Cleaning And Repair

There was no rest for us once we got Snow Dragon Settled into Vilamoura on Wednesday. The mechanic we had organized for the generator was ready to start work immediately and was on board to evaluate the job shortly after our dock lines were tied. Being without a generator since Terceira has been more of an inconvenience than a serious problem. In Terceira we were able to plug into shore power, which kept our batteries charged until we were ready to leave. During the crossing the main source of power drain was Angela our autopilot who needed to work over time in the rough conditions. To conserve power we used the sleep mode on the chart plotter, only turning on when we needed to evaluate our course or check for AIS targets. We also decided not to run our refrigerator-freezer and put bottles of frozen water in the refrigerator to keep its contents cold.

 Snow Dragon’s solar panels were only of minimal use during the overcast passage. When the batteries started to get low, we ran our engine in neutral with the RPMs slightly elevated to get the optimal charging rate from the alternator. Before we left Terceira Frances switched the engine cooling system hoses from the heating system to the hot water heater so that we could heat water without the generator. To get rid of the carbon caused by running the engine at low RPM, we took advantage of the calm water near the marina and ran the engine up to 3000 RPM to burn off the carbon before heading in.

 Disassembled Generator Head And Exhaust Elbow

On Thursday the mechanic returned to disassemble the generator for an overhaul, while we removed the staysail and mainsail to be sent to the local sail loft for repairs. After ordering the parts that the mechanic requested from the U.S., we turned our attention to cleaning the salt off of Snow Dragon other maintenance tasks. With the generator repair going smoothly without needing any prodding, we decided to make a quick trip to England on Monday to visit friends and family. It will also give us the opportunity to pick up boat supplies, which are difficult to find in the Algarve.  

On Friday we explained to the marina that we were leaving Snow Dragon for a brief period and requested that they assign us a more protected slip. Since the one we were in was directly in line with the opening in the breakwater. The wind was starting to pick up and the marina kindly sent two guys to help us change slips. We explained that we did not have bow thrusters and needed to make sure that Snow Dragon did not swing her bowsprit into the electrical box as we left the dock. To which they replied in true powerboat fashion, “why don’t you use your second engine?”. One of the things that we have never been able to get used to in Portugal is that the fingers on the docks are less than half the length of the boat and only reach the midship’s cleat. After safely relocating, Krystina chatted with the guys about our reasoning for moving and explained that Snow Dragon is 25 tons; more suited for pushing ice than sitting in a marina and with surge could easily break the finger. The new slip was of the same configuration but in a much more protected part of the marina and made us more comfortable about leaving her unattended. The new location also improved our view with a bit of greenery instead of the bars, restaurants and hotels that dominate most of the marina. 

Rough Seas

It was brutal to set of on an 900 mile passage after sitting at the dock for 3 weeks. We had intended to only make a brief stop in Terceira before moving on to Sao Miguel and Santa Maria, the eastern most islands in the Azores. This would have shaved off 100 miles from the passage to mainland Portugal but bad weather, generator issues and good friends kept us in Terceira longer than expected. With the increasing frequency of gales, we decided that we had pushed the season in the Azores long enough and waited somewhat impatiently for a good crossing window. The ideal conditions never came and looking at GRIB files daily became a depressing routine. It was if “all roads” led to the Azores, with headwinds in every direction. Not even changing our destination would have helped the situation. Finally a small low came through the Azores, bringing a few days of favorable northerly wind before easterly headwinds set in again.

Leaving Praia da Victoria

The swell was intimidating from the moment Snow Dragon left Praia da Vitoria’s breakwater and we could feel our stomachs struggling to hold on to our lunch. We hoped that once we got into deeper water the sea would calm down but the discomfort only increased the further we got from shore. Even simple tasks like trimming sails and standing watch became a struggle as we spent the first three days of our eight day passage suffering from the crippling effects of severe seasickness. Which left us unable to even keep a sip of water down let alone Dramamine. Green water was pouring over the pilothouse at regular intervals as the wind climbed above the forecasted 30 knots. Sailing on a close reach, Snow Dragon was being dropped off of 4 meter waves and landing with a forceful slam before being picked up by the next wave. We fell away to a broad reach to minimize the slamming and brought in more sail as the wind climbed. We were over canvassed with our triple reefed main and staysail when the wind increased to 40 knots and began gusting above 50. After furling in the staysail to slow us down we were still surfing along at 9 knots with only the reefed mainsail. 

The bad weather continued into day four and we were really beginning to wonder how we were going to make it through the rest of the passage. Fortunately we got a bit of reprieve when conditions settled enough to enable our stomachs to accept small portions of food and water. By the next day, the big seas returned and once again eating regular meals was suddenly not part of the routine. Luckily most passages are not like this one and memory has a way of softening the discomfort, otherwise we would never do another ocean crossing.

Our only company was the moon that lit the night sky, the waves that constantly beat against the hull and distant ships, which we rarely caught sight of. The birds and marine life seemed to have found a better place to be in the bad weather and were nowhere to be seen after we left Azorean waters. A hundred miles off the Portuguese coast we discovered an additional passenger, a delicate red dragonfly. We had no idea where it came from but were happy to sit on deck and admire the beautiful insect as it flew around Snow Dragon’s rig.

Cliffs, Algarve

 Once we neared the traffic separation zone off Cape St. Vincent, ship traffic increased radically and it felt as if we were crossing a busy highway. The ships we came closest to were very polite and changed course to take our stern without us even calling them on the radio to make passing arrangements. The familiar cliffs of the Algarve did not becoming visible until morning. While it was still dark, we passed Cape St. Vincent, where we had anchored in 2008 after completing a much smoother crossing. This time conditions did not permit a respite and we continued on to Marina de Vilamoura where we had arranged for a mechanic to work on our generator.

Coming into Vilamoura was a bit of a shock. It is the largest tourist development in Europe and not an ounce of local culture in sight. When Krystina asked the marina office for directions to the supermarket the woman told her it was next the McDonalds. The “golden arches” being something that had been absent from our lives for the past six months. At least by the time we arrived at the marina, we had managed to get enough sleep and calories into our system to get Snow Dragon safely to the dock.

Entrance To Marina De Vilamoura