Languishing in Lagos

Well again we've arrived somewhere intendng to stay a few days then move on - but no we haven't moved on, we're still here 2 weeks later.

Mark has been busy putting more technical toys on the boat, making it even more complicated!! He's been installing toys to enable us to get do three things:

1. to get weather reports through the SSB radio - why do we need it?? To get weather reports while we're at sea, that's why - don't you land lubbers know anything :-)

2. to get our emails while at sea - it downloads the headers for our emails then we can choose which emails to download in full - we'll be trying that out on this next voyage and

3. the ability to track where we are - the link on the right 'Track our Progress' opens up a satellite map to show where we are and where we've come from, it updates every 12 hours. When you've looked at the map just use the explorer back button to get back to the blog. That's quite neat really.

It's enough to make you go cross eyed thinking about it. If I ever end up at sea on my own none of these technical toys other than the GPS and the Radar will be of any use to me!!!

Lagos town is all dressed up for Xmas now, the palm trees are all lit up, they look lovely. The boats in the Marina are having a competition for best dressed boat for Xmas. Dressing the boats and attending Xmas parties is a little suburban for us, we'll see what it's like when we get to Greece, don't think there are as many people live on their boats there.

Xmas tree Portuguese style

It seems strange that Xmas is so close and the weather is still warm and sunny most days, I haven't really given Xmas a thought yet. For the build up to Xmas we'll be making our way across the med to our winter home. My last few days have been spent shopping, cooking for the freezer and generally getting ready to leave here as soon as the weather is good. There's been storms in the med so we've been waiting for them to calm down.

That's all for now, tomorrow we leave Lagos and hopefully the next blog will come not just from a different port but a different country.

Visitors

20/11 - Dave and Carol arrived so we had to get the wine out - then more - then more - boy that Dave is a lush lol. Great to see them, first visitors from the UK. They also bought the rain with them, boy did it rain, haven't seen rain like it for years. It was so heavy it looked like comedy rain. A good day to nurse slight hangovers in the cafe's and drink coffee.

Farmers Market

18/11 - Went into the farmers market this morning - brilliant. Fabulous fresh fruit and veg, live chickens, honey, cakes etc etc.

How fresh do you like your chickens??

I bought some fresh veg and honey, decided the live poultry wasn’t for me lol. A bit too much mess in the cockpit after plucking. I've been told they have sheep, goats and even donkeys around Xmas time. I've obviously been a city dweller for too long, my meat definately comes from the butchers ready to cook.

Just look at the size of that pumkin!!

Mark is busy fitting the new battery regulator with lots of huffing and puffing. Abandoned battery regulator and went sailing with Paul and Sonja so Paul could start to loosen his rig ready to come out of the water.

Weather is definitely getting chillier, no shorts today.

The Outboard - Don't ya just love them

14/11/07 - This evening we got the tender out and did battle with the sodding outboard. Bloody thing is a pain, never starts after a rest without some serious tinkering, I’m surprised Mark hasn’t dropped it in and left it there before now. Anyway after we got it working we went exploring to find friends of Dave and Carols. Vic and Lynn were onboard and we had a cuppa and nice chat. It’s great to meet some other English people who aren’t pompous!! There’s far too many of them around.

Lagos Portugal

Got into Lagos early Monday morning, uneventful journey of no wind and had to motor most of the way. One benefit was because it was so calm we stayed in to the coast off Cape Vincent and shortened the journey somewhat. It has a fearsome reputation in bad weather. Signed in and found our berth. Nice man took our lines, which was great but he hasn’t spoken to us since – another pompous Englishman – what’s with them!!! They’re living a great life and still they’re not happy or at least don’t look it.

Had a chance to have a good look around Lagos today and found it has changed even more than I thought at first site. Behind the marina there is street after street of non descript apartment blocks, mostly empty. It looks over developed and not very attractive. The beautiful little railway station is closed and covered with graffiti which is a real shame; it was a typical old Portuguese building with lovely tiling inside. The new station is another modern non descript building with no character. Walking up the hill behind the marina you can clearly see across the valley up behind the old town and the skyline is now entirely new high rise buildings. Even after a couple of days it’s obvious the place is much busier than when we were here 3 years ago.

It’s a shame really the place is looking like the south coast of Spain, but I suppose you can’t blame them when the majority of Portugal’s income is from tourism, and I suppose 2nd homes n the sun. Why shouldn’t they get on the band wagon?? It does make you wonder whether there is going to be a big enough market for all this building work, the sales will have to come from abroad and at a time that the housing market is slowing down virtually worldwide are they going to be left with hundreds of properties standing empty as people feel the pinch in their home towns.

Later note in relation to paragraph above. Was talking to Ingrid (Marina Manager) and she was saying the building taking place now was approved 10 years ago and was held up due to politics. When that had been sorted out only 18 months ago the building work began immediately. No revue as to appropriateness for todays needs, makets etc etc. Madness!

One of the reasons for coming to Lagos was to catch up with an old friend we had met here 3 years ago, Bruce. We were not sure he would be here we thought he might be up the Guardiana. Quite by chance we were sitting in the bar with the free wifi, tapping away looking at our emails and who should walk in but the very man!! Good to see him, he came back for dinner and we had a nice evening. He had been up the Guardiana for the summer and was back in Lagos while he got his faulty Sterling charger sorted out then he’s off to the Canaries for the winter. His plans are then to go south to Cape Town then on to Australia next year. Knowing how fluid Bruce’s plans are we’ll probably meet up with him in the Canaries next year.