Deirdre C

Hi - I'm finalizing 4 months of travel in Portugal. In fact, I'm in my last 2 days here. I started in Lisbon, then rented a car and drove north to see the ancient towns of Sintra and Obidos, south to the Algarve, and back to Lisbon. Photos attached. When I arrived in Lisbon on 9th December, the place was full of sirens escorting VIPs around the downtown area. Right on their heels were demonstrators complete with banners, jugglers, and marching bands. What was up? The Lisbon Treaty to amend the EU constitution which also contained some votes regarding trade with Africa (see http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/10/world/africa/10summit.html) As a very old town (the castle on the hill in Lisbon was originally a Moorish castle from the 6th century), the town has some really charming old buildings and narrow little ... read more

Hi - Well, today is my last day in Gibraltar. No more sailing for a while. To commemorate my departure, the town held a changing of the guard ceremony down Main Street (see photo). Since I wrote last, it's been local sailing only, so I have few photos. Instead, here are some fun facts about Gibraltar: The word "gibberish" comes from the language spoken by Gibraltarians - a mixture of Spanish and English that is unintelligable by either Spanish or English native speakers. One can pick out a Spanish or English word or two, but that's about it. In ancient times, Gib was the end of the known universe (it's still that way for some of the locals, I think) and the Rock was one of the pillars of Hercules. Hence, the many references to the ... read more

Hi - We just arrived back in Gib today after a 2-week training voyage to southwest Spain and Portugal. Training was pretty tough, but it was great to see the little towns along the way. I've attached several photos of the trip. We started by sailing from Gib to Rota in the Bay of Cadiz (Spain). From there, we stopped in Ayamonte (Spain) and Via Real de San Antonio (Portugal). Ayamonte and Vila Real are on the river Quadaquiver (?) which creates the border between the two countries. We had the best meal ever in a tiny restaurant on a narrow street of Ayamonte - no menu, just pick what you see has been prepared that day - for us it was great fish and tomato salads. We visited the Portugese towns of Portimao and Lagos ... read more

Hi - I'm in Gibraltar now - have been for about 10 days. It's been really busy with navigation classes and studying, so I really haven't had time to look around much and take photos. Gibraltar is an odd mix - British with a nice Southern European feel. Very relaxed. It's not clear what goes on here other than the marinas, a bit of banking and a lot cafe eating and drinking. I've attached a photo of the marina and a few shots of The Rock. I had a chance to walk across the border into Spain - a little town called La Linea that is pretty forgetable. One night several of the sailing students went there for tapas and had a good time. We also had a sea survival course one hot Saturday, so the ... read more

Hi there - The last week has been busy delivering the boat I've been sailing on from Fremantle (Freo in Aussie speak) to Busselton about 120 miles south. It was good chance to catch on some of the sail time I've missed (due to bad weather). Since it was just me and an instructor (with one extra crew on one day), I got some skippering time, passage planning/nav experience and lots of helm time. It was good experience, good wind with the occasional heavier stuff, big swells and squalls - but that's just an average day this time of year. At least with all the rain, there are lots of rainbows! I've included the photos I mentioned in the last blog in which I attempted to catch the whales - one flipper wave and a shot ... read more