Steve and Linda write a regular column for SetSailors from wherever they happen to be. Join in as they cruise the world and discuss topics of interest to sailors everywhere. Here you’ll find their articles dating from 1996 to the present. Check back frequently for new articles posted from aboard their FPB 83 Wind Horse.
Cape Saint Vincent marks the eastward turn in the coast of Portugal. It also signifies warmer weather, long white beaches, and tourism (just check the advertisements in the travel section of your Sunday newspaper). Given our predilection for cool and quiet we were not sure if this left turn was right for us.
It is getting warmer and our awnings are becoming more important. With the boat head to wind at anchor, and five knots or more of wind, inside temperature during the day is around 82F/28C. Without the awnings things are significantly warmer! Ideally you detail the deck with awnings in mind during the design phase. Our goals are as follows:
Here is an unusual but significant reason to use an oversized anchor. We’ve been anchoring in tidal estuaries with lots of reversing current. When we picked up the hook to move yesterday it came up with the chain wrapped three times around the stock. That means under load the pull on the anchor was not as designed, reducing the holding power. But this anchor is so much larger than suggested that it still has plenty of muscle.
Clearing a foul like this is not difficult. Here are the steps we used:
Cruising in this part of the world means you will often be rafting or docking stern to both with neighbors on both sides. This requires lots of fenders. Read the rest »
Yesterday we realized by this time last year we’d been to Svalbard, touched 80 degrees north, and were on our way back to Tromso, Norway. So we determined to set out on an adventure to see if our anchor still worked after a week of marina living, while checking out a quaint Portuguese fishing village we’d heard about at the same time.
A few odds and ends to share. We call this the Raven seat. During sea trials on the FPB 64, Avatar, a legacy from the Owner’s previous yacht was put to good use. When we found something similar in the local Jumbo supermarket we determined to test it on Wind Horse. It worked so well we now have two, and at ten Euros each we can dispose of these when they get nasty looking.
We have had zero problems with our Frigoboat sealed compressors, three of which are in use with our two freezers and one fridge. But after five years the fridge had lost a touch of refrigerant and was running more than normal. We carry 134A and a charging system for this eventuality, but in the process of adding refrigerant we allowed air into the system. The result was a frozen evaporator system requiring a vacuum pump. This was at 1400 on a Friday afternoon in Spain. What do you think of the odds?
We had heard all sorts of comments about Portugal and its inhabitants. They were said to be morose, unapproachable, difficult with which to interact. This is definitely not the situation. From the moment you first meet the Marina Cascais crew, and are given a welcome bottle of Portuguese wine, to the last cab driver, we have found the locals to be friendly, eager to help and after a period of introduction, as interested in us as we are in them.
We were walking back from the train station to the marina (this area has wonderful public transport) and noticed MoonBeam lV off in the distance leaving the harbor. By the time we were back aboard she was well offshore, but a 400mm lens and a shooting position on the radar platform brought her into detail.
Now here is a treat for you. You are looking at the beautifully restored 1915 gaff cutter MoonBeam lV. She is a Wliiam Fife design of roughly 100 feet (30m). In this photo she is heading to the fuel dock. Last night,when she came in, it was blowing 30 knots down the very narrow marina channel and the crew had to make a right angle turn to get into the slip nearby. You have to be both good and oblivious to the results of mistakes when handling such a lovely large old timer in windy and crowded conditions.
We’ve just had a lovely run down the coast from Vigo, Spain to Cascais, Portugal. Twenty one and a half hours for 240 NM at reduced revs, with some great surfing thrown in. But the most important aspect of the trip was reminder of why we design as we do. The photos which follow were taken on an average day with the “Portuguese Trades” blowing, courtesy of the Azores high. The wind is in the 25 knot range, not that strong, yet combine its waves with swells from a force eight gale nine hundred miles away and it is enough to generate waves which essentially bury a very large trawler from our view standing on the deck of Wind Horse.
