Down the Coast

The Atlantic Coast of Portugal Next spring (2006) Sarah and I will be heading down the coast of Portugal and Spain, heading for the Mediterranean Sea. While Jack & Nikki were visiting me in Cascais in December, 2005 we used a rental car to drive partially down the coast of Portugal to visit potential harbors I might use next spring. There are very few small craft harbors between the Rio Tejo and the Algarve and we surveyed most of them.
Cabo da Rocha is the cape north of the Rio Tejo. It is the western-most land on the continent of Europe.



Setubal is the 3rd largest city in Portugal (behind Lisboa and Porto), and I thought the Doca de Recreio in that harbor might provide a convenient short stopover once I leave the Rio Tejo.
Here is the clubhouse of the Club Naval de Setubal and the head of the recreational harbor (Doc de Recreio).
Unfortunately the recreational harbor is very small with minimalist Med-Style moorings and little protection when the seas are out of the south. This does not look like a viable marina for Sarah, although it would be possible to anchor outside of the harbor in settled conditions.
Setubal is a moderately busy commercial harbor. This looks like a car carrier coming into port.. Volkswagon operated a large assembly plant across the Rio Tejo from Lisboa and it appears they shipped those cars out of Setubal.
This is the Doca de Pescadores (Fisherman Harbor) next to the marina in Setubal

Sines is further down the coast, about 2/5 of the way from the Rio Tejo to Cabo Sao Vicente and the Algarve.
Although still under construction (the offices and other facilities are in trailers), the marina at Sines is well designed and well protected by two sets of breakwaters.
Although not a large marina there are a number of empty slips available for transients. Sines is primarily a port for oil tankers and is heavily industrial with no major city in the vicinity. It is unlikely that this marina will completely fill with local boats although there is still a lot of condo construction going on in the residential area north of the marina.
While visiting Sines we met one of the Canadians sailing on this large schooner. This boat anchored next to us for a few days while we were in Lajes on Flores, the Azores. They spent a month more than we did in the Azores then sailed to Spain. There were held up coming south by the rough weather of the past two monts and the southerly winds. It appears they will keep harbor hoping whenever a weather window opens up and not stop permanently for the winter.
Below is small schooner anchored in the harbor at Sines, was being single handed by a Brit. He also was anchored with us in Lajes and had been sailing with the Canadian schooner ever since. Cruising really is a small world.
These are the floating pontoons at the Sines Marina. Similar construction and configuration to all of the newer marinas I have encountered in the Azores and Portugal, including Cascais.
The outer breakwaters at Sines provide excellent protection for the marina behind its own internal breakwater.
This also provides a large and well protected anchorage.
Sesimbra is a small fishing town just below the Cabo de Espichel, the southern cape at the mouth of the Rio Tejo. The village is no longer a sleepy hamlet as it has been discovered as a weekend destination for Lisboans. There many large high-rise apartment buildings ringing the town.

The marina at Sesimbra is small but fairly new and well-maintained. The docks are the same floating pontoons as seen at most of the modern marinas in Portugal. It is certainly a better option for an overnight stay than Setubal, but it is so close to Lisboa that it may not be worth the stop, I'll likely just press on to Sines.
Cabo de Espichel is the large headland that marks the southern end of the Rio Tejo mouth.