My good friend and primo David bought a nice new Bavaria 36 yacht in Albufeira, Portugal and invited me and our friend Phil to join him sailing on s/v Alma along the Algarve coast of southern Portugal. Flying into Lisbon first, we all met up and explored this historic and beautiful city, before driving down to Albufeira to check out the boat. David got a really nice yacht, the Bavaria 36 is very well designed, comfortable down below and topside, and she sails well too!
Cruising out of Albufeira harbor, this picturesque part of the historic city, modern yachts sit next to traditional and brightly colored fishing boats. The harbor is one of the most colorful and fun that I’ve ever seen, with a nice promenade surrounded by restaurants, shops and really cute apartments/ hotels that I’d love to live in. We’re having just as much fun on land here as sailing, having some of the best seafood and vinho verde with every meal… but we did come here for sailing.
Sailing with David and Phil on s/v Alma is amazing. Alma means spirit in Portuguese and David’s yacht certainly has that. One interesting thing about sailing in Portugal is that all the boats have Polish flags. Portugal has some strict rules about private boats but being part of the EU, people find it more convenient just to get Polish registry. So our boat has a Polish flag and they sell lots of them in the local chandlery.
The winds aren’t too strong here in the summer so it’s light sailing along the coast on this 3 day trip. Just day sailing, we’re going back into port at night and sleeping on the boat in the marina. We actually only make it as far as Portimão, deciding to stop at a few anchorages along the way to admire the beautiful cliffs that remind me a lot of San Diego, where I’m from. The waves are calmer here though and there’s anchorages where we stop and go for a swim. The water is calm, the anchorage is secure and the beach is close enough that we’re able to swim ashore and back to the boat. Fun times!
I’m very fortunate to know people like David and his family who hosted me and Phil and showed us an amazing time in Albufeira and Lisbon. I’m definitely coming back to Portugal again!
