OUR BLOG
"There's always a plan, but unexpected things happen and we just go with the flow. Though I do believe that fate and destiny often play their part"
sailing blog
And what do we think about being on-board full-time? It's only been a week, but it's safe to say we really like it…a lot!
We are, nevertheless, keen to get away from Marina de Albufeira after the weekend. That's because our spirit of adventure has well and truly kicked in and we want to broaden our horizons. To be fair, this has been a great place to settle in and do the final jobs that would most likely remain untouched once we get underway. We've only eaten out once so far, at our favourite fish restaurant in the Old Town. The budget side of things is therefore still on track. I actually love cooking and eating on board anyway, particularly when I time dinner to coincide with the setting sun. One thing that's going to have to change big time is our water consumption. The 150 lt tank is only lasting two days before a re-fill is needed. This is no good once we start spending days at anchor, given that we won't have the luxury of a tap at the end of the pontoon like we do now. I know the reason.....it's all this endless washing up. We certainly don't drink the stuff (only bottled) and we use the marina showers. After much thought, I've made an executive decision - we're going to eat out more and stop dirtying our own plates. I've made another decision too. You can spot tourists a mile off due to the brightness of their clothes. Therefore, I'm hanging my entire wardrobe in the sun until everything is bleached to the merest hint of its original colour. The next time I write, I may have gone completely native!
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The list of jobs to do is growing by the day. We're working up until about midday, after which it's just too hot to slave away. We've therefore decided to hang around in Albufeira for a few more days, so that we can get Comino fully prepared for the seasons sailing.
I put the new 25 kg Rocna anchor on this morning, which thankfully arrived safe and sound from the UK yesterday. I think I'll feel happier sleeping on the hook now that we've got something more robust attaching us to the seabed. Time to wander into town now to buy Nicki a new pair of sunglasses - they went over the side yesterday and sank before she could do anything about it. Need to check my insurance as they cost a fortune. A grovelling call to an old colleague at Endsleigh may be in order. Well, here we are........in the sunshine at last with all the time in the world to chill. Isn't it just unbelievable! As I said to Nicki "we're not on holiday you know.....we live here now". Don't you just love it when a plan comes together.
Yesterday was a bit showery, although because the day was spent unpacking and finding places to store everything, it really didn't matter. By contrast, today is bloody scorchio! When we arrived, Comino looked like she'd been through a sand storm, half buried in so much muck and grime you could have planted spuds on the side decks. After a good wash and scrub she now looks like brand new again. We're just back from the hypermarket where a taxi brought us home laden with all manner of goodies. The fridge is overflowing, the wine cellar is full and yes.....you've guessed it.......it's garlic king prawns for supper. The forecast is thirty degrees tomorrow, so the engine service will need to be done at the crack of dawn, otherwise I'll skive off and go to the beach on the grounds that it's too hot. Having said that, the beach sounds like a good idea when the work is done. This has been our first postcard from Portugal. We're still pinching ourselves. Is it really true that we live on a boat in the Mediterranean. Actually, Portugal is on the Atlantic, but let's not split hairs! Today is Sunday. It's bright, sunny, but chilly here in the Cotswolds. This time next week we'll be waking up on Comino in Portugal and the odds are it'll be bright, sunny and HOT.
I reckon it's going to be a long, long week, but well worth the waiting. |
A FEW PICS OF COMINO Click a photo to enlarge and use side arrows to scroll through. COMINO IS CURRENTLY HEREDID SOMEONE SAY SEAFOODOn our journey from Portugal to Greece we enjoyed amazing seafood almost everywhere we stopped. Finding the local fish market was always a priority because seafood was so plentiful and so reasonably priced. And, the displays were a feast for your eyes.
Locating a market sometimes meant pounding the pavements in searing heat, but if you kept your eyes peeled, you often came across a little clue. The pic below was a rather less than subtle advert for a fish market - it was eight feet tall.
Freshly cooked onboard, a plateful of giant prawns, baked in wine and garlic, washed down with a few glasses of local vino, was like heaven. Watching the sunset on the boat eating a meal like that was the epitome of "living the dream".
Now we're in Greece we've another favourite to savour. I'm talking about fried Calamari. It's usually good, but every now and then it's off-the-scale fantastic. At Natalie's Taverna on Kontokali Beach in Corfu, it was nothing short of epic.
We're based in Lefkas now and It's been a bit of a mission to find somewhere just as good. And we have. Rakias is a mere ten minute walk from the marina and this little fish market, with its very own taverna attached, is quite sensational.
Oh...and it's also worth mentioning that, on occasions, a bit of barbequed Octopus is on the menu at some of the tavernas we frequent. Can I resist....no. SUNSETS AND DRAMATIC SKIESNo filters, or any other monkey business, have been used to enhance these images.
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