⛵ Cadiz 🇪🇸 to Lagos 🇵🇹

The Atlantic coast felt different from the Mediterranean. The strategies I’d learned in the Med didn’t quite apply here.

I needed to stay close to shore to avoid the Orcas but found the coast studded with fishing buoys that required constant vigilance. Sleep became impossible. Around midnight, I sailed into the densest concentration yet - hundreds of small buoys barely visible in the darkness. Each one posed a potential hazard to the propeller or keel.

A rain front arrived just before Lagos, bringing strong winds and limited visibility. Even anchored in the bay with offshore winds, a steady Atlantic swell wrapped around the headland, keeping the boat rolling through the night.

Weather Conditions

• Wind: Southeast with varying strength, strong winds before arrival
• Seas: Strong westerly swell, wrapping around the headland
• Weather: Rain front with limited visibility approaching Lagos

Navigation

• Departure: Marina Puerto America in Cadiz
• Arrival: Baia de Lagos
• Distance: 133.6 nm
• Duration: 1 day 8 hours

Navigation Notes

• Dense fishing buoy fields along the coast made sleep impossible
• Staying shallow water for Orca avoidance complicated route planning
• Autopilot continued working well despite the challenging conditions

Highlights

• First passage along the Portuguese Atlantic coast
• Experienced the difference between Mediterranean and Atlantic sailing conditions
• Safely transited weather front with limited visibility

Photos

Ponta da Piedade - the dramatic limestone cliffs near Lagos — Auto-generated track key: 20250406 | GPS track: 20250406.geojson