Anchorage Wells, 28 Blackhorse Yard, Wells-next-the-Sea (2026)

25/10/2026

Time to relax 😌
And boat jobs and work and set up business for next year 😏 but most of all enjoy.
Anchored just off the entrance to Alvor and a almost private beach, beautiful natural harbour that reminds us of Wells-next-the-Sea, still our favourite place. Lilly was waiting patiently for the video to capture her, but she got bored and walked off 🤣

18/10/2026

So as we get closer to Cabo Vincent, the most Southern point of the Portugals Atlantic West coast we have a decision to make, keep going with the dizzy inducing swell towards Lanzarote or turn to Port and sail east to the Algarve.

Fortunatley there is an Anchorage just around the corner at Sagres where we hopefully can relax and contemplate our choices. Navily said it would be nice and calm.

As we passed Cabo Vincent we have really had enough of long gruelling passages, the swell and juddering side swell inducing Vertigo, and head towards the anchorage, the sea calmed, a good sign that we are on the south coast, but as we approached the bay the wind increased to 25kts, but we still felt happy to take this option rather than continue, so we anchored as close to the cliffs as we dare, a slight shelter from the wind but the anchor held well. Another yacht came in to anchor but didnt fancy the wind and left. As we relaxed with a Cava we made our decision, we could push on and get to the Canaries, but once there we would have to either push on to Cape Verde after 2 months due to Shengan 90 in 180 days rule, or leave the boat there and bring Lilly back by ferry. The marinas are very expensive for a Catamaran and it would be more difficult to return with Lilly, Or, if we went on to Cape Verde for 90 days the sail back is upwind and quite a challenge and all the other routes would also use Schengen days, we are not in it for the endurance and making life more difficult aspect.
So, as we discussed the options, the thought of spending a few more sunny weeks on the Algarve looks like an unbeatable great option...... Then we heard a grating metalic sound, we thought the anchor was dragging, still gusting 22kts, the anchor was fine, but it sounded like someone was hitting our chain with a hammer. No amount of adjustment seemed to stop the clanking of chain but it certainly didn’t stop us sleeping well in our bunks that night.
Despite the wind the boat just rocked a bit, and we had a decent night sleep, but we still woke up feeling exhausted next day, you use a lot of energy trying to stand upright fighting the motion of the swell.
We needed to check back into Portugal so decided to head back to Portimao - like going home. We lifted the anchor and realised the noise was the chain rubbing on rocks, fortunately the anchor was in sand and lifted first time. All we have to do now is explain why we have been checked out for 3 weeks but not left Portugal 😬

14/10/2026

Sailing down the west Coast of Portugal towards Sagres, the forecasted F3 gusting F4 is now constant F5 gusting F6 WNW the primary swell off the starboard quater and the wind generated secondary swell is now on the beam, slapping the bows back down the waves our of sync with the sailing motion, were almost doing an S shape with a pause and then acceleration down the wave, 6.3 kts then up to 8.3kts, the waves are 2m plus and the motion is such that it is hard to do anything on board other than watch the swell,we have 5 more days of this and we are wondering if we are going to need a bigger boat ......! 🤪👀💰🛳

11/10/2026

What no Orca’s

So, as we wake up in Oeiras Marina the gusts have gone, but sadly so have the F3-4 winds, another motor sail south today then.

We checked the Orca site and happy to see there were no sightings, we were still concerned so plotted a route to follow the recommended 20m line.

The advice, if Orcas interact with you disengage auto pilot, start engines and motor as fast as possible to the shallows, Av asked how long they would follow, good question, so we asked on the forum and said we were heading south.

A local Dolphin and whale watching company posted to say not to worry, they had been out and not seen anything, good to know but Orcas can stay under water for 15 mins, easy enough time to avoid been seen. The reply came back from the Orca admin, normally they give up after 1nm, about 10mins for us, that’s a long time being chased by giants.

As we head down the coast we had an onshore swell and a slight onshore wind, enough to fill the sails but barely enough wind to sail away from the shore if we lost engine power, not a situation any sailor likes, with the info about no Orcas we were tempted to head out but as we rounded the Cabo de Espichel where there was an attack a few days ago and we hugged the shallows about 50m from the cliffs.

We made the still anchorage at Sisembra around 2.30pm and anchored 300m from the beach, Av braved a swim and I paddled my feet, as brave as it gets for me, having seen Av enjoy her swim a man from the mobo along side decided to brave a dip too, never seen a person enter the water and exit so quickly !

Then as we did our dinner prep our whatsapp messages started going mad, our new friend Filipe asked if we were okay, did we know about the attack 30nm south of us? 😬

Apparently, a yacht just SW of Sines had lost its rudder (and ability to steer) due to Orcas. Over the radio we heard port control dispatch a tug boat to tow them in, but it would be a few hours before it arrived, in the meantime we could see them on marine traffic that they were drifting south at almost 2kts per hrs with no way to steer.

Someone on the forum posted that there was another yacht heading in the same direction and would pass that location soon, did they know about the attack and was anyone out there that could get a message to them.

We were close but were we close enough to contact them by VHF, as luck would have it we had installed our new DSC VHF 2 days before, time to give it a test drive.

We located the boats name on AIS and called them on CH16 and waited……….they answered, We asked them if they were aware of the attack, they weren’t, they could see the stricken yacht ahead of them and asked which direction the Orcas were now heading, We didn’t know and said keep a good look out.

We contacted the Orca forum and they shared a predicted path for the Orcas, we called the Yacht again and shared the forecasted location, they were just on the edge of transmission range by now and after several attempts got the coordinates, we saw them alter course, they were a long way offshore so heading to the shallows was not an option.

We updated the group to the fact that they were aware of the attck, we now crossed our fingers they would be safe.

Later that evening we heard the Tug had arrived at the drifting Yacht and secured a tow line and they were heading North to Sines.

The winds were picking up now in the anchorage, high mountains give Kabatic winds, 20kts from the north, we settled for a rollie night at anchor.

First thing in the morning we checked AIS and the Yacht we called was safely in Lagos Marina and the stricken yacht and tug boat were in Sines, another good display of the fellow sailors community helping each other.

Orcas were around after all………. we will plan our next route to sines very carefully on full alert of Orcas and refreshing our Orca Response Stratagy.

09/10/2026

Waiting for a Window...

We were desperately trying to source a new network cable for the instruments hoping the overheated terminal on the back of the P70 autopilot wouldn't cause further problems when we got a whatsapp message iut of the blue from a fellow Orca.PT sailor asking us why we had gone back south, he has helped us with some routing for weather conditions on the way North to Figueira da Foz.

When we told him of our need for a new cable he said he may have a spare one, later that afternoon he said he had and could delivery it. Felipe was his name and he turned up as promised with just what we needed, he also shared some of his secret anchorage spots with us up the Tagus.
Mutio Obrigardo Filipe !

With the new cable installed we are doing a soak test on the system for 48hrs while we wait for a window, we are also waiting for our water UV tubes to be delivered.

While we wait we have had the pleasure of helping out a fellow sailor who has had some really tough times and is now making small steps forward to be in a better place, one day at a time. It is so lovely to see him getting more positive every day.

While we wait Lilly is making good use of the nearby beach, u think she is trying to completely cover over the tractor tracks as she is zooming around the beach.

With the instruments performing perfectly, Friday was looking ok to go but with stronger than forecasted gusts now forecast to last all day, Saturday maybe a better departure day.

05/10/2026

What a day !

So after waking up with fog, not a good sign, and then having naviagtion electronics issues, another bad sign, we finally got ready to raise the anchor...... oh it's stuck on something on the seabed, yet another bad sign!
Is the universe trying to tell us something?

Yes it is, don't let little things stop you moving on, so after some head scratching we got the anchor up and were off.

So the fog wasn't in the forecast and neither were the 2.2-3m plus waves, as we headed south west they got bigger and the angle didn't support a direct route to Maderia so we headed further south along the coast hoping the angle would be better, the fog means you have no horizon to focus on and the constant rolling was causing Av's vertigo to start up, even I was feeling it, we had the sun above us but it didn't burn off the fog at least the electronics were still working .....
Beep beep beep...no auto pilot beep beep beep lost GPS....as Blackadder would say "Bu**er"!

We hand steered for the rest of the passage and called Oeiras Marina to see if they had a berth, they did, and as we rounded the Cabo Roca the fog disappeared, the sun shining down on us and the sea flattened.
After a preliminary look at the electrics we found an overheated connector that had melted and shorted some wires.
Of course Monday is a Bank Holiday in Portugal and the Nautical shops are all closed, hopefully we can get a new cable Tuesday and a kind man on the Orca forum who lives near by is checking his boat for a spare, so for now we will enjoy Oeiras and Av is already feeling better. Thank you for you all your likes and comments, it does help to feel your love and support and encourage us to keep moving forward and making the most of this special time.

04/10/2026

ONE LIFE
We have made the decision to go south, heading straight to madeira from Foz. We kept thinking its not too late to turn around and go south, worried that one day we might regret not taking this chance.
Then....... as I sit here now, arriving in Peniche last night, ready to go, all the prep done, early night, up in the dark and re running the predicted models for the passage, still altering the course here and there to find the most comfortable route.
So we are ready, lets go for it....... Ah, No AIS, that means noone will see us out there, Ah, No GPS, all show stoppers. So Si is looking at those, Ah, we have No depth or speed......................
Crossing that part of the Atlantic at a later date isnt in the forecast range that we can see. Its then getting late to head north.
So, for now, we are just heading south while Si continues his analysis. If fixed, we turn to Madeira,🤞🏼 if not,........... we will cross that bridge when it comes to it.

03/10/2026

Mind the gap
We taught crew Lilly to not jump off. We usually use a passerel for even the smallest gaps

03/10/2026

SOMETHING FISHY GOING ON
So, no sooner had we popped the Cava Av started to feel a little unwell, a slight sickness and swelling of the throat, what’s that smell we said, it’s only a new fish smoking plant on the beach across from us and the light wind bringing the smell direct to us.
We quickly closed all the doors and windows before checking the weather, we clearly couldn’t stay there but we new strong winds and high waves were coming in tomorrow, we concluded a 6am star and running both engines would allow us to get to the next Port Figuera da Foz by 11.30am, a couple of hours before the winds were due to arrive. We wouldn’t normally risk going out when bad weather was due so soon. No previous answer to emails left us worried there may not be space at Figueira da Foz, last time we were there the pontoons were rotten with many holes and broken boards, we called by phone and after 4mins of letting the phone ring we got an answer and we were relieved that they have a space for us.
We made sure Av’s Epi pens were within easy reach and set the alarm for 5am, we needn’t have bothered, the crew from the Boat at the head of the pontoon were leaving their boat for shore at 4.30am and without a thought for others wheeled their suitcases along the ridged pontoon, bur dum bur dum bur dum….we heard, so up earlier than planned.
Av still felt unwell, but luckily our cabin was fish free, so had all night to help recover and the air was clear in the morning. We slipped lines and headed out into the Dark Nazare bay, a few meters off the Canyon where the record was set for the biggest surfed wave of 80m !
We played our favourite game of spot the fishing pot on Radar and by eye with Av on the front and went over the deep 240m Canyon, the very reason for the record breaking waves, and headed North to Foz.
The swell was on our nose and what little wind we had was behind us (unusual to have a southerly wind on this coast), our boats speed making the apparent wind 1-2 kts, we motor sailed and with current with us made good progress, as the hours past Av started to feel a little better, it was a close call for a while with Gemini AI suggesting we should go to hospital, but we knew she was getting better and had made the right call.
We arrived at Foz entrance for 11.30, unusually I was feeling a little motion sickness and Av had no sign of vertigo, even as the large swell slows the boat and then we accelerate down the wave, not causing jolting but felt like the Tea Cup ride at Disney Land with similar side-affects !
As we came through the Port and Starboard mole, we were surprised to find the world biggest dredger in the middle of the channel, we could see what side to pass and waited to time it right, we had seen the water/debris splash when the diggers massive bucket emptied into the boat beside it reminding me of the log flume at Lego land where I got soaked…..we were hoping to avoid the same affects… we saw our chance and with full engines got safely past just in time to hear the massive splash of diggers bucket hit the water, he missed us!
We called the marina on VHF several times with no response, we called on the phone and got a response, as there was a yacht already on the waiting pontoon we were told to go direct to our double berth C7-8, when we got there the was a boat already on C7 so we tide to a small finger pontoon on C9 just in time as the wind was now gusting 25kts, Av rang and they said come to the office, she took the small walk……..well I thought it looked small I could see the reception a 50m away, but Av ended up having to take the only route to the office via the entire length of the marina to get out all in all a 1m round trip, that’s a record for us.
We were allocated a discounted berth on the East side , no electric or water but we have solar and big tanks, at 22 euros a night it was a bargain!
We now had the little job of getting of the small finger pontoon, the wind was 20kts gusting 30kts and pining our starboard hull onto the pontoon, we had half a pontoon behind us with a dolphin stopping us going backwards, pic attached, for the fellow sailors how would you get off here?
We arrived at our berth, the same place we berthed in 2023 on the way here, thankfully new pontoons, well mostly, still the odd hole on the main pontoon where on our subsequent walks Lilly had to stop and sniff each hole!
No fish smell and a great berth, we will be comfortable here for the next four nights, we relaxed on deck and started the Cava early, we talked and reviewed the previous day’s events, it lead us to rethink where we go next - we only get one life…….

30/09/2026

Almost a Perfect Day at Sea.

After an eventful passage to Oeiras marina it was nice to have a couple of days to plan the next few legs of our trip and let the bad weather pass through.

During the first morning the marinero knocked on our hull and delivered free fresh bread, two delicious portugues rolls, nice touch we thought, even nicer surprise when it happened again the next morning. We did them justice by loading them with smashed burgers that night. We love it here, also having an affinity to whales and Oeiras emblam being a large sculpture of a whales tail.

The low pressure system off the west coast of Ireland was dropping south and giving strong winds and high seas Tue to Sat, we needed to head North asap and take shelter for 4 days, we had hoped to go as far as Figueira da Foz, but our arrival time would mean hitting an ebbing tide at a full 5kt flow at 11pm in the dark, so we decided it was best to go back to Nazare, almost 3 years to the day we enjoyed 8 days sitting out a storm on our way down, serendipity. Bit of a sad time too after a boat was lost in that storm, we also thought it was our friends from the last few harbours who had said they would see us in Nazare, and still to this day we don’t know why they were out in such stormy 3 to 6m seas 😢.

After checking the tide time for marina exit we set the Alarm for 6am to go out at slack water, we didn't hear the alarm but Lilly did. She got up and sat in the galley squeaking, when I got up she was pointing at my phone, the alarm was quiet, but she recognized it, great boat dog crew.

The marina was lit by floodlights like a football stadium, so slipping the lines was easy.

We expected to motor sail into a high swell but to our surprise it was as smooth as glass. Perfect day, Si said, but touched wood as there is still a distance to go. So far the only incident to note was when Si switched the Auto pilot to follow route and forgot it had rebooted, it tried to take us back to the marina. Av shouted as we headed fast towards the rocks, quickly disengaged the auto pilot and did a nice donut to get us back on course.

Oh and spot the little duck pictured off the Cabo at Peniche. See how different it looks from a distance compared to up close.

We arrived in Nazare and were met by the marinero team who took our lines and tied us up without us lifting a finger, they remembered us from 3yrs ago, what a perfect passage compared to the passage before, secure in a safe friendly marina ready to sit out the storm, absolutely nothing could go wrong from here. Hang on, whats that smell ...........

Anchorage Wells

25/10/2026

18/10/2026

14/10/2026

11/10/2026

09/10/2026

05/10/2026

04/10/2026

03/10/2026

03/10/2026

30/09/2026

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