Vigo, Spain to Porto, Portugal
Show on Map
After three days in a port you have worked out the geographies to getting an electronic train ticket, where to get the best bread and a tourism office. Then you leave only to start all over again in the next port.
Beneath the old town of Vigo at the marina of the Real Club Nautico de Vigo they squeeze us in between two other boats. We like being central and sometimes that's at the small original marinas as opposed to the modern ones out of town. It's breathless and very hot but we find the oyster bars and cold beer ashore for lunch. Vigo is really a very pleasant town for the next Volvo 70 Yacht Race to start from.
Leaving the last of the Rias, we head for Bayona our last port in Spain before Portugal. Ian sailed into here as a 24 year old on the 52ft yacht 'Congere' and all he could remember was that the bar was in a castle. 'Congere', owned by Beven Koeppel of the New York Yacht Club, was a competitor in the 1972 Transatlantic Yacht Race from Bermuda through the northern Azores to Bayona. Known as the 'Race of Rediscovery' it was organised jointly with the New York Yacht Club and the Monte Real Club de Yates to commemorate the anniversary of the return of 'Pinta' in 1493 from the Americas to announce Columbus's discovery of the new lands. Bayona is a picturesque bay with the yacht club in prime position inside the castle walls and a perfect anchorage. Time to head south to Portugal and not much wind in sight.
Porto just inside the Douro River has no marina so we are advised to stay 5nm north at Leixos. Customs, Police and the Port Authority descend on us the moment we arrive. It's a little disconcerting at first, but all our paperwork is in order and the formalities completed quickly. Thinking this is a one-off entry permit, we soon discover how wrong we were as we head south.
From the bridge high above, Porto looked stunning on this clear blue day. Below on the left bank are the 'Houses of Port Wine' and rows of terracotta roofs that store the port for many years. On the right bank is the very colourful old town, steeples and history everywhere. It's not an easy place on foot as we navigate the steep cobble streets to find Taylor's Port; first on Ian's list. The first in the door and were wondering why it was so quiet when we realized that we had had a time change in line with England and not Western Europe by one hour.
Taylor's (Taylor Fladgate and Yeatman as the company is known) is the oldest port company, established 1692 by an English family that has never been sold. Today they offer a free tasting in very nice surroundings and of particular interest is the new white port, Chip Dry Porto served chilled and very nice at 10am. The video shown tells us we must see the Upper Douro River where the vineyards reach high up on the slopes in the mountain range. Too early for lunch we cobble our way down to the river and take a short cruise in a port barge to see the five bridges all within a distance of 5kms.
We cobble our way back up the hill for lunch at Taylor's restaurant, Barao de Fladgate; the menu looks delicious. Port is served as an aperitif before lunch then king prawns with a port mayonnaise duck with port raspberries and steak with port wine sauce.
The next day our 5 hour round train trip takes us along the Upper Douro River to Pinhao taking in spectacular scenery. Hillside after hillside is terraced sometimes very steeply, running at all angles. The rock is so hard they have to blast at first and then the plant roots grow down until they find water in an area that is very hot in summer and bitterly cold in winter. The grapes will be ready for picking at the end of September and we are amazed that they still process by treading with their feet. This process takes 24 hours and when the fermenting starts they dance to folk music. This is for the vintage ports as it is still the kindest way to extract the juice. A cruise along this river for a few days would be well worth doing if you are in the area.
Back on the yacht we are visited by Australian Don Reed from Noosa who has been cruising on his 48ft yacht with his wife for 4 years. They are the real cruisers having returned from Ireland, Scotland and Norway.
This is the notoriously exposed Atlantic coast of Portugal and what do we get but fog, flat glass seas and no wind. What do you do whilst motoring for 12 hours? You watch for Cray pots, whip ropes, photograph birds and write to you all. Next stop is Nazare and would you believe it… Police, Immigration, Customs and Port Authority all over again! To date no-one has stamped our passports in the EU but here this causes consternation and away go our passports to be updated. There may be one set of EU rules but each country interprets them differently. Be prepared.