The fleet are today (Thursday) safely berthed on individual finger berths for three nights at Oeiras Viva, which is well situated just down the river from the capital city of Lisbon. Oeiras has been the home of ARC Portugal in the Tagus River for seven years now, and the boats and crews are always very well received. The fleet have had a fantastic sail from Peniche with some strong Northerly winds making for one of the quickest legs thus far.
Some great runs were recorded as many boats experienced 35+kts winds. All boats handled the conditions very well and enjoyed the adrenaline rush. Owner of Farfelu Jonathan Terry said ‘this is the strongest breeze we’ve encountered on our boat and we are more than happy about how it behaved’. Casamara took line honours and made a very good entrance into the marina with strong currents against them and no steering. The Marina staff were very helpful and used their ribs to act as tugs until the Discovery 55 was tied up alongside.
One of the benefits of sailing with a World Cruising Club rally is the excellent network of contacts in the marinas visited throughout the globe that have been built up over the years, and despite the short stays in each of the stopovers, in conjunction with the marinas the rally team have been able to organise successful completion of all the work needed in very little time, meaning no delay for the boats.
The Reception team in Oeiras Viva are more than happy to help and we thank Marisa, Jorge, Isabel and Raquel for all their support in the office. Also big thanks goes to the dock team of Henrique Joao and Filipe who have been helpful during berthing the boats.
Three nights in Oeiras enables the participants to enjoy the delights of the city during a tour in the morning, as well as optionally exploring the country’s capital Lisbon. As well as that, a tour of Sintra and Cascais has beenorganised for Saturday which many have signed up for and is sure to be a day to remember. Sintra is a picturesque mountain range with a temperate climate and dominated by country palaces and cottages. Hailed by poets for it’s great beauty, the village is renowned for the view of the old Royal Palace perched on the highest peak of the mountain. A view not to be missed.