Still in Portogal - Figureira da Foz

Yesterday we had a comfortable 65 nm sail down from Porto to Figureira da Foz. We departed a couple of hours later than planned due to thick fog and was moored in Figureira  just as it turned dark. The vessel next to us is of norwegion origin and flying the norwegian flag. It is a Colin Archer-type vessel around 50 ft. Apart from those mentioned in Porto, it is very well kept and maintained. This vessel is a former post-boat delivering post to the islands and remote places around Bergen on the norwegian westcoast. The vessel is own by a norwegian living in Figureira da Foz.

We visited this harbour 9 years ago and it is interresting to see, that since then, the harbour is upgraded to a very high standard. Tomorrow we continue south to the small harbour of Nazare, 35 nm further south along the coast. Sailing along the coast of Portugal is like viewing a 800 km long sandy beach. Stay tune.

B & T  / SV Villvind

Those, who not cares !

Most boatowners take good care of their vessel. Occasionally you find some examples of the contrary !

A pitstop in Leixoes- Porto

Bayona in Spain. A small galician fortified town with its ancient streets, buildings and old fort is a very convenient and nice place to hide from the gale. Villvind has been underway for a month now. We have been lucky with the wind all the way, even if we have to stay here for a couple of days caused by gale force winds from SW to NW ( Baufort 8 and 9).

We crossed the English channel twice. This is a place for heavy traffic and high level of concentration among the crew,- certainly when it’s dark.  The crossing of the Bay of Biscay or Baie de Gascoinne as it is called by the French, from L’aber Wrach in Bretagne to La Curuna, turned out to become a real pleasant sail. More or less on a flat sea and  favourable winds all the way across. 

After a brief stop with refuelling in Curuna we continued around the Finisterre  down to Bayona from where we after 3 days got a "window" an made a jump of 60 nm down to Porto where we still are.

The forecast says that the wind will continue to blow out of south for another couple of days but turn back to normal during the weekend.   Normal is stedy winds out of north.  

I will stay here in Porto untill tuesday.  Harald leave for Norway tomorrow and Berit arrives on manday. By then the wind will  have calmed and we can have a pleasant sail down to Lisboa. The intension is to leave for Madeira around the 10.september. Stay tuned ! 

Everything is fine onbord.  No technical problems !

SV Villvind

Terje S
Senior cruiser 

ETD - (estimated time of departure) 25.juli 2015, 9 o´clock local time !

Hi again !

We are now back from the South Pacific. After a short week, occupied with some final preparations, -Villvind and its crew leave for the South Atlantic.tomorrow morning.  (ETD)  

On a very irregular basis l intend to post letters on this blog and give you some highlights from our journey as we move south.  If you want to follow our progress you can hit the "position"-tab  in the Links column.  We use an Iridium satelite tracker from Yellowbrick, and we will  once a day report our GPS-position.

Till the first letter is posted, have a nice summer and stay tuned !

T

An aperetiff de lux !

Plans can be followed, changed or ignored !  In 2007 we passed through French Polynesia on our sailing adventure around the world. Our hope then was, once in the future,  to revisit  the ”Isles des Societe” or "Leeward Island".  If it could be done during the La Heiva period ,- all the better. 

Intensions developed into plans  and tomorrow we depart  for Tahiti together with  good friends.  We have chartered a 50-footer for 4 weeks and will once more enjoy the comfort of these wonderful Pacific islands.  

When we return in the end of July a new sailing  adventure will be launched. This time in our own boat, -Villvind.  Untill then have a nice spring and summer.  Stay tuned.

Terje S

SV Villvind

Back in the water !

Back in the water !

Villvind is once more back in the water,- by the end of Mars.  After an extended refit including a new teak deck, some new equipment  installed  and other minor improvements the boat is better than new.  At our latitudes, launching in Mars is combined with a rather high level of uncertainty.  However, all I needed was two days of favourable weather.  One for painting the bottom,  the other for launching and rigging.  In a period dominated by cold, snow and fog I was granted just those two days.  What a luck ! With the help from the professionals of Orust ( Sweden) the work went smoothly and I can spend the Easter, sailing slowly north to our homeport . The Swedish westcoast in early spring, ( even if the conditions can be more like they are in late winter ), is a very enjoying experience.  Very few boats around,  only a few retired old salts like myself  enjoying the ”lull before the storm”.

It is like having a big, newly baked and untouched cake, -all to yourself.

Have a nice Easter !

Terje S / Senior cruiser

Soon back in the water !

Two month to go now !

To meet the interest of our foreign friends i will from now on write in english.  I hope this will not create too many  problems to our Norwegian friends and followers.

Villvind will be back in the water the last week in Mars.  From then on , the spring will be used to prepare the boat for a venture south with departure end of July.  The main areas of focus, involving new equipment and improvements will be  security, comfort and communication.

The first leg south will be done during august with departure homeport Moss( Norway) the last week in July. The target is Lisboa by the end of August.  Our intensions is to move fast through Denmark, Holland and Belgium, - slow down among the channal islands in France before crossing the Bay of Biscay to Bayona in north-west Spain.  From there on it´s approx 300 nm to Lisboa. A convenient  town for changing crews.

Lately i have been dealing with a technical challenge.  I´m not comfortable with  storing the outboard high on the rail at the stern. 25 kg exposed to wind and vibrations 2 metros above the water. An old and tired back ,-  are really screaming for a new solution.  The solution i ended up with is to mount a hoist on the radar-pole and installing a new bracket for the outboard at deck level .  This solve the two main problems. I can now 1) handle the outboard  with a straight back,  staying on the stern platform  and 2) move the weight  from high up down to deck level. I look forward to see how this will work out !

... until then stay tuned !

SV Villvind

The captain / Senior cruiser