Departing Nazaré, Portugal at around 0900, we headed south. The day started with no wind and a sizeable swell. The flogging of the sails was incessant but we – my reliable crewman Pál and I – were well rested and were very accustomed to this coast’s flaky morning winds.
Around midday the wind picked up and backed 90° to our starboard side. We enthusiastically engaged Wendy the windvane and set about what we do best: staring at the sea and meandering through conversations, keeping a keen eye on those troublesome and very often barely visible fishing pots, the biggest concern for most sailors along this coast until recently…
We passed Peniche around 1600, our alternative destination had the wind not picked up. We continued south, made a curry, drank a beer, and immersed ourselves in Pearl Jam while the sky turned pink as the sun faded. The conditions
