Leg 5/2022

4 – 24 Sept: Malaga – Algarve – La Coruna: Exploring this great Atlantic coast!

From Cádiz we cruise slowly along the Andalusian coast and Algarve. What is a busy summer destination for sailors from all over Europe and land-based holiday makers, will turn pleasantly calm in September. Yet, the water is still warm to enjoy wonderful swims in the Atlantic ocean, anchoring behind the dunes of Algarve. 

 

We will plan carefully and stay along the Algarve coast until a weather window opens up to round Cape San Vicente on the South-West tip of Europe, heading northbound along the Portuguese coast. This is typically an upwind sail due to the Portugueses Trades, but during September autumn storms far up north between Azores and Ireland frequently influence the weather even as far down south as Portugal. The common northerlies are halted for a couple of days and replaced by very weak winds from South West or no winds at all. Here, one can take a long step north overnight, or slowly move on as long as the “weather disturbance” lasts. 

 

Alternatively one can get up early in the morning, before the afternoon trades have set in and hop along the coast in smaller steps arriving in the early afternoon at yet another great Portuguese town.  

The main adventure and challenge is to avoid becoming victim of the recently evolved “hunting game” by the local Orca family living in this area. Ever since 2020, sailing boats have been attacked by these intelligent animals, destroying the rudders in half of the cases. 

In 2021 I passed the area with the bespoke family of misbehaving orcas no less than three times, using certain sailing tactics, keeping well inshore when passing the bespoke areas, or sailing very far offshore. We were keeping track of where the orcas were all the times, using social yachting communities, keeping contact with the researchers at the wale museum in Madeira and contact with the local coastguard. We don’t know if this will continue in 2022, but stay tuned for the Reginasailing-tactics for 2022, of course not doing any harm to these beautiful and intelligent animals!   

 

Price: EUR 5,990 per person including all food consumed onboard, harbour fees, diesel etc.  plus visits to restaurants and pubs