers in the world to help them make the forecasts, still they can't predict the strength and direction of the winds with any high accuracy. Maybe the wind is much more difficult to predict than precipitation or sunshine, I don't know. Extremely irritating it is.
Bilbao ‐ Jul 31, 2018

Not long after I set out from Lekeitio on tuesday morning, I discovered some problem with the mainsail. It was the webbing that holds the clew (the aft corner of the sail) down against the boom that was broken. The sail had lost its aerodynamic shape and I could only make between 2 and 3 knots in the good wind, plus that I could not go as high against the wind as normal.. After two hours beating against the wind, I had made less than 5 miles headway. No other solution than to fire up the engine. [...]
I kept the mainsail up to prevent the boat to roll and motored the rest of the day towards Bilbao in winds up to 20 knots, the waves getting bigger, making it an uncomfortable ride. Increasing rain didn't add to the experience. The clouds were low and dark grey, the steep coast appeared black instead of green. It was like sailing "in the land of Mordor where the shadows lie". My feelings for this coast is a bit mixed after 4 days. I arrived in the big commercial port of Bilbao in the late afternoon. There is two marinas there, but the one I opted four was full because of a regatta. I didn't bother to try the other marina, there was an anchorage not far away, qutie sheltered from the wind that now had turned to north. Bilbao center is 10 km away, but I was not tempted to take the dinghy ashore in the rain. My first plan for fixing the sail was to have a sailmaker doing it for me. Then I remembered some pieces of tuna line that François, the harbour captain in Morlaix, had donated to me, telling how incredible strong they are. I took one of the pieces and made as many loops around the clew that there is space for. It will be tested today, when I will try to reach Laredo. The rainy weather will continue, but the wind is now from the east, so at least I don't have to beat against it.
Lekeitio ‐ Jul 30, 2018
San Sebastián ‐ Jul 28, 2018

San Sebastian was a popular destination for hitchikers when I was young, so I spent a week here once in the early seventies. Much of it looks the same today, with the long playa that embraces almost all of the bay. And maybe even more crowded nowadays, at least in a weekend in July. The street life yesterday evening was almost overwhelming, it was quite some time I was in such a big city. For those who likes the Spanish style of night life, San Sebastian should be high on the list, with its abu [...]
ndance of pintxos restaurants and bars. That is northwest Spains variety of tapas, Further west it's spelled pincho or pinchu (the basque people seems to have a strong penchant for the letter x). The attitude towards boating tourism is unfortunately almost demonstratively negative. The marina is incredibly small for a coastal city this big (almost 200 000 inhabitants), with only 14 berths for visitors. There is space for anchoring in the bay though - but you are not allowed to take the dinghy ashore! I was told so by the harbour captain himself. After some discussion he let me tie up to another Swedish boat in the marina, but he made it clear that was an exception. And if someone landed on the playa, the harbour police would tow the dinghy away, he said. Very strange attitude indeed. So tomorrow i leave, even though I was interested in seeing more of the city.

San Sebastian
Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France ‐ Jul 26, 2018

I arrived yesterday to Saint Jean de Luz, very tired after 140 miles sailing with very little sleep. It´s too difficult to sleep in the cockpit and I don´t dare to go down for longer periods. Nightsailing singlehanded isn´t really my cup of tea. At least not the last hours before the sun goes up. But the sailing was really smooth, it could have been much worse. After one tack out of La Gironde I had a straight line south, which I could keep even though I was through all points of sail. I just [...]
had to set the sail to the shifting winds. Once during the night I jibed to get better wind after it veered a bit to the east, else I just let the sails in and out on the same side the whole time. My first plan was to go in to Cap Breton, but i passed there at low, and Reeds alamanac recomends two hours each side of high water. No idea to wait outside for three hours. Next port is Anglet Bayonne, but the marina is in a very industrious place so next choice was Saint Jean de Luz. Which I had no idea what it would be like, but it appeared as a quite charming little town, with a distinct basque atmosphere. The Pyrenées made an impressive background when I was sailing into the bay. The marina is very small with a few places for visitors, but not so many cruisers take the way down the coast of Biscay, so there was a berth waiting for me. A bit expensive though, 38 euro for the night, so today I went out in the bay to take an anchorage. Tomorrow the plan is going west to San Sebastian, if I get some good winds.

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Etape 1 finished
At sea outside Arcachon ‐ Jul 25, 2018

In Swedish we have a word for the reflex of the moon against the water. It is called moon road, and I have heard it has no translation in other languages. Right now I am sallng right into the moon road, going south outside Arcachon. To starbord I have Jupiter shining bright, low over the horizon, to port I can see Mars a bit higher, still with some orange glow, but not as much as the other night when I was going down to La Gironde. Earlier this evening I saw one of the most spectacular sunsets I [...]
have ever seen. It had an intense light red colour, like neon, and appeared bigger than usual. And tomorrow night there is a blood moon. One can be poetic for less. Now I changed course 10 degrees to port, to get some better wind, so I am sailing out of the moon road. I will try to get some sleep, there is no other port between here and Cap Breton, about 60 miles south, maybe 15 hours away. .
Port Medoc ‐ Jul 24, 2018

A longer jump on Monday afternoon and night to Tuesday, 60 miles to Port Medoc in La Gironde. I saw the flags on the Old Port´s towers fluttering in the wind most of the day, and in the afternoon I figured I had to take use of it. even if my original plan was to stay another night. Plan A was to take an anchorage on the outside of Ile de Oleron, but I was also open for going all the 60ish miles to La Gironde if the wind lasted. It started out really nice from La Rochelle, going as close up to [...]
the northwesterly wind as I could to pass north of Ile de Oleron. Close to the tip of the island the wind was piping up towards 20 knot, and Atlantis was healing a bit too much. Normally I would have reefed, but I had just one mile to go before I could turn south and get the wind from the quarter, So I tried to solve the problem by easing out on the main, which did good for the healing. But all of the sudden I heard some unpleasant sound - it was the rodkicker that had come loose from the mast. No chance to go on like that, I turned the boat up in the wind too se what the cause was, But the genua was flapping wildly so I decided to take it in - just to discover the lined had snagged on the furler. Another problem added to the first. I crawled up to the bow and with raw force I got the line free and could furl it in. The rodkicker problem.turned out to be a bolt that had disappeared, from unknown reason. Luckily I found one that fitted in one of my spare part boxes, and soon I was on my way south on a comfortable ride with the wind on the starboard quarter. The wind seemed to last for a bit into the night so I skipped the anchorage and called Port Medoc about a berth for the night. No problem, they answered and told me to take the hammerhead on ponton F. Four a clock in the morning I turned into the marina, just to see that the berth was occupied by a Dutch boat. I was not inclined to cirkle around in the darkness, looking for an alternative, so I rafted up outside them. Of course they woke up, an old couple, not too happy to go up and help me sort out the lines. But they were reasonable polite, that´s the etiquette in situations like this. Looking at the weather forecasts it seems I will be here until Thursday, when I will try to reach Arcachon. Maybe it will take some nightsailing, it´s another 60 mile to go. and the wind will not pipe up until late in the day, according to the latest forecasts.
Port des Minimes, La Rochelle ‐ Jul 19, 2018

More strong winds, both today and Friday, made me change my mind about the anchorage at Ile de Ré. Not that the Mantus anchor and the extra strong anchor chain wouldn't hold the boat, it has now proved its capacity several times, but it was too uncomfortable yesterday. And I would also have been stuck on the boat two more days, it was no dinghy weather either. So I took off in the morning towards La Rochelle and Port des Minimes. That might be the biggest marina in Europe with 4500 berths. I ha [...]
ve a package from Sweden to pick up here as well. As I am writing this heavy rain and thunder starts, maybe I am stuck on the boat here too :( .

La Rochelle Old Port

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Île de Ré

A short move

Today Sunday I moved from Les Minimes gigantic marina to a much smaller location - but a truly classic one: Old Port in La Rochelle. I thought it would be fun to spend at least one night here. It´s ri...

Bike trip to Ile de Ré

The weather got better today Friday. The strong wind prevailed but the sun was shining again and temperatur was pleasant, below 25, feeling a bit cooler still in the wind. Perfect day for a bike trip...
- Saint-Martin-de-Ré ‐ Jul 20, 2018
At anchor outside Île de Ré ‐ Jul 18, 2018

No wind or too much wind

Meteofrance promised winds at Beaufort 4 for my sail down to Ile de Ré this morning, but as so many other times on this trip it was a complete miss. The first two hours I made about 5 miles, mostly as...
At anchor outside Les Sables-d'Olonne ‐ Jul 17, 2018

Another lazy day at sea with little wind. It started not that bad, I was doing around four knots the three first hours, but then I had to start the engine. I arrived at Les Sables d'Olonne in the early afternoon and decided to try to anchor well outside the long beach that seems to be the big attraction here. I have spent too much money on marina fees lately so I need to get the budget in balance. Even if it seems to be an uncomfortable night, Atlantic swell is rolling right into the bay. I don' [...]
t bother about going ashore, but will try to get as much sleep as I can before an early start towards Île de Re. Also tomorrow the wind is forecasted to die at noon, so I will try to do as much headway as possible before that.
L'Île-d'Yeu ‐ Jul 15, 2018

Ir took me almost 10 hours to sail the 34 miles to Port Joinville in the weak northerly winds today. I arrived 5 minutes before the football final finished and then it was like the carnevale in Rio broke loose here. Congratulations France! Port Joinville is a popular stopover for cruisers and very crowded now in season. Doesn't look that pretty though, at least what I can see from the boat. I might change my mind when I come ashore. Stay tuned.

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Île d'Yeu
Pornichet ‐ Jul 11, 2018

A break from the sailing

Yesterday I went from my anchorage in Golfe de Morbihan 25ish miles south, to seaside resort Pornichet. There I parked the boat, took a shower and went to sleep, just to wake up to go back to Morlaix,...
At anchor outside Île-d'Arz ‐ Jul 7, 2018

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Île d'Arz

At anchor outside Île d'Arz

More walking and dinghy sailing

Yesterday I explored the rest of the island by foot, following the path that runs along the shore. It was longer than I expected, so I got some good exercise. Today I took the dinghy for exploring the...

Walking and dinghy sailing

After breakfast I spent 4 hours exploring the island by foot and was able to see most of it. It is probably the prettiest island so far on this trip, in my opinion. It has nothing of the dramatic beau...
Vannes ‐ Jul 4, 2018

Moved up to Vannes this morning, with a bit more drama than I expected. The last bit up to Port de Vannes one turn to port into a very narrow channel, 15 meter at places. And heavily trafficed since it is open only 2 and a half hours each side of high water. Just when I turned in to that channel my engine died. I tried to restart without luck, then I set a new record in getting the genoa out. Luckily there was a bit of westerly wind, right on the beam, which made it possible to navigate up the c [...]
hannel as I was trying to get in contact with the marina, asking for assistance. Couldn't understand a word of what they answered so I was going like that for more than a mile before the marina rib came and towed me in. Some problem with the fuel seems to be the reason. My guess was air in the fuel system, so I tried to air it. I got some air out, but even after I got clean diesel the engine refused to start. So now I hope to get a mechanic to help me tomorrow. I took a stroll in the historic center in the afternoon and was quite impressed. Very lively city with a lot of beautiful houses.

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Île aux Moines

Celebrating the engine problem solved

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Vannes historic center

Vannes, day 3

Friday was a busy day. Laundry in the morning, then off to the Liedl for provisioning for at least three nights at anchor. A quick lunch and then up in the saddle and biking to Port Blanc, where I too...

Engine problem solved!

The capitainerie at the marina in Vannes was very helpful with helping me to find a mechanic today. It didn't took him long to find the problem - a cable crimp had come lose because of the engine vibr...
At anchor outside Île Loungue in Golfe de Morbihan ‐ Jul 1, 2018

Very short jump today, but at least I am now inside Golfe de Morbihan. Very strong tidal currents here and lots and lots of boats. Every move has to be planned according to the currents. Luckily one can find more sheltered spots here and there where one can drop the anchor.

Ile Berder

Exploring Morbihan with the dinghy

The rain eventually disappeared, and I took the dinghy for exploring the islands around the anchorage. In places it's impossible to row against the current, over 9 knots is the strongest, not far from...
At sea
Port du Crouesty ‐ Jun 29, 2018

After two days of biking around Belle Île, I returned to the mainland and the gigantic port of Crouesty. A very convenient place for going into the famous Golfe de Morbihan.
At Anchor, Belle Ile ‐ Jun 26, 2018
Port Tudy, Ile de Groix ‐ Jun 24, 2018

Another short jump on my way south, 15 miles to Ile de Groix. I figured I could afford two nights in a marina after 8 nights at anchor. Tomorrow I will explore the island by bike, pictures will come.

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Biking around Ile de Groix
Port Manec'h ‐ Jun 21, 2018

I managed to get the folding bike ashore in the dinghy and spent two days biking around Port Manec'h. Here is some pictures from these trips.
Pont-Aven

Pont Aven turned out to be as pretty as promised. Though to get there was a bit of a nightmare. A really mean northerly was sweeping down the river and more than neutralized the upgoing tide. The 3.2 miles took me two hours of constant rowing, so I arrived with aching shoulders and some blisters in my hands. But it was well worth the effort, the place is very pretty and romantic. It became famous as an artist colony in the late 1800 hundreds, Gauguin the most prominent. And art is what it is ab [...]
out today, I saw somewhere that it is 60 galleries in the town. Boats with draft up to 2.2 meters can go all the way up 2 hours each side of the high tide, and then dry out against the quay in the town center. If going there was a struggle, returning to Port Manech was easy, with the tide and the wind in my back.

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Pont Aven
Port Manec'h ‐ Jun 20, 2018

Short trip today, from river Odet to the mouth of river Aven. Tomorrow I will row the dinghy 3 miles up the river to Pont Aven. A French Canadian sailor I met at a party in Morlaix told me about this place, and said it looked like a Disney movie My expectations are big, I will let you know tomorrow. For the night I stay for Anchor down by the sea, in Port Manec'h, a very little port with just a few buoys for visitors, and moorings for local boats up the river. Just east of the river Aven is t [...]
he estuary of the river Belon, famous all over the world for the Belon oysters. Maybe I go up there as well. Friday and Saturday I spent biking around the countryside of Port Manech. Many places of great beauty.

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Biking around Port Manec'h
Quimper ‐ Jun 19, 2018

Yesterday evening I moved up the river Odet a few miles to a new anchorage, to get a chance to reach Quimper with the dinghy. I took off this morning with the last hour of the flood. Which turned out to be too optimistic. Much longer to reach the city center than I calculated, so one hour became two with the last one struggling against the outgoing ebb. A bit of a stretch for an old man, but as old Nietzsche used to say: if it doesn't kill me, it makes me stronger. And it was well worth the ef [...]
fort. Quimper turned out to be a very nice surprise. Unfortunately I could not stay more than two hours if I was going to avoid to go against the tide on my way back as well. Certainly would have liked to spend a day here.

Atlantissailing
At anchor outside Audierne ‐ Jun 15, 2018

The boating life is full of contrasts. Yesterday was a day when things was lost and broken, and far more adrenaline filled then I asked for. Raz de Sein is the last tidal race on the way south, and with a tidal coefficient of 101 it sure lived up to its reputation. The locals in Douarnenez said I could go through within one hour each side of high water. I was 15 minutes before slack water, and those minutes were probably the worst I experienced at sea. And to fulfill the day I had a sleepless ni [...]
ght at anchor outside Audierne, with a high uncomfortable swell that made the water in the fresh water tanks slosh around with a terrible noice.
Douarnenez ‐ Jun 12, 2018
Camaret-sur-Mer ‐ Jun 9, 2018
L'Aber Wrach ‐ Jun 8, 2018
Morlaix, France ‐ Jun 8, 2018

Île-aux-Moines, France ‐ Jul 6, 2018