Rio do Guadiana I ⚓

After a delay of a couple of days our adventure on the Guadiana River, the border river between Spain (Andalucia) and Portugal (Algarve), was finally about to start.

After saying goodbye to Beautje and hello plus goodbye to Simon Hendrick, we went under the bridge connecting Portugal and Spain just after low water. The bridge height is supposed to be at least 18m at high water, while our total height is 18.5m. We have heard stories that boats higher than us easily have fitted underneath. Still, why risk it! We lifted our anchor and smoothly went underneath the bridge with somewhere between 2 and 4 meters to spare .

After a few miles we dropped the anchor again. We were anchored in our first spot of many more to come on the Guadiana River. It was just us and one other sailboat in this first spot.

It had been quite a cold night which caused us to wake up surrounded by fog. It made for a gorgeous view. Once it started to warm up a bit, we continued our trip further up the Guadiana River.

The Guadiana is an international river. It rises in Ruidera, between Albacete and Ciudad Real, and gently descends through the southern half of the Iberian Peninsula. It flows into Portugal, forming a natural border between the two countries, before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean.Read more