Next stage was shorter but we had to cross the famous cape Raso and cape Roca. Anyway, we set out to leave at 0600 and were just a tiny bit late. As we were heading to cape Raso the wind was very mild given we were protected from Nortada by both capes. It was a short stretch until the capes so we just went on engine. As we approached wind started to increase. It was from a favourable angle but it was getting strong... really strong. I decided to hoist only the jib and would hoist main if we saw conditions were favourable. This proved a wise decision. We were soon facing wind topping 35 knots! Cape Raso and cape Roca were living up to their reputation. However the direction was highly favourable, and we were doing 6 knots. So, things were looking good. Interestingly, as soon as we crossed cape Roca, the wind just diminished and we were soon on the right course to Peniche and doing good speed. As the wind got weaker, I had to change back to the genoa, which I did with no major difficulties. Soon, Peniche was on our bow and we could see the hot shower and the quiet dinner. We were on autopilot approaching Peniche when I saw a fisherman buoy. I changed course just to see another one... and another one... and another one!!! They were so many that we had to change to manual! As we were approaching we saw lines of fishing boats leaving port, all enthusiastically greeting us. Peniche was giving us a warm welcome. We moored at around 1900 helped by a really nice british sailor and went to rest.
Next crossing was to Figueira-da-Foz. This promised to be a quiet crossing, because the coast strongly inflect to the East and so the Nortada would be coming from the right angle to give us speed. We left Peniche and set course to the Berlengas islands. These are very famous among Portuguese people, and most people that went there report it with undisguised pride. One of the reasons has to do with the natural beauty of the place, the other with the strong and scary sea they have to face. I had never been to these islands and soon understood the natural beauty that made them so famous. However, I also realized the stories of bad sea were strongly exaggerated by most people. Waves were big, yes, sometimes covering the entire islands, but nothing compared to what we had faced at cape S.Vicente. They were just normal ocean waves.
As we passed the Berlengas we hoisted main and foresail and set course to Figueira. Wind was mild and soon I was letting go of the main sail reefing. We were now with full sails on and doing some very nice sailing up. At around 1800 we were mooring in Figueira, after what was the perfect cruise sailing. The scary North wasn't that scary after all!
Finally came the last crossing up to Porto. A long, 67 miles stretch, but again with favourable angle. Forecast was good, with some mild but constant winds. We set sail at 0500 but the wind wasn't helping. It was mild and constant but right from Porto. At this point we were predicting a very long journey! At 12 miles from coast we tacked hoping to have the angle, but we weren't even close. 1st mate said it was fine, we would just sail for longer, but in reality, if the wind didn't change we would be sailing for much longer. At some point I turned to 1st mate and asked: "Are you sure you want to be holding that wheel, or should I turn autopilot on?". The reply was, surprisingly: "Well, you can turn the autopilot if you like! I think I need the rest.". Finally!!! after 4 days of continuous sailing, 1st mate was getting tired of steering. As we progressed, the wind started to change. Slowly I changed the autopilot bearing in order to accommodate the changes. When I realized, the chartplotter said "On course" and we were sailing with the most favourable wind. Porto was right in front of us, 47 miles away. The wind never changed, and soon we were seeing the famous Douro rivermouth in front of us. Our journey North against the Nortada was finishing with the most beautiful sunset.
At 1930 we were entering the Leixões Marina and, to our surprise, we saw a 3 meters long Bottlenose dolphin jumping in front of us. It soon approached us and played with the propeller as we manoeuvred Clavadel. It was Gaspar, the lonely Bottlenose that have been hanging around Leixões in the past few days. "Maybe he heard about your project and wants to be sampled as well!" 1st mate said. As for now, I was just worried I would injure him with the propeller while manoeuvring. He was standing dangerously close. Nothing happened though, and we were soon resting watching some kids from a neighbouring Swedish boat playing with Gaspar more than excited. Our journey was over. We had safely gotten to port and were ready to start our sampling. The next day we would spend sorting the boat out (sailing against the Nortada had had it's effects on boat tidiness!) and waiting for the new volunteers. After that, we would be going out to start sampling. There is no time to loose...
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