portugal | followtheboat

Crew: Mayfly

April 28, 2004

This was Jamie’s first delivery for Professional Yacht Deliveries World Wide, a UK-based yacht delivery company. It provided Jamie with the opportunity to sail with an experienced skipper, Kevin Smith. As it turned out the first mate, Lee, was just as experienced and together they provided Jamie with a wealth of knowledge and learning.

The journey from Lagos in the Algarve, Portugal, to Dartmouth in the UK, took just under two weeks. A few days were spent in Bayona due to bad weather.

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Another Force 8 And Some Big Waves

October 30, 2003

The next 24 hours became a blue of slamming, spray, 5 metre waves and queasiness. Most of the watches were done in saloon, though I preferred being outside, harnessed in and riding the boat as if on a surf board! It was either feel sick and feel sh!tty, or see it for what it was and make the most of it.

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Ten, Eleven, Twelve Knots. Any Faster?

October 29, 2003

A fellow yachtie we bumped into in the showers warned us of Force 9-10s and 9 metre waves. This didn’t really phase us since Vincent was a grand yacht master (though I don’t know anyone who would want to see him put to the test in those kind of conditions) and the rest of us actually wanted to see 9 metre waves! (How foolish!)

Ten, Eleven, Twelve Knots. Any Faster? Read Post »

A Super-Fast Cat

October 26, 2003

Expecting an open-armed warm welcome, three men appear on the deck looking a bit perplexed at our arrival, what with our kit and bags. Even an explanation of our presence seemed to confuse the guys on board.

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Crew: Brigand

October 26, 2003

The petrol head from Manchester who now lives in Abersoch, Wales. Dave has owned more cars than I’ve had hot dinners, and he’s owned as many boats as he’s owned cars, so he’s got through more engines than I’ve had hot AND cold dinners. In fact he’s owned so many sea-faring vessels he can even boast to owning a pedalo. Until someone nicked it.

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Back Where I Started!

October 25, 2003

Tim and I continued to chase our dream and as I type the latest plan is to fly back down to Portugal and catch a ride on a cat over to the Canaries. I’m not saying any more than this at the moment as it could all go tits up, but it would be fantastic if we ended up doing this: I got off in Portugal in the first place, so to continue from Portugal would be perfect.

Back Where I Started! Read Post »

Learn To Speak Portuguese

September 9, 2003

The most obvious sign of the conspiracy is the Portuguese language. Although the written word looks very much like Spanish the spoken word actually sounds like a cross between Arabic and Nordic. In other words they make it up as they go along. When the locals speak amongst themselves they are actually speaking Spanish, but whenever a tourist is present they break into a language that does not actually exist.

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It’s A Dog’s Life

September 6, 2003

Unlike their UK cousins who are pampered and spoilt and called Fifi or Derek, Portuguese dogs runs tings. They’ve got gangster names like Bullet Dodger Biffhead, Four Star Flash Killer and Cruel Cat-Chaser Crusher. They cruise the streets like they own the place, window shopping in town and congregating and plotting up in the valleys.

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