37 01.6 N 007 49.7 W Olhao, Algarve Monday, 26th April 2010

Good flight, clockwork arrival, brand new hire car, boat intact! That's a good start. The outside of the boat is covered with a thick layer of dust / sand and a few gungy bits, but that's easily remedied. A lot to do to get it clean inside and out and to stow things away. A major food shop is needed and everything is more difficult when the boat is out of the water. But clear blue skies and it feels hot at c. 26-28 deg C.

Tuesday, 27th April

Just starting to do a few of the jobs when we get a call from Clive & Jane (Talisman) who are arriving in Faro today and heading off to Seville; due to come back and join us on Friday. There is some sort of bus strike apparently and they are stuck and want to come find us. We drive to Faro airport to get them, then into Faro itself to the bus terminal where things are not as previously reported. They get their tickets for Seville, we get coffee and cake and everyone's happy. The boat is not ready for them until Friday, so glad the strike was not real! Back to Olhao for boat jobs, launderette searching and major stock up. We are due to be launched on Thursday now, not Wednesday. Just as well, as we're not ready for tomorrow. Richard is playing with setting up his new AIS (ship identification system for the uninitiated). Sails will go on once we're in the water.

The storks are enormous, nesting in huge nests on all the chimney pots here. Hotter today. The boatyard is full of British, German and Dutch getting their boats into varying states of preparedness for a variety of voyages. It's a slightly bizarre, cocooned other world of itinerant travellers. Margaret & Roger's Nutters Corner all over again.

Friday 30th April
Thursday spent putting sails on, sorting out little things. Boat was launched at 4pm, cloudless sky. We tested everything worked and were off, to the Ilha de Culatra to anchor overnight. Culatra is a strip of sand dune really, with masses of little buzzy boats that roar in and out of the anchored yachts. There is one Canadian boat, 3 German, 1 Swiss and 3 British including us. The other two we know from Olhao boatyard.

Have cleared the aft cabin in readiness for visitors. Clive and Jane (from sister ship Talisman) arrive from Seville this afternoon. We are going back to Olhao where we have negotiated a free berth for the night in the fishing port next to the private little marina. There are no visitors areas here so are lucky. There is a mini boat show here tonight and mega market tomorrow morning, so C & J are in for a treat!

Sunday, 2nd May

Did I say treat?? Went to the mini boat show, less boat, more seabed ecology and very interesting. But and big but, there was also a band that started at midnight, went through to 4am (I know to the minute) , not really a band but more rhythmic ranting and raving. No sleep! But market was superb, fresh fish for bbq, went off to Ilha de Culatra for peace and quiet. Bit lumpy initially for Jane particularly, but eventually calmed down, good night and cracking sail today to Albufeira. Into marina, zoom around hilltop town for ice creams, back to boat, back out to bay for BBQ dorade, and now surfing internet for CW. Off looking for live crabs tomorrow and perhaps Lagos caves to follow.....