Porto and Oporto

Recently, we were able to show our good friends, Ari and Yani, our boat – they are originally from Argentina and had been our neighbors for a few months before moving to another apartment here in Madrid.  We meet regularly to solve the world’s problems; our solutions are frequently offered in an eclectic mix of Spanish, English, and if enough wine has been drank, frantic gestures and charades.  Our friends are amazing artists and connoisseurs of culture, details, and life – and they are dog people, to boot (i.e., the human genome project should probably be cloning THESE people)!  Having them come along for a weekend of adventure promised to be fun and exciting.

It’s always fun to bring people on board who have never really been on a sailboat, as most people do not realize that modern boats are quite livable down below.  No question is ever a bad question, but I do have some favorites that I have been asked about the boats we have had in the past:

• I can remember when we were living aboard in San Diego, and an earthquake had hit southern California.  The next day, one of my co-workers asked me quite worriedly if we were okay, given the earthquake.  Her concern was appreciated, but we were a bit surprised that it was not obvious that, short of triggering a tsunami, an earthquake is not something we would notice (all that water is a pretty good buffer, all in all).
• We’ve also been asked how the rain affects us – since our boat is not an open rowboat, it’s nearly no different than rain anywhere else!  I suppose that some folks must just think that our threshold for discomfort is off the charts since we prefer smaller spaces, so perhaps being on a wet, “leaky” boat in the rain must be standard practice!

We never mind the questions, since not everyone has had sailing or boating experience – but it is always great to see eyes widen when people see how things work in a small, mobile space that can be both cozy and utilitarian, depending on the need.  With new people, we try to go through a general talk about how to use the head, and then all of the important things required for sailing – stowage of loose items, personal flotation devices (PFDs), Lifesling operation and man-overboard (MOB) procedures, lines on winches, and so on.  The list is lengthy, and it’s a trick to remember everything in English, let alone clarify in Spanish!  It was a fun exercise…

Our goal for the weekend was to spend some real time sailing, as well as to do some exploration of Porto proper (our marina is located just across the river from Porto in Gaia).  Saturday dawned, and after a lovely walk on the beach, we made preparations to head out – in addition to a sunny, warm day, there was a sailing regatta planned for just outside the breakwater that we would be able to watch.  And…it would be a true maiden voyage, not only for Ari and Yani, but also for Jordan and Haley.

Haley was not as impressed with the day’s sailing as the rest of us.

Ari is a natural, but Jordan…not so much.

We motored out of the Douro River into the Atlantic a little before noon and were surprised to see more swells and stronger wind than had been apparent from afar.  We had put the dogs down below in the v-berth while getting the sails up, and after we had cut the motor, I went down below to check to see how they were doing – panting and looking a bit anxious…the tell-tale look of imminent puking.  As fast as I could, I strapped the dogs into their life jackets and handed them up to the cockpit, where they could keep their faces into the wind; they remained there for the rest of our sail, each sprawled out on one side of the cockpit, wedged in by a person!  No vomit and relieved expressions, so that was good.  Our pups are not natural sailors, but really, we never expected them to be.  We’ll avoid the bumpy trips with them, and try to keep their on-water adventures more of the flavor of exploring in the dinghy and running along the beach.  However, for the people, the sailing was fantastic!

Although the dogs thought otherwise, the sailing was fantastic.

La capitana, of course!

Ari at the helm, navigating the swells quite well!

Caipirinhias y cervezas, post sailing!

It’s hard to beat a walk on the beach at sunset.

The next day, we were tourists wandering the streets of Porto (or “Oporto” as Spaniards refer to the city) and then sampling Port wine – some of the neater exploring we have done because there was a lot of creative discussion.  Our lunch was long and rambling – quite good, although a few hours later, there were some suspect stomach aches…

Exploring the streets of Porto – forwards…

…and backwards.

The train station in Porto.

Winding our way through the back alleys – good company and fascinating places.

Justin and I forgot a camera, so the pictures below were all taken by Ari and Yani (¡muchas gracias!) – enjoy!