Surely we have all planned imaginary voyages during the winter months and although many remain in the imagination, sometimes they actually happen!
I first considered sailing to the Azores five years ago and got as far as buying the charts, but then events intervened, not least Covid. Realising that I’m not getting any younger (at least not physically) I was determined that in 2022 I really would do it.
My plan was to sail first to Spain where my wife, Paula, would fly out to meet me for a relaxing holiday in the sun. Finally, I’d sail home to Cardiff by way of the Azores to complete a nice triangular voyage taking advantage of the prevailing winds.
Sea-readiness
Over the winter of 2021 I made further modifications to Tabitha, my Sabre 27 to increase her seaworthiness. I replaced the large and potentially vulnerable cabin windows with portholes, by removing the old windows and filling in the holes.
I am lucky to have a friend who is a retired boatbuilder so the fibreglassing was done to a professional standard. It was then easy enough to cut holes for the polycarbonate ports and add a polished stainless steel surround to act as a secondary weather seal and make it look more expensive than it was.
The deck and cabin were already painted so with a further coat it all blended in nicely.
I decided to invest in a new suit of sails and, after much deliberation, opted for a pair of Vectran sails from Ullmans to their Endurance specification. Vectran is stronger with less stretch than standard polyester so the sails should keep their shape longer – not the cheapest option but worth the extra if you expect to sail far enough to justify it. I’m hoping they’ll last at least as long as I will!
We booked accommodation in the Portuguese town of Sintra, just north of Lisbon, for the first week of July so that gave me a target date. Some years ago I left my boat at Punta Lagoa marina in Vigo so I knew it to be friendly, safe and good value. From there, I could get a bus or train to Sintra as long as I arrived a day or two early. Sailing non-stop from Cardiff I reckoned that two weeks would allow ample time. When my friend Nick, who keeps his boat near Cadiz, heard of my plans he offered to
