Sunday, March 30, 2008

Week 1 in Las Palmas Gran Canaria

This has been a big week in Las Palmas Gran Canaria for us.

That's right, Karen and I let the lines go from Rubicon Marina Lanzarote after 32 days and set sail for an overnight trip to Las Palmas Gran Canaria. The trip itself was almost uneventful passing through the reknowned acceleration zones with not much of a fuss at all. We sailed the entire voyage (with the exception of exiting and entering the harbours). This is a first for us and the entire trip would have used only the smallest amount of deisel - so cheap as well. The only event on the trip was a dance with a fast ferry as it turned across our bow to pass starboard to starboard and then shine a very strong spotlight on our boat. From my reckoning, we followed the colregs, turning to starboard to ensure we would avoid him before he turned across me so I am not quite sure what happened. Maybe he didn't see me.

On arriving in the marina with 24knot winds we were assigned a 8m berth down a narrow lane - needless to say , with these winds, I could not make such a small berth, and after a scratch from one of the neigbouring boats, we moved over to a much more appropriate sized berth on pontoon 17. The guys on the other boats on the pontoon were quick to assist in tying up and we were safe in Las Palmas. Although I was a bit shaken by the parking experience.



We were greeted by Nick Jaffe, a young Australian we met in Baiona, Spain before Christmas. He is sailing his 26ft Contessa from Holland back to Australia solo. For those of you, like us, who don't know a lot about boats and sailing this is a small boat. We were expecting him to have already left Gran Canaria, but like a lot of people he had been waiting here for parts for two months. Nick is doing this with the help of sponsors on next to nothing - check out his web site - www.bigoceans.com .



We have been making new friends and there a more cruising sailors here than anywhere else we have been so they have been helpful, offering advice, drinks, information and assistance where-ever we turn. Bill on Spangle has spent alot of time helping and even cooking us a vey nice fish dinner. I must admit being envious of Bill's wi-fi antenna that seemed to work as well as my expensive one imported from the States.



Kath and Bear, an english couple (from NZ) who have been cruising since 1982 are a wealth of knowledge and have suggested not putting a time limit on our trip.

On Wednesday - Ivan (the Terrible by his own admission) arrived on a 54ft Amel Super Maramu 2000. Bill, Maryann and I helped him tie up and when we were finished, he asked us if we spoke French - which none of us do - but when he said - "Voulez vous un apperatif" we all understood and we boarded for a glass of wine and a tour of the boat. On Thursday evening, Karen was invited over for the tour and we spent 2-3 hours conversing in a combination mainly French, a bit of English and a lot of sign language. It is amazing how much can be understood without a common language - we got tips on anchoring, use of the inverter, washing machine and dishwasher etc. The Amels are very nice 1/2 boats with a rich and warm finish inside. There is a definate difference between the feel of a single hull and a multi-hull.

Nick finally left on Friday after some final repairs to the mast light - and he was off for a 27day + sail to Barbados - alone. Ivan did explain that smaller boats handle rough seas without the crashing of waves - but somehow Nick's boat still looked very small as it left the marina.


He was followed a couple of hours later by a Kazakstani boat - carrying the country's first circum-navigation crew -complete with camera man. It left twice - the first time being filmed then they returned for the cameraman. This was necessary as the crew started off with eight in Kazakstan but by the time they were ready to leave here were down to four including the cameraman.



We have also done some sightseeing - mainly around Las Palmas -Santa Catalina and the old town.


We visited the house Christopher Columbus stayed in when in the Canaries and learnt more about his voyages of discovery. It said he went to his grave convinced he had found a quick route to China. He also had some very convincing charts of this continent. I took some photos in the museum of his boat and was promptly scolded by the attendent.

Unfortunately, I also had my bike stolen - the cheapest new bike in the world with 18 gears and Karen and I had a matching pair. Someone took bolt cutters to my 8mm wire lock and fleeced it in the middle of the night. All those blogs about security of the Las Palmas marina seem to be true as people told me of bikes even getting stolen off boats. So yesterday was spent finding a new bike. I have found the 2nd cheapest bike in the world 20km from the marina but am trying to find a route to get it home - non-mountainous and non-freeway - not easy on this island. Hopefully tomorrow I will be mobile again.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

And the Oscar for best stunt goes to Karen Donovan in Agadir to Lanzarote

So,

if anyone was wondering what we were doing at mid-night on our 16th wedding anniversary - please watch this video.....
 
We edited it for hours and only finished it for your viewing at about 1am. It gives you an idea of the comfort and tranquility of motoring in moderate and winds.

COMMENT:
AUTHOR: carla and kenny
DATE: 4/4/2008 10:04:35 AM
i feeeel sea sick just watching this -----

REPLY:
AUTHOR: Karen
DATE: 4/5/2008 8:59:37 PM
Matt did not only feel sea sick, he was and made me clean it up -----

COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Phil Gray
DATE: 5/15/2008 12:02:54 PM
Very professional video guys. What software did you use for edit. Sorry to hear about your bike. Spanish people are pretty good, but often poor by our standards. Stay safe and I wish you fair winds. -----

REPLY:
AUTHOR: Where2
DATE: 5/15/2008 12:09:32 PM Phil,

Thanks for the comment - great coming from Brisbane as I am a Queenslander that wandered down south for 20 years before taking off on this adventure! I just used Windows Movie Maker that comes with Vista - easy to use and a bit of fun!

Cheers

Matt & Karen -----

COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Bear and Kath
DATE: 5/16/2008 12:49:16 AM
Is that really Karen doing that stunt or did you use a stunt double? She hot. Looks like you guys are having a blast, good to see.

COMMENT:
AUTHOR: John D
DATE: 5/19/2008 12:53:16 PM
Where's the bucket?

COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Anne Foster
DATE: 5/20/2008 7:34:57 AM
You would think with all that time on your hands you could conquer some videography expertise?! Hope you are both well and still alive-has there been any dead calm moments? All good in Melbourne town-same ol same ol really. Little M due in 3 months-feeling healthy and can't wait for work to be done!!
Great to get the blog-will now subscribe. Love the Furphys -----

COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Anne
DATE: 5/20/2008 7:53:01 AM
I'm pretty sure Phil was being sarcastic about your editing software...
jdsajfldjsf
sorry-the dog stepped on the key board-by the way, how are yours....? I still think Doggone was a great name for the ship!

COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Where2
DATE: 5/23/2008 6:50:29 PM
I think Phil was being very sincere and probably knows a lot about video editting - do you Mrs Furphy? (Phil help me out here buddy......)

Friday, March 14, 2008

Phone orders for Pizza

Well, last night I dialled in for take-away pizza to Lani's Snack Bar at Marina Rubicon Lanzarote. Although they speak Spanish mainly, the order was understood, a time was given and the pizzas when collected were right - so far better than most of my favorite take outs back home. But wait there is more. The pizzas were fantastic. Karen's Vegetale was enjoyed by her  on the night and and I for lunch the next day - this is the first time I have ever enjoyed a pizza with no meat - I never thought it was possible.

Now we didn't do this blind - we had had lunch here before and the toastees are great as are the hamburger and good prices to.

So the take out number is 928 51 9041 - but if you are thinking about calling from home - don't forget the country code of +34 and remember they could be cold when they get to Aus.


 COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Caju
DATE: 3/18/2008 11:02:20 PM
Sweet life, Fair winds and lot's of happiness in your new rumb line from Caju Mari and Kaique

COMMENT:
AUTHOR: wendy cadby
DATE: 3/19/2008 8:35:45 AM
Hi Karen and Matt. They do deliver to Oz I checked. Put them in a special parcel and arrive hot hot hot not. Things have been interesting here. Zo had car stolen at knife point and two days later found torched at Box Hill. Nice place Melbourne - Ferntree Gully. You two watch out for pirates though. They wont take just a car they take boats/ships/catamarans. If you keep us entertained enough with your travels we pop over to see you next year. I wanted to go this year but Josh is doing his 3rd year pyschology and Im sure Zo wont look after him. Im actually writing this at work instead of working which seemed like a good idea. Have great fun you two. You can do anything Karen you are WOMAN. MY gosh I cant believe I know someone sailing around up there. It is just great. Better go the boss is hovering. Love Wendy

COMMENT:
AUTHOR: andy
DATE: 3/19/2008 8:24:59 PM
no domino's on the marina!??
you do realise, by having this website, it will be all to easy for me to get distracted from work! it's great!
great stories!

REPLY:
AUTHOR: Where2
DATE: 3/20/2008 9:53:20 PM
Andy, just blame me - Ashley is used to having a problem like me for 20 years now....

When are you coming over

Matt

COMMENT:
AUTHOR: dave
DATE: 3/21/2008 12:22:34 PM
I prefer my vegie pizza's with ham and salami. he he
You know how I like my vegetables. Eventually sent you a couple of pictures. Will get some more soon.
So KFC tomorrow then :)

Monday, February 18, 2008

Agadir to Lanzarote (February 2008)

Agadir to Lanzarote – our first passage without the assistance of a skipper – a big step for anyone sailing off the coast of Africa for about 240 nautical miles into the Atlantic ocean – at least we think so. The planning had been done for a while with the waypoints marked on the charts and entered into the chart plotter well ahead of time. We were then just looking for the weather window to suit us for a 48 hour sail (5knots planned).

The preparation for the trip was reasonably easy as we were well provisioned so it was really just topping up water and fuel. You would think that was easy but on the Tuesday we set off to the fuel dock – about a 100 meter trip across the marina, like any trip, was faced with trepidation – will I get the boat out of the pontoons without damaging it, will I dock at the fuel dock without damaging it? All went smoothly going out and coming alongside the fuel dock when the attendant told me I had to turn it and back it into the fuel dock just to increase the degree of difficulty. Again all went well there as well – all with a bit of nervous sweating on my behalf. Well we filled up with about 460l of gasoil (diesel) which was quite cheap at about 0.73 Euros a litre but as the attendant took the hose out the chain on the fuel cap broke and it went to the bottom of the marina. We closed of the fuel tank using a water cap wondering where we were every going to get a replacement before heading off later in the week.

After returning to our pen and tying up, I asked the harbour assistant where I could buy one, and after some sign language, poor attempts at French on my behalf, I think he understood what we wanted and said he would ask his boss and get back to me tomorrow….. So we taped the water tank filler closed with gaffer tape not holding any hope on getting a replacement.

But next day, the assistant catches up with us as we are riding back to the boat and said for 200MAD (basically the cost of the air) Fernando – his boss – will dive and find the original cap. Making sure that he could do it before we leave on Friday we agree to this with some degree of scepticism. Next morning, Fernando and his assistant pick me up from the boat and drove me round to the fuel pontoon and Fernando went diving. After two attempts – the second by gloved hands due to poor visibility Fernando came up with our fuel cap – certainly cheaper than buying a new one and having it flown in, but a bit of a gamble that paid off. Once fuelled it was just a matter of waiting for the weather and Friday morning we tentatively set off to sea at 11:15 and said goodbye to Agadir and Morocco for now.

The sea was calm but the fishing fleet was out,

so it was dodgems’ for the first 3-4 miles before we put the sails up and pretended to be sailors (motor sailing until about 11:00 pm). See if you can spot the Fishing bouy in the photo – a hint it is blue……

When this was done we had our first pod of visitors. Unlike those on our way down from France, these guys seems to get bored easily and would only swim with us for 10 minutes at the most – but that was long enough to really enjoy their beauty.

The trip was pretty uneventful – periods of calm, periods of good sailing up to 7.5knots and we had to manage our speed to ensure our passage plan was met – 48hours at an average of 5knots to get us into Rubicon at lunchtime with room on either side if something goes wrong or right. To do this we varied how we sailed, using reefs to slow us down and then regeneration with the motors to slow us further. This gave us time to work out our systems and rosters and that scrambled eggs is a good passage food. With only the two of onboard, we could be more flexible and it was more comfortable in the way we approached watches. I found this a bit more relaxing, whilst the pressure of being in charge of Where II for the first time alone was always in the back of my mind.

We first saw the lights of Arriciffe just before dawn and turned south on course for the last coastal leg of the journey. We rounded Papapaygu , and after a little confusion correlating the pilot to what lay ahead of us (despite Karen's computer skills), we sited Marina Rubicon at Playa Blanca, Lanzarote.

We made the call to the Marina staff to request permission to enter the harbour – to which they answered “of course, come on in” – just a bit quicker than what we experienced at Safi in Morocco. We rounded the mole with 2 meter swell going across what appeared to be a 7.6m harbour entrance (bear in mind Where II is 7.5m wide) with waves crashing on the rocks on either side. But the approach was textbook and I tied up like a pro with Karen handing the ropes to the Marina staff from the deck all the time being watched by damn tourists trying to figure out what our flag was. After a quick check in, with staff organising custom formalities for the next day, we proceeded to our pontoon- again a perfect parking job in a 9-10m wide berth next to the Sunsail school. While we thought that the trip was calm enough, there was at least one individual on the boat that thought the seas were a bit rough – the stow away squid on the fore deck – this changed Karen’s view on calamari.

Our Canarian adventures were about to start.    

COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mark Bloodworth
DATE: 3/18/2008 10:38:29 PM
Matt.. Loved it! What a pro. I've only read this article but will get to the others over easter. Keep up the work blogging as it terrific to hear the detail of your adventure.
Loved the cap rescue... different values!
may the wind continue to fill your sails!!!! all the best Mark

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Agadir Morocco - Will we stay or will we go?

Agadir - nice easy place. We are staying on a five star marina which unfortuately has only 3.5 stars constructed but those three and a half are fantastic. The Marina facilities are good, very easy to get in and out of and the staff are great. The retail here is growing with work on a number of stores happening and I believe that by summer this place will attract a lot of cruisers.


We were planning to only spend two days in Morrocco as we said but Agadir was too nice to leave. As I am sure will be the case on numerous occasions when we find somewhere nice - the question is - will we stay or will we go?

We have relaxed, sailed past the King's new residence and had lunch just off his beach, spent 400MAD (Moroccan Dirham) at the Casino - apparently Karen doesn't always win, worked on the web site and generally had a good time.  We enjoyed a superb meal (with a superb rochefort sauce on my steak) for Valentine's Day at Les Blancs - Agadir on the Marina (tel:028828393 for reservations).

It is a non- threatening envrionment - with one exception.....

This morning at some ungodly hour - which we thought we would not see again while on land (7:00am) we were awoken by the sound of voices at the back of the boat. The next we hear someone walking on our deck. I got up and pulled on some trousers and went up stairs to find a women sitting in the cockpit and the night watchman on the pontoon. The woman was speaking Berber and I could not understand a word she said.

The night watchman hurried off to get the police as the woman would not leave - eyeing off our new tagines that Karen had been seasoning. On arrival the woman promptly explained that she was with me and that we had a fight. Through our translator the watchman I explained thatwas not the case as my wife was below in bed! After trying to coax the woman off the bed, the policeman had to forcably remove her and came back later to apologise.

After this and the reality of us avoiding the first unaccompanied trip, we decided to leave Agadir when the weather permitted. I will miss the magic of this place tho'.



COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Penny O'Loughlin
DATE: 4/1/2008 2:29:24 AM
Hi Karen & Matt,
Looks like you are having a fantastic time- even if strange Moroccan women are trying to hitch a ride with you!! Sorry I haven't written earlier- but will stay tuned in to your blog's for updates. (the site is great & Morocco looks amazing!)
We have just finished the GP at home, so things are starting to quieten down a little- which is good.
My friends and I were recently discussing Morocco as a travel destination, so I have forwarded your site to them, so they can have a look at where you have been and what it's like and we can then discuss. You do make it look very appealing, - except for the wandering women!!!!
Travel safely,
Wishing you all the very best on the rest of your travels,
Penny
The greenevent gang says a big hello. xoxo

COMMENT:
AUTHOR: kathy
hi just to tell u i go to agadir twice a year it is so nice,the local people never hassle u and i always have a great time

Monday, February 4, 2008

Marrakesh Feb 2008

We hired a car and drove the 4 hours from Agidir in our luxurious Fiat Uno (no radio or Aircon).  Tim drove the first part, through the mountains and into the desert, and videoed the trip at the same time.  I was glad to be in the back seat.
The scenery was amazing and full of contrasts.  We saw lots of goats, (they love to climb trees), sheep, donkeys and camels.  And believe it or not in the middle of the desert there is snow atop of the Atlas mountains.

 

Matt took over the driving after lunch and was fined 400 MAD for an imaginary red light coming into Marrakesh.  The police eventually settled for 100 MAD after they laughed and said 400MAD was too much????
Tim and I had read the Lonely Planet accommodation recommendations and both agreed that the Authors Choice at 274 - 320 MAD sounded great.  We found a park outside the city walls after doing lappys of the roundabout and trying to loose the tout on a motorbike who would take us to his friends hotel.  After a few wrong turns we found the Riad, and were welcomed by the friendly staff with free tea and biscuits.  The Riad was a luxurious Moroccan house, but unfortunately the Lonely Planet prices were in Euros, not Dirham, so was way out of our budget. (over A$500 per night each room, and we were paying for Tim's room as part of our deal)


The staff were really helpful and suggested another Riad in our price range, rang & booked our rooms, and told us the easiest way to find it was for one of us to take a taxi there, and the others to follow with the car.
Tim set off in the Taxi, and we followed up and down tiny streets, getting caught behind Donkeys and carts, when he jumped out and told us to park as the Taxi driver had to drop his mum off and they would come back for us.  15 minutes later we had a man knocking on our windows wanting to get into our car, but it turned out to be the cabby, so we set off on our crazy drive again.  Matt is getting to drive too much like a local, and now plays cat and mouse with other drivers, buses or donkey carts, and wants to go first all the time.  We eventually arrive in the plaza to meet the Raid owner, Tim dismisses his cab and we are taken up a laneway and told to park the car. 
We follow the owner on foot up and down laneways to the Riad, sure we will never find the car again!  The Riad is lovely and clean and very Moroccan, and the owners and staff very friendly. 


We showered and changed and decide to walk to Djemaa el-Fna, the night market were we are sure to be entertained by snake charmers, jugglers, storytellers, musicians and general idiots.
Just leaving the Riad for the nearest intersection was a puzzle.  Tim suggested breadcrumbs so we would find our way back in.  Walking around Marrakesh with a Lonely Planet is a sure sign you are not on a guided tour, and makes you prey to all the young boys who volunteer directions.  They direct you around the corner, demand money (mostly not much), and then you are picked up by their friends who send you around the corner and back in their direction for a few more dirham.  So around and around in circles you go, but the city was really interesting and what you expect Marrakesh to be.  After an hour or so, we though we were close to our destination and decided to have dinner (with no alcool).  We got the final directions from our waiter for free and set off towards all the chanting and music.
Full of excitement we went looking for the snake charmers and jugglers, but were disappointed, as we worked into the crowds surrounding each act, it was mainly musicians (and general idiots) whose lyrics we couldn't understand.  So Matt & I headed into the Market to do some serious shopping, but could not find anything that took our fancy (same, same) and I have not learnt the art of bargaining yet.  So after a few hours we got a cab back to the Riad, but he was only able to drop us in the vicinity, as traffic does not fit in the laneways.  So we start the kids? escort experience again, only they also didn?t know the address we were looking for and took us to the wrong street.  We started with 1 kid but by the time we (not our escorts) eventually found it, we had 6 kids and a Drunken man all blocking the entrance and demanding money.  The night watchman came to our rescue, opened the door and paid off the crowd.  (We reimbursed him)  Although Marrakesh is real Morocco as opposed to Agidir, we decided that one night was enough and we would drive back via Essaouria. 
We had breakfast on the rooftop terrace, the night watchman walked us back to our car past the market, and Tim left for the Airport and his flight home.  We somehow managed to navigate our way out off the old city and eventually back to the main road and onto Essaouria.


Saturday, January 26, 2008

Heading to the Canaries - well almost

We arranged for Tim, the English guy from France to fly down and help us get to the Canaries via Morocco.  We needed to arrive in Morocco, which is outside the EU before the end of Jan to export the boat, and intended to stay for 2 nights then head to the Canaries.  Tim also needed the Skipper experience/sea miles to complete his final Yacht Master exam, so he was more than keen to come with us.

Anyway, the day before he was to arrive some people came to fix the leak, but when Tim tested it he found that they hadn’t and we spent the best part of a day locating it and fixing it ourselves.  We left Cascais 9pm Wed 23 and arrived in Agidir, Morocco Sunday morning.  (My solo watch story this trip, at night I went below for 3 minutes and came up to a horizon full of red lights, so many cargo ships!!!! that my heart started pounding and my stomach churned.  When I started breathing, I realised that it was Mr Moon coming up, but it still took me 5 minutes to calm down.  That night I also boiled the kettle dry, fell down the stairs, and also nearly set of my Man Overboard wristband alarm in the water doing the dishes!!!.  I still have a long way to go, but Tim started asking why we had put radar on the boat, because I can spot any boat including a small fishing ship miles away.

The radar was definately worthwhile as we moved past Cape St Vincent - we past the Western end of the Traffic Lanes and there were ships everywhere - and without being aware of them I am sure that we could have been surprised a few times. The photos below show 3 boats we can see and the plethora of boat on the radar - so it was handy.

Matt is still getting a bit sea sick, but Tim lead the way to actually be sick, followed by Matt, but Gilligan could only feel nauseous for ½ an hour.  To date I have not been actually sick and get over the nauseous feeling in 20 minutes, Matt has the feeling on and off all the time.


We also put the Gennaker out for the first time on this trip - rolling it and rigging it on the seas - not the easiest task but one the three of us managed with ease - ok some difficulty, but I have to say that it looked great and performed well - a great addition to the boat and one we will use by ourselves once we get a bit more experience.


On the way into Agadir I had my first nervous experience of being approached by a local boat - not quite sure if I ran over fishing nets / pots or were being approached by pirates or refugees - it is amazing what goes through your mind when there is nothing but new experiences. Well - there was no such dramas - they were looking to sell some of their produce - what appeared to be a very nicely sized crab - say hello to paranoia for me next time you see her.....


We checked into the Yacht Club in Agidir (which is really part of the fishing harbour) for our 2 nights.  We had about 8 police/customs officials board the boat, they were very friendly, but were most interested in our supply of foreign beer.  As the boys only had 1 six pack, we handed over a bottle of scotch we had purchased specifically, and our papers were signed. Karen was also promoted to First Mate on her shore pass (but I think that was actually Gilligans title anyway). The next day, we had dead fish floating around the boat, and we could not connect to power or water, so even though it was a great experience, I was glad it was only for 2 days.


When we planned the trip we had intended to head straight to Agidir, but Tim was really cautious about Africa and Morocco and terrorist attacks and changed our course for Safi, which his friend had said was safe.  We headed into Safi, but could not clear customs and decided to stick with our original plan, (added another ½ day to the trip).  When we looked at Agidir, all the sailing books said there was no Marina, but I found one on the internet the night before we left, but was dismissed as we were now going to Safi.  We had also read lots of blogs about a marina in Morocco that is listed, but doesn’t actually exist.  When we pulled into the luxurious yacht club (which was fun), I kept asking why we couldn’t go to the Marina, but the boys dismissed it as a figment of my imagination.
 
On our way down past Essaouira, we heard a yacht called Exceter calling port control looking to berth there - we all had visions of a large American motor yacht stinking up the bay - you can image the surprise we had when we pulled into Agadir yacht club and there was another 420 hybrid - Exceter - not the big polluting motor yacht but an environmentally freindly hybrid sailing catamaran. Charles the owner and his daughter were great and we shared our experiences to date with this new technology.

On our first day, we left the “Yacht Club”  (unisex showers with no doors) and walked around the corner to be met by a tout Akmed (on the right below), who took us by Cab to a huge market, and straight to his friend’s herb and spice shop.  We were given the complimentary free tea, and then smelt all these amazing spices.  Tim was keen to buy but we were suckers and spent so much that we came away with free samples of Moroccan viagra powder to be mixed with honey and left for a week to brew.  The tout was keen to show us the market, and also his friend’s stalls, but when we said we wanted to do it on our own he wanted 50E (A$90) for his time.  We settled for 10E and we looked around a bit more but were all really tired so went back to the boat.

The next day we made it out of the Yacht Club without escort, and found the beach and also the Marina I had googled and kept asking about.  Tim even apologised for not finding it and heading straight for the fishing port.  The marina was located on a great Bay and beach and was nearly empty.  The rates were expensive compared to Europe and we were proud of ourselves for negotiating a lower rate.   It took all of 10 minutes for Matt to convince me to stay and discover Morocco for 2 weeks, then head to the Canaries by ourselves.


Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Christmas New Year 2007/08

We had xmas day in Baionna Spain with the English pipe smoking guy Geoff.  It poured and was really windy, and we all huddled in his 26ft boat and enjoyed a bottle of bubbly and a few reds. It was one of the best Xmas days we have had in years despite the close quarters.
Christmas lights in Baionna

He had left the pontoon for the anchorage, and we were supposed to drive over to him in our dinghy, and practiced getting in and driving on Christmas Eve, but to our disappointment, he moved back to the pontoon Christmas morning because of the weather.  Lucky as it would have been a very wet and choppy drive.

We got the sailing instructor (Luis) to help us get to Cascais on the coast near Lisbon. He hoisted the sails as we left the harbour, even though there was very little wind.  We motored until 11pm and then sailed for about 14 hours and lost the wind again, but it gave us our first real go at the sailing thing for real.  We left Boxing Day morning and arrived midnight the 27th.  Luis was a really nice guy and loved cooking and taught me how to make a Spanish tortilla as well as do a bowline, which I still completely forget after 60 seconds.

Matt’s new  $4,000 laptop decided to join the boat and stop working, so we spent a week on the boat calling and waiting for HP to collect it.  By then the Lagoon dealer had re-opened and we spent another 2+ weeks waiting for them to co-ordinate all the repairs.  Being boat bound really starts to get on your nerves, but we did get out a few days and saw the sights of Lisbon and Sintra and the biggest Casino in Europe at Estoril.  We had a fairly quiet New Years Eve watching the fireworks over Cascais and the Marina, and then hit a bar until 4am. 
We had an interesting New Years Day.  The marina said a big wind and swell would come in over the breakwater and asked us to move to a more sheltered spot.  We asked for assistance at 20 knots, and 4 nervous hours later when the wind had got to 30+knots they arrived to help us move.  We were both shaking, but with a dinghy pushing us off the pontoon, we made it around, to be greeted by a very rich Portuguese man who owned a 60” motor yacht (it uses 150 litres of diesel an hour compared to our 5 litres).  He even had ducted vacuuming and a cleaning lady on Fridays!  The wind and rain howled for 3 days, then we moved back to our private (only boat on the pontoon) spot.