Guadiana River

Sailing to The Guadiana River

For those who don't already know, the Guadiana River is one of our all time favourite places, especially the small village of Alcoutim.
This has been our third visit, although also our shortest, as we need to make progress towards Madeira.

We left the anchorage in Rota (in the Bay of Cadiz) very early in the morning, the log book shows an entry at 0300hrs. Why so early, well two reasons. The first is the length of the passage and it is always helpful to arrive in daylight if at all possible, the next was to arrive at the Sand Bar at the seaward entrance to the river at high tide. This would ensure we had plenty of clearance under the keel.

Having run a weather routing model the previous day, it looked like we would spend the first part of the sail heading adjacent to our destination close hauled. This turned out to be true and also true as it turned out was the change in wind direction later that day, which allowed us to sail to our destination.

More by luck than anything else, we tacked early. Without the new sails Azzy is not pointing as close to the wind as she could, and by daybreak our course was dropping below the line. We had intended to tack, head to the waypoint and motor until the wind changed. As luck would have it, no sooner than we tacked, the wind did change! Although not allowing us to head directly to the river entrance, it was at least taking us somewhere in the right direction. Throughout the afternoon the wind backed a little and before too long we were skimming along heading directly to our waypoint, so much so we acually had to take some sail in to slow down or risk arriving too early!

Below is a screen shot of our track from Vessel Finder to give you an idea of our course.

We started in the bottom right hand corner and if you follow the line along you can see that before we made the tack, our course was heading slightly South. If you follow the tack up you can see the effect on our course as the wind direction backed

On arrival at the river entrance we headed a few miles North to an anchorage we had used before, just to the North of the ferry terminal. We spent the evening and next morning here, waiting for midday when the tide was low to enable us to pass under the suspension bridge.

For anyone that has never passed under a bridge on a yacht, it is hard to convey how close the top of the mast looks. Photographs do not do it justice so we put together a short video clip. Trust me, you had to be there!

We had a pleasant meander up the river for several hours, and as it was a flood tide we went in on, the current helped us along. Before too long we had anchored just North of Alcoutim, very happy to be back.

As the current flows strongly, we waited until we had been on board for two tide directions before making the assumption it would be safe to leave Azzy and go ashore.


Our time literally flew by here, especially for Ian and Stephanie who, being fearless, went on the zip wire across the river. Ian actually went on it twice!

It is the only zip wire in the World where you can cross from one country to another and go back in time (Portugal is an hour behind Spain).

We also went to one of the weekly music festivals in the town square, and it was lovely to see it so well attended.

One day we happened to pass a few off-road buggies in the car park and upon investigation, an enterprising firm had set up an off-roading experience in these crazy things. Always on the look out for a new adventure (that does not involve heights) we booked them up.

Our time slot in the late afternoon meant the sun was beginning to drop, and the lack of rainfall for months meant it was hard going to see much in front!

Judge for yourselves from the clip below. It was great fun and lasted about three quarters of an hour. By the time we got back we were caked in dust.

Sad though it was our stay here was just a short one. We did have time to view a property we had hoped to buy over the winter. The owner was very hospitable, and a deal maybe possible in the future. Fate will decide...

And so onwards. Our next scheduled stop will be the large and often noisey anchorage in Portimao opposite Praia da Rocha, where we will hold up for a while and do another provisiong shop before heading a little further down the coast to our jumping off point to Madeira.

River Life Part Two

Alcoutim and Sanlucar

Hmmm, the last couple of posts have been wordy so let's start things off with some photos and further down if you want to, you can read a little more about this amazing place.

Our guide book to Alcoutim (Portuguese side of the river) does not lie when it says one of the first impressions to the visitor is an air of tranquillity. Well we could not agree more, and with or without a sailboat this is a place to put on your must do list. 

Human settlements date back 5000 years, but in the 2nd Century BC it was with inevitability that the Romans spotted the potential for the rich mineral resources, and iron ore foundries were set up to trade with parts of the Mediterranean. Of course over time it was conquered many times over. The name Guadiana comes from the Roman term Ana, and the Arabs added Uadi. Then it was known for a while as the Odiana river, and no doubt after some home brew the name Guadiana was invented and has stuck to this day.

What is unique is the river is a natural border between two countries, Spain and Portugal, and Alcoutim and the Spanish village of Sanlucar are opposite each other. Both villages have a castle, and artillery duels in the 17th century were not uncommon. It was also a place for smugglers to ply their trade, as the outlying villages were very poor. Many things we take for granted would have been valuable commodities back in the day, for example, almonds, figs, wheat and other cereals as well as eggs and strangely, coffee.

Today things could not be more contrasting however, if you want to see smuggling happening everyday just stand near the border of Spain and Gibraltar and watch as a size 10 lady turns into a size 16 stuffed with concealed bundles of cigarettes!

Our guide book has given us an insight into local cuisine but although we have tried hard to buy and cook local produce, we have not been adventurous enough to sample the delights of stewed eels, grilled shad and chicken with blood sauce. We do however, make a point of visiting the local market in Alcoutim every Saturday. Of course it is nothing like a supermarket that we take for granted. You can only buy the produce that is available. If what you want is out of season, tough! The butcher works out of the back of a van and bits of meat fly off in all directions, much to the delight of the local dog and cat community. We normally purchase a whole chicken to barbecue on our Cobb, as well as a long strip of pork spare ribs. Fair to say that Lynne has got the ribs down to a fine art. 25 to 30 mins in the pressure cooker, and then 15 mins in a hot oven. The meat is so tender it melts in your mouth, and we usually serve these with garlic and mushroom rice to which the cooking juices have been added. Delicious!

Whilst we have chosen to anchor up river away from the villages, it only takes us 15 minutes to get to the shops and the views and the peace we have more than makes up for the longer commute. That is not to say our social life has taken a back seat, far from it. We visit Alcoutim every Wednesday night for music festival, and sometimes stop along the way for drinks on board Mistroma with Mike and Lynne. Then there is open mike night at the Riverside Tavern on Friday nights, and it is hard to step foot in either Sanlucar or Alcoutim without running into a fellow yottie. Not forgetting the lovely local Portuguese lady Candida, who on over hearing our plight to get petrol one day in the library, took us to her home and gave us a lift to the petrol station! You know when you read the bad headlines in the news, coming to places like this and meeting the local people soon restores your faith in humanity.

As the time comes to think about moving on, this place will always have special memories. New friends Jo and Les are keeping their yacht but have just purchased a plot of land with river frontage for not a lot of money. They spent many years before sailing living off the land, so for them they have come full circle. In many ways we have been a little tempted to put some roots down but the call of the Ocean is too strong. Besides which and God willing, we want to bore the pants off the residents of our future nursing home with tales from the seven seas!

The plan is to leave on Thursday morning about an hour after high water, as we are going to night stop half way down river. We had hoped to spend a night or two in Ayamonte marina but according to the locals, the entrance has silted up and we have a deep keel, so no chance of getting in just now. Hopefully we can anchor nearby and take the rib ashore. Rumour has it the restaraunt Puerto Ancha is the one to go to, so we will do our best.

Our chance opportunity of buying good value internet in Portimao will run out when we leave Portugal. It has been great to sort out so much whilst we have been here. Spares for the DuoGen to upgrade it to a MKIII, generator serviced, new furling line, vang taken off and fitted the right way up, solar issue diagnosed, running and standing rigging quotes, new anchor chain to be delivered to Almerimar, and all manner of research on sailing across the Atlantic and beyond.

Will sign off from the Guadiana with thanks to Phill for his help with the blog, and going to the expense and taking time off work to share this experience. Hope you found it as awesome as we did Phill, and thanks for the memory of your expression as we got the rib on the plane, priceless!

PS I hope that was just water in the bottom of the rib!

Portimao to the River Guadiana

Leaving Portimao

And so the time came to leave Portimao. It is a great anchorage and lovely beaches nearby, but we had waxed lyrical to Phill about the delights of the Guadiana river, and he had taken the trouble and expense of booking a collection to take him to Faro airport from Alcoutim.

Our leaving time was dictated by the need to access the mouth of the river at high tide, to ensure we cleared the sand bar. Sadly for us all, the day we left the wind was absent, so we ended up motoring for a good ten hours in an uncomfortable swell. Passing Faro we noticed a strange brownish bloom in the water that appeared to stretch for miles. We never did discover what is was.

Brown sludge, and not from our holding tanks!

More sludge

 
It was early evening when we arrived at our anchorage just North of Ayamonte. We had been here two years ago and the holding was good. It is handy now we are re-tracing our journey to refer to our old log books.

We settled in for the evening and admired the sunset, whilst pointing out to Phill the suspension bridge that we would need to pass under the next day to continue up the river.

Sunset and the bridge

We had a relaxing start to the next day, as we had to wait until low tide in order to pass safely under the bridge. Scarlet Lady actually had a taller mast so we knew we should be fine, but did not want to take any chances all the same.

Leisurely breakfast in idyllic anchorage

Guadiana River

It was about midday when we lifted the anchor and headed over. The view from the deck looking up is daunting, but in the end we passed under with room to spare.

No way we will go under!

Time to close the eyes!

No going back now!

 
We flew both Spanish and Portuguese courtesy flags, as the river is a border between the two countries. It was a hot day but we did have a little wind, so for some of the passage we unfurled the genoa and gybed around the river banks. Phill did a good job on the helm and kept a watchful eye on the depths. The lowest we saw was 0.9m under the keel, but even close in to the river bank it could be as deep as 10 metres in places.

Made it under the bridge!

The river banks are dotted with ruins, but there are also some lovely properties nestled in the countryside with the most glorious views.

We want one!

Phill at the helm

Gliding up the river

It is so relaxing that it is little wonder some yotties come up here and never leave!

In what seemed next to no time we anchored about a mile North of the towns of Sanlucar (Spanish), and Alcoutim (Portuguese). These two towns have very different characters, as both have different time zones! Both towns look very pretty from the river, and the houses in Sanlucar are all painted white and the owners are obliged to repaint them every year to keep up appearances.

Sanlucar, very pretty and note the castle on the hill

Aztec at anchor in the river

For the remainder of Phill's vacation we did very little. We would spot shooting stars at night, and go ashore during the day to explore both towns. We even bumped into a yottie couple we met 2 years ago who have only moved about 500 yards! 

One evening we set up the pushpit barbecue, which the previous owners had left on board. Sadly it needs a non-stick tray to cook properly, so we will keep our eyes open for a suitable sized one. No worries as we finished the meal off in the oven.

New barbecue 

Probably just as Phill was settling in it was time for him to return to the UK, but he is flying out to Spain in late September and again at Christmas time, so we will see him again soon.

During the summer months a weekly music festival is hosted in Alcoutim. We went along for a night of Portuguese rock. It was brilliant and very well attended.

Very entertaining for the crowd, but we could not understand!

Talented guitarist

A brilliant night

We also discovered that the liveaboards also have a weekly open mike night on Thursdays at the local tavern, so we popped along to that. No photos as we forgot to take the camera.

We met a couple who played regularly at the music sessions in Almerimar that we recognised, and introduced ourselves to others. We even met another Steve and Lynne!

It is fair to say that we are settling into life up the river. We can get free water from the pontoon in Alcoutim, so our tanks are nearly always full. Both towns have little supermarkets, and there is a market in Alcoutim on Saturdays.

So why are we here and not sailing? Well, a few reasons. Firstly we fell in love with the place when we last visited, secondly we had hardly unpacked since picking Aztec up in Plymouth, and thirdly it is free to anchor so we are saving on marina costs. The latter is important to us for now as we have some big expenditure coming up on preventative maintenance, including new standing rigging and skin fittings which will cost many thousands.

We have written out a two page list of small jobs we can do now, and try to tackle one a day. Sometimes this means setting the alarm early as it gets too hot to work by midday.

One of the first tasks was to replace the furling line which was badly worn, and had jumped off the helicoil unit. We had been having trouble furling the main in and out, and figured this was the cause of our problems. Firstly to get at the unit we had to take the mainsail down, and release it from shackles inside the mast. Not an easy job as the inspection covers are tiny, and don't leave much room to get a pair of pliers in.

All is not well with this

Helicoil unit

In the end it took us nearly four hours to complete the works. However, the last two bolts that secure the helicoil unit to the mast would not tighten and lock into place. After emailing the manufacturer it appears that a backing plate that the bolts thread into must have fallen off during re-assembly, so we now have to go through the whole process again to fish it out from the bottom of the mast, doh! Despite the bolts lack of grip, we did test it and are pleased to report that all the stiction is gone and the sail came out by hand, whereas we had to winch it before.

Anyway, now we have unpacked we can find things again, and it has been a godsend to have the third cabin which is now officially our storage shed! The generator has also been of great use, as has the lifting strop for the rib. The engine weighs a lot, so we can't use the Davits when it is on the rib. We use the strop and pop it on the side. Really handy and secure, and wish we had thought of doing the same when we had Scarlet Lady.

Strop doing its job, so handy this way

Well that is about it for now, another update on river life just before we leave.

We will be heading to Chipiona, Rota, Barbate, Gibraltar, and possibly Ceuta before arriving at our winter berth in Almerimar in October. Lynne is looking at the bus timetable from Chipiona as we would both like to take a trip to Seville, something that we didn't get the chance to do last time round.

If any of our readers would like a short break, we will be here until the end of August and you are very welcome to join us.