Happiness is the Wind in your Sails

Danny, David, George, Me, Jon - the motley crew

After a fun-filled night getting to know the crew in Lagos, which is not a bad little town, we slogged around the next morning getting the various supplies for the boat and stopped for an Irish Breakfast before leaving the port of call.

... and the Skipper too .... George, the man you want at the helm

It was a fun night though, filled with noisy restaurants, karaoke, and a late night beverage.  My head hurt a little the next morning.  Karaoke was a hoot and David is quite the chanteur.  He and I attempted a duet of Island’s in the Stream – just in case you couldn’t guess, I did the Dolly Parton part!  It was a bit of a massacre though – oops.  Good lyrics though.

Karaoke and the motley crew!!!

So off we went.  The coastline around that part of Portugal is exceptional – beautiful.  Unfortunately, as we would discover for much of our journey, and what George already knew, heading in that direction and then northward up the coast, the wind is usually not in the best position for setting the sails.  So we did a lot of motoring and set sails whenever we could.  Setting the sails is wonderful after listening and trying to sleep to the motoring of the engine, so you cherish that amazing silence that a sailboat can make as it ploughs through the water, just the sound of the waves lapping and the odd humming of the boat when everything is just right.

The beautiful Portuguese coastline

Unfortunately for me, for the first couple of days, I had to get my “sea legs” and fought back seasickness.  But I did bring some pills so not sure if they helped but I did take them for the first couple of days.  However, the key is to stay out of the cabin, unless you are horizontal, and to keep your eye on the horizon.  I am happy to say, that I did not “toss my cookies” and managed to finally keep the nausea at bay.  Must be the fact that on my Mother’s side, her father was a navy man, so it is in my blood.  Not to mention that I likely come from a line of vikings way back!  Ahhhh, the wind, the waves and the sun, what could be better than that!

Beautiful