week 5

Week 5
28th July (Joe)
Had a wicked medium wind tack and gybe session. Lou can now consistently tack (fast) and gybe and sail up wind. Good windsurf, Lou lots of fastish tacks! Awful drive till midnight, stayed at Oia with the monks (next to a floodlit monastery)

29th July
Headed to our first Portugal destination, Esposende. Very cool long lagoon and headland thing and had lunch there, but no wind. So headed to Bara and go a bit confused, saw a big lighthouse then drove round the massive shallow estury thing for an hour to get to the other side. Then Lou's campsite night didn't go that smoothly in St Jacinto - no hot water! Brrr.

30th July (Joe)
After looking at Fig do Foz, we decided it was too touristy so we headed down the beach. Very pot holey lane thing, exhaust fell off... but a hasty repair over lunch all was well, (broke behind the silencers this times to no tractor features like before). Stayed at nice car park at Pedogeo. Lots of vans and lots of fishermen.

31 July
Earlier start than normal! Head down to Foz do Arelho. Found great lagoon. Had good windsurf, diamond course! Spoke to a guy that lives near there but has been in Canada for ages (called fisherman 1), had a BBQ and made an amazing fishing rod with bamboo washed ashore, and went for a fish. No fish though.

1st August
Windsurf force 4 cross shore today. Lou got plaining and enjoyed it a lot. I had a kitesurf in the evening and it was really cool. Over powered but survived, then decided to retire in style (as opposed to wrapping around a fishing boat! Spoke to a guy that lives near there but has been in Canada for ages. Hes brothers with other guy!(so we called him fisherman 2!) We numbered them in chronological order of meeting them. Setting up some nets he has to pick up at 6!

2nd August
Windsurf very windy by the time we got out. After a valiant but failed attempt by Lou I stole her sail and set off for a go on my new small board, its very amazing really turny but I cant tack it yet. And when the wind got light I was windsurfing around waist deep in water. Fisherman 2 back regaling us with stories of where he stores all his spare car keys, he locks himself out a lot, also got a smirk from a crazy fish man that was out the whole time while we were there be wind or shine in a green fishing overalls and wellies.

3rd August
Headed to a supermarket but back to lagoon for lunch, had a windsurf in lagoon- 5m weather, and spoke the cool windsurf guy, who told us about a few good spots and said the lagoon is like a silty Vass. Rubbish kite surf -too gusty. Lou went out for a confidence gaining potter 4m recoup and managed some beachstarts! Joe went for a windsurf fish...unfortunately no luck...Then had another BBQ with highly spitty coals after getting stuck in the sand and using waffles to get out!!! (enticing the nearby donky)

4th August
Left lagoon behind and went to a REALLY windy cape place! Then arrived at Guincho, near Lisbon, very windy and wavy, now sat in van as sun going down in a force 8, sand storm, very cool!! (Lou fears sea sickness tonight...)