⛵ Sines 🇵🇹 to Cascais 🇵🇹

I’d been looking forward to this passage. Strong southeast winds had been blowing for days, and I finally had the autopilot’s wind mode working.

Murphy’s Law struck immediately - the wind died just after leaving harbor. The passage became a frustrating mix of motoring and light-air sailing all the way to Cascais.

Slow progress meant arriving at Lisbon’s traffic separation scheme in the middle of the night. Large ships transit this area constantly, requiring careful attention to avoid the commercial traffic lanes.

Cascais Bay presented its own challenges. Dozens of unlit fishing boats were scattered throughout the anchorage. In last minute I spotted underwater obstructions marked on the map where old chains and fishing nets had been dumped. I anchored somewhere else in 4 meters of depth.

Weather Conditions

• Wind: Light to calm (contrary to forecast)
• Seas: Light westerly swell
• Weather: Sunny and clear

Navigation

• Departure: Sines Marina
• Arrival: Cascais Bay (near Lisbon)
• Distance: 55 nautical miles (about 102 kilometers)
• Duration: 14 hours

Technical Notes

• First successful use of autopilot wind mode, but only light winds.
• Felt confident enough to ignore the 20-meter depth line - Orca encounters less likely this far north
• Night navigation through commercial shipping lanes required constant vigilance

Photos

Anchored in Cascais Bay among the local fishing fleet — Auto-generated track key: 20250412 | GPS track: 20250412.geojson