Six go to Sea

What better way to recover from a party than to wake at dawn and head out into a foggy rolly sea.
We are on our way to Ilha da Culatra in the Ria Formosa Lagoon which protects Faro from the open sea. It is a place we have often heard about since Margaret and Donal spoke so highly of it when they were sailing in this area a few years ago. It is a sand island with beach all the way around from the sea side to inside on the Lagoon side and sand and scrub in between. There are a few fishing villages there with a shops and restaurants but no cars - only tractors and quad bikes to get through the sand roads. We are very excited to see it as it is hard to imagine it. It is great that Margaret and Donal are with us to share in this excitement… although I think Margaret is feeling the pressure of her high recommendation.
There is no sailing breeze so we motor and Donal tests Ruby and Colm on their seamanship.
We are a good bit off but can see Alvor, Albufeira and Vilamoura as we make our way East .We have been to these places and share our memories - All Ruby and Colm remember of a family holiday we had here a few years ago is the breakfast buffet.
The entrance to Ria Formosa is boiling with tide, I take a video of it to try and capture the experience which feels a little like white water rafting. Once we are inside the breakwater things are calm and we take in our first views of the Island. Margaret needn’t have worried - we can already appreciate why she likes it so much. The sky is so big here, the buildings are low and the landscape looks barren- it reminds me of an old western.
Later when we stroll around the village I am surprised to see so many fruit trees - Lemons, grapes, pomegranates.
We run into the same difficulty here as elsewhere, trying to get dinner before 7.30. We end up having take away pizza on bench over-looking the Ria as the sun is going down and it is perfect.Read more