Another sunset: at Figueira Do Foz last night. We left Oporto at sunrise yesterday, 4th Sept, to be greeted with gusts of easterly wind between 23 and 26 knots so we made good progress. During the day winds came from all directions and at all speeds. Sometimes we were sailing the fastest we have ever sailed in her, at others motor sailing at 7knots, the Atlantic current with us. Did a lot of surfing down the swell which also increased our speed. Lerryn Lady was made for this - her Mizzen boom sang to us as we slid down the waves. As we approached Figuiera Do Foz at 6pm the wind literally blew us in - gusting at times to 30knots - giving us an overground speed of 9 knots! We travelled 62.5 miles yesterday down the Aveiro coast with an unending beach bordered by dunes and pine groves.
We were about 3 miles off the coast and had a few visitors :O) A honeybee hitched a ride on our outboard motor; a butterfly with wings the colour of primrose petals outlined in black danced about the shrouds for awhile; a tiny beetle no more than 2mm hung gamely onto the helm ( Greg hopes it's not a cockroach) and a blooming housefly that continues to evade the rolled magazine 'THWACK'.
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