Porto - Fall 2023
Porto When we left the Azores in early September, we underestimated the impact the seasons would have on our cruising plans. It turns out that the seasons make a big impact on sailing plans. Imagine that. When it was time to head south from the Rias of northwest Spain to the Algarve coast of southern Portugal, we were met with storm after storm. Massive low pressure systems worked their way off the maritime provinces in Canada across the north Atlantic and slammed into the west coasts of Spain and Portugal. Fall storms combined with a coastline with plenty of beaches and not many natural harbors, and we found ourselves stuck. We made it from Vigo to Porto in one 24-hour period of calm and then we were stuck. Another pro-tip: a coast line that is famous for surfing is not so great for sailing. We waited in Porto for four uncomfortable weeks before we had decent weather to sail south. The harbors along Portugal’s Atlantic coast are either man-made or at the entrance to a river. In bo