On Friday 30th June we completed our final
leg of the ARC Portugal Rally from Sines to Lagos. Departing at 0600 this was
to be our longest coastal leg. We set sail just as the sun started to rise over
the hilltops of Sines and the horizon was scattered with cruising chutes and
spinnakers. A strong northerly breeze stayed with us for our 75nm passage and
once again we sailed in the company of dolphins and whales.
Lagos marina is accessed via a lifting footbridge and
arriving yachts generally have to moor temporarily to the holding pontoon
pending arrival formalities and (of course) the bridge lifting. We arrived on
the pontoon at 1740 after a tiring day to await our berthing instructions. We
then joined the other rally boats that had already arrived and waited for the
rest of the fleet to complete the leg. After a celebratory drink on the pontoon
with our rally friends, we then adjourned to one of the marina bars for supper
and further liquid refreshments!
 |
| Lifting Bridge and Holding Pontoon |
 |
| All Rally boats safely moored |
 |
| Marina de Lagos |
The following day (1st July) we were free
to explore Lagos. Marina de Lagos do a fantastic job of welcoming the ARC
Portugal fleet and each of us received a goody bag filled with useful
information and a self-guided walking tour that takes in the history and
highlights of Lagos. That night the rally culminated with Marina de Lagos
hosting the final prize giving. We were treated to welcome drinks on the
terrace followed by a delicious three-course dinner. World Cruising Club team
member Charlie Pierce started the night by thanking all the participants for an
incredible rally and then proceeded to summarise the memorable moments and
recalling some anecdotes from the previous few weeks. Each boat was presented
with two specially engraved plaques, one from World Cruising Club, and one from
Marina de Lagos.
 |
| Welcome drinks on the terrace |
 |
| Prize giving - Snow Goose! |
 |
| Prize Giving Dinner |
 |
| ARC Portugal - Completion Plaque |
Altogether we have sailed more than 1,000 miles in the
last 3 weeks. The friendships, memories, and experiences we have shared on the
rally will no doubt continue long into the future. Like us, many of our new
friends are planning to cruise the Mediterranean over the coming months, others
will be crossing the Atlantic together and several boats are joining the World
ARC. In the meantime, we have decided to keep Snow Goose in Lagos for a few
weeks to enjoy a well-earned break and take in more of what the Algarve has to
offer.
 |
| Ponte de Piedade |
 |
| The Rally Flag! |
No comments:
Post a Comment