Lagos, Portugal

The Admiral and I are at our final European destination for the sailing season. Callisto left La Rochelle in France after a fairly extensive refit, including replacing all standing rigging.
I was impressed with how much better the boat sailed, especially going to weather in both light and heavier air. Who knew? I'm very glad that the recommendation to do the re-rig was made and that the work was done without problem. The run across Biscay and around Finisterre was uneventful from a sailing point of view but we did have a significant problem south of Porto that I will get into ina moment.
My crew were Ian and Matt and we left in a northerly F4-5 breeze and we made good progress all night. The wind lightened considerably on the next day and we had to motor sail for a while until the breeze filled in again. We progressed nicely under sail past Finisterre until the wind failed once again..
We motored and motor sailed down the Portuguese coast in very calm conditions, surrounded by dolphins until the motor stopped dead. It would run in neutral but I could not engage forward or reverse without massive vibration. I thought we had hit something and damaged the prop. We got on the radio and fortunately a British boat about 5 miles away agreed to give us a tow to the nearest port which was a place called Peniche, about 15 miles away. Fortunately, conditions were calm and clear and we picked up the tow without problem. Slow progress down the coast and it was very dark when we were picked up by the local maritime police and towed the last mile into the small town of Peniche. We tied up to a concrete wall in the fishing port and by this time it was already midnight, so not much to do.
On the following morning, the local authorities and there were a lot of them told me that it was forbidden to dive on the boat myself, even though we had the equipment. I had no choice but to employ a local dive company who fixed the problem in about 10 minutes. It would appear that we had picked up a huge piece of heavy duty fishing net. So, just bad luck but no  damage to the prop or transmission.
After a lot of paperwork and some bills to pay we were again on our way around midday down to Cascais. We berthed at a very nice but seriously expensive marina and had a nice dinner in this very pretty Portuguese town next to Lisbon.
We anchored out in the bay next day and by this time the Portuguese trades had resumed and we had some great sailing the past 120 miles to Lagos with following wind at F5-6 all night. Lots of fishing boats but fortunately no more nets.
Lagos is just as I remember it. A bit touristy and some drunken Brits and Germans but very pleasant with excellent restaurants and amenities.
We have done some road trips to Sagres and Silves and other areas of interest in the Algarve.
The climate is outstanding and there are some beautiful and remote spots to visit.
The Admiral will stay until next week and I remain to put the boat to bed by the end of the month.
Then it's back to California, via London, Iceland and Washington DC.

The fishing net we picked up south of Porto. Apparently, there is a lot of this stuff floating just below the surface. There is no way to see it or avoid it. Day or night.

climbing up the street to the cathedral and fort in Silves

Callisto at the Marina de Lagos

The western Algarve coast. Remote and beautiful. Much different from the concrete jungle further west

Sagres

A stork nesting in Silves. Lots of migratory bird here

the beach at Lagos

Atlantic coast of southern Portuga lremote beaches north of Cape St. Vincent

Callisto tied up to the sea wall in Peniche

downtown Lagos and the marina

La Rochelle, France.

We are now a sailing boat again. The masts went back on last Tuesday, a day late as the painters sprayed the mast the wrong colour white. The difference was quite noticeable and I felt that it was worth waiting an extra day to get the job done correctly.
So now all the rigging jobs have been completed and the mast went back on without a hitch.
All the running rigging has been replaced and new block placed for the external spinnaker halyard and a new ballooner halyard. New sheave bearings for all the halyards and all new nylocks.
New bearings and printed circuit  board in the  B and G  masthead unit.
Both of the masts have been compounded and polished and the lower third of both of them have been repainted.
Both electric furlers have been dismantled, re-greased and replaced and the manual furlers for the main and mizzen have been rebuilt with new bearings.
All the original standing rigging has been replaced with the exception of the triatic stay which seemed as new.
I have new motor mounts, the prop shaft brake has been rebuilt with new pads the bilge degreased  and cleaned and the electric bilge pump rebuilt.
Alternator has been bench tested and all the grounding circuits tested and all check out
I have bought some new parts from Amel, including some electric solenoids as spares, new helm seat and new mirrors for the forward head.
Callisto has been compounded and waxed and is looking quite spiffy!
I spent a few hours reconnecting the lights, antennas, radar and wind instruments and miraculously everything seems to work.
Ian arrives today and Matthew tomorrow. The weather is looking good to leave to cross Biscay tomorrow afternoon with the tide.

preparing the mast for the crane

up she goes

lowering the main mast

almost there

A sailing boat again

sparkly new  turnbuckles

La Rochelle, France

I've  been back in La Rochelle for about a week now and La Belle France has magically come back to life on September 5th. The work on the masts is professing well. Both masts have been cleaned and polished and yesterday I did the preparation work for painting the lower ten feet of the masts.
All areas that had corrosion bubbling through the paint were ground down to bare metal and two coats of base  primer were sprayed on.
The rigging arrived from the ACMO factory today and all the bits and pieces are being checked as we speak.
All being well, if all the rigging measurements are correct, the masts can go back on next Monday. I'll have another day of hooking up all the electrical connections for the radar, lights and wind instruments etc. and if the weather remains good.
The inverter that powers the TV's and computers decided to quit upon my return but at least they have everything one needs to fix anything here. Unfortunately, at European prices. One out of two isn't bad.
I'm looking forward to getting going again.

Amersham, Bucks, UK

I've been very lazy regarding this blog but quite industrious in many other ways. Callisto is in La Rochelle in France and I have just returned to the UK to visit with the Admiral who is still busy with looking after her aged parents.
So let's pick up where I left off in the last post. We had a very nice visit to Bruges, Lots and lots of tourists but a wonderful place for a day trip.
The weather was not wonderful but we thought we might be able to slide down the north coast of Belguim towards Calais and then cross over to Dover. Light headwinds were forecast and we thought we could make it in a day without too much problem. All went well until about noon, when we got into 25 kts. on the nose and the going was very difficult indeed. We did finally make it into Dover late that night and while docking, managed to pick up a line the wrapped itself firmly around the prop.
Fortunately, the marina patrol boat was active and they helped us onto the dock. The next morning we had to get the boat hauled as no diving was permitted in the harbour and removed the line.
We dropped Marie-Luce off to go home and Ian and I carried on toward Guernsey.
It was a nice mild, clear night with a nice breeze and we sailed nicely down the south coast and then turned left toward the Channel Islands. We stopped off in Cherbourg for the night as the tide through the Alderney Race was not favourable. We watched the Bastille Day fireworks from the anchorage and left with the tide the following morning for St. Peter Port. Guernsey in July is a bit of a madhouse but we had to go there to export the boat out of the Eurozone and also avail ourselves of duty free diesel at 54p. a litre.
We left the next day and that takes us to Belle-Ile at the end of the last post.
Belle-Ile is much recommended and we spent a couple of days there before going on to La Rochelle.
The Amel Yard was very welcoming and they got to work immediately. We had some minor gel coat work done, and had all the major systems checked out. Daniel from Amel Yard replaced the motor mounts and serviced the prop shaft brake and generally brought the engine room back to spec. We had the charging system and  the alternator bench tested and all the grounding circuits checked and tested.All running rigging has been replaced.
Thorough cleaning and polishing throughout and the boat was really looking very good. All this came to a grinding halt after the riggers report came through. The mast step pad on the main mast has deteriorated quite a bit and the riggers were very concerned about it. Although they did not find anything major wrong with the rig, there were a number of small things and that combined with the fact that Callisto has traveled more than 50,000 nautical miles in the past nine and a half years, they recommended replacing all the standing rigging. I did have the option of fixing all the small things and that would have saved some money but I opted to do the whole job at  this time. At least I will know that the job has been done correctly by riggers who know the boat well.
Apart from the considerable expense, the next problem was logistical. All of France disappears for the month of August and it is very difficult to get anything done. We went over to the old port in La Rochelle and the masts were removed and are now in the riggers' shop and all the new running rigging is on order. The mast removal process was very slick and I am very confident that these guys really know what they are doing.
Callisto does look very strange as a motor boat.
All the exterior polishing is now done and I'm taking a break in rainy and cold England until the end of the month.
At that time, I will have the dubious privilege of compounding the masts and doing some sanding and painting and then polishing, prior to the arrival and fitting of the new running rigging.
We estimate that we will get going again in mid September after this major refit. We hope that the Biscay weather will behave itself when the time comes to leave delightful La Rochelle.

entering the harbour at Oost Vlieland in a near gale

some of the statuary in Bruges

Belgians like their beer and so do we

beautiful Belle-Ile

Crane lifting the mizzen mast

laying the masts flat

very sad looking

and now a motor boat. surprisingly good visibility+

endless chores. 

Belle-Ile, Brittany, France

We are almost at our destination in La Rochelle and we are moored outside Le Palais on Belle-Ile waiting for favourable winds to take us the final 120 miles. The weather now is perfect and Belle-Ile is certainly tres belle.
The voyage has been difficult since we left Cuxhaven in Germany for Den Helder. We were doing very well motor sailing quite nicely until the wind back onto the nose and then steadily built to about 20 kts as we were coming around the the North West corner of Holland. That was not too much of a problem until the tide changed and it is very disconcerting to see the heading lines on your chart plotters turn around and the navigation marks that you can see in the distance, slowly recede.
We turned around and went inside the Friesian Islands, that we might make it to Den Helder on the inside. That was not to be either as the winds had built to well over 30 knots and we took shelter in a tiny marina in Oost Vlieland. The place was very interesting and the marina was full of huge Dutch barges. The staff were very welcoming and we rafted up to a large motor cruiser.
By the next morning the weather had settled down and we had some nice sailing down the coast to Scheveningen to wait for some weather to cross the North Sea.
The Admiral got the news that her dad was quite ill in England and found a flight from Amsterdam to go and take care of him.
There was no favourable weather to cross the North Sea to the UK for at least a week so we decided to try to sail down the Dutch coast past Belgium and France to get a better shot at reaching the UK to drop Marie -Luce off.
We left Scheveningen one evening passed through the Rotterdam traffic system and arrived at Blankenberge in Belgium the following morning. This was a rather strange Belgian holiday resort which had two things going for it. One was excellent mussels and the other was its close proximity to the city of Bruges, which was visited on the following day. (to be continued)

Cuxhaven, Germany

We are now in Cuxhaven in Germany after a long run down the Kiel canal. The weather over the past few days can only be described as bloody awful. we have had at least three inches of rain and the temperature has not been over 70 degrees.
The sailing from Bornholm was the usual Baltic mixture of breeze from every direction and velocity. We did get some sailing done early on and athe end but it was mostly a motorthon. We have not been too lucky with the breeze on this cruise. We got to the Kiel Fiord the following morning in 20 knots of breeze and passed through the lock and did about twenty miles to the town of Rendsberg and stayed for two nights. Despite the weather it was quite nice and needed a bit of a rest.
On the following morning we traveled the last 40 miles of the Kiel canal in intermittent showers and mostly headwinds. Quite a difference from our trip north over a month ago.
we went another 15 miles west in the Elbe Estuary in very squally conditions up to 35 kts with very poor visibility to Cuxhaven marina and we will wait for a weather window to take us back to Holland.
We spent the day wandering around Cuxhaven but did not find it exceptional.
It looks like we will leave tomorrow in the company of some new friends on an HR48 called Northstar. The weather does not look ideal but there does not appear to be anything better for at least a week so we will see what we get.
Next stop Den Helder in Holland.

Svaneke, Bornholm, Denmark

the peculiar, three legged water tower in Svaneke

the tiny, almost natural harbor in Svaneke. would be difficult to get in there

svaneke, very pretty place

The five sisters smokehouse where we had a nice lunch

bucolic scene with windmill in Arsedale. Unfortunate name

another harbor in Svaneke

Danish cannon to keep the Swedes out