If you have always wanted to cross the Bay of Biscay, but have felt unsure about tackling it on your own, then Rally Portugal could be just what you’re looking for. This annual passage departing from Plymouth, UK to Lagos in Portugal’s Algarve, visiting a total of eight ports, is organised by UK rally specialists World Cruising Club as a fun event for cruising sailors on their way from the UK to the Mediterranean.

Rally Portugal is also an attractive option for those simply looking for an enjoyable summer cruise. A number of the ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers) yachts also use Rally Portugal as a sociable and interesting way to head south.

Sadly 'all good things must come to an end' and Rally Portugal 2009 is no exception. The Rally sponsors, Marina de Lagos, hosted a superb Rally prize-giving event on Wednesday evening in the Waypoint restaurant at the Marina. Crews gathered for pre-dinner drinks at the restaurant’s outside bar before moving inside to enjoy some splendid food and wine, and then the prize-giving itself.

Tuesday was almost a free day in the Rally itinerary. Crews had the opportunity to rest and recuperate, after an exhilarating afternoon sail the previous day around the infamous Cabo St Vincente and a beat east to the finishing line. However, whilst the opportunity was there, most began tackling the list of domestic chores on board, now that the sailing legs of the Rally are complete. In the early evening there was a boat tour of the caves on the Lagos coastline, followed by a beach BBQ in the evening, hosted by the Marina de Lagos.

It was a leisurely Sunday morning start for most of the fleet, following an excellent impromptu dock party the previous evening. However, the participants gathered at the old fort in Sines to attend a morning reception, hosted by the Camara Municipal de Sines. The reception included a prize giving ceremony for Leg 6 of the rally. Following the reception, participants were given a guided tour around the Sines Museum.

This morning the Rally restart of Leg 6, from Oeiras to Sines, took place in excellent weather conditions outside the entrance to Porto de Recreio de Oeiras. The wind was sufficient from the north and there was bright sunshine to get the fleet on their way. The Rally fleet made an impressive sight as they paced the start line and then crossed it, watched by a small number of locals and marina staff who had gathered on the breakwaters.

Friday was a completely free day in the Rally itinerary and most participants took the opportunity to visit the city of Lisbon. Oeiras is well linked by train and bus to the capital city and it is inexpensive to travel on either. The city has an interesting mix of historic buildings set amongst modern shopping facilities. The city is therefore an ideal place to stroll around and soak up the atmosphere.

Thursday morning was a ‘free’ morning for participants. Before it got too hot, many used it to do laundry, sort their boats out and find the local shops for provisioning. In the afternoon, many of the participants went on a tourist excursion to visit a historic fort, close to the marina, and several other sites around the town. In the evening, the participants enjoyed a splendid function at Rio’s restaurant, hosted by Oeiras Viva, the owners of Porto de Recreio de Oeiras.

Leg 5 was a competitive one from Peniche to Oeiras; a distance of approximately 55 nautical miles. The sailing conditions were again excellent with winds from the northern sector and even the typical swell had decreased. Consequently, the boats had a swift and enjoyable sail down to Oeiras, with the average boat taking around 8 hours to make the passage.

Having enjoyed an evening exploring the delightful town of Nazaré, the boats left individually during Tuesday morning, for a free cruise down to the port of Peniche – a journey of 25 nautical miles and expected to take 4 hours. Some crews took the opportunity to drop their anchor or pick up a mooring on the eastern side of the Isla Berlenga, to have a leisurely lunch onboard. The Atlantic was still quite cold for swimming though.

There were good conditions at the start of Leg 4, from Figueira da Foz to Nazare. Although a bit overcast, the wind was sufficient from the north and allowed all the boats a good start across the line. The sailing instructions had been amended to reflect the changes to the Rally itinerary, which meant that this leg would be slightly shorter than the intended one to Peniche. The boats will sail to Nazare first and then the further distance from Nazare to Peniche the following day.

Sunday 14^th June was a ‘lay day’ on the Rally itinerary, allowing participants a free day to carry out domestic chores on board, top up on provisions and, time allowing (!), an opportunity to explore the wonderful town of Figueria da Foz. Owing to the poor weather whilst in Bayona, the delays, which that caused and then the catch up the fleet had to do after, the fleet welcomed a day to themselves, after many on the move. There was, however, still time for a dock party in the evening.

Following a long but enjoyable sail to Figueira da Foz the previous day, the rally participants had an opportunity on Saturday to leave their boats and go exploring inland, to the local university city of Coimbre. The city is situated on the valley sides of the Rio Mondego, with the university itself having a commanding view on the north bank. The participants were tour-guided around the university, including the faculty buildings and the famous library, and the city itself.

In terms of the wind, it was a subdued start to Leg 3, from Povoa de Varzim to Figueira da Foz, but the crews were in good spirits. Although the wind was extremely light for the start, so much so that Rally control relaxed the no engines instuction extremely quickly, it was forecast to increase as the day went on. On the whole, the fleet had a couple of hours of motor sailing, before the winds increase.

After three days of too much wind from the wrong direction it was time for not enough wind from the right direction for the leg from Bayona to Povoa de Varzim with all yachts motoring most of the distance to Povoa. Some of the later starters enjoyed sailing the last few miles in the sea breezes that built during the afternoon. Last yacht to arrive Dances with Waves was whisked straight into the travel lift to be hauled whilst a local engineer quickly fitted a new shaft anode, the boat being back in the water in under 10 minutes! Special thanks to all the those local staff involved in helping make this happen on what was a local holiday!

After nearly a week in Bayona, including an unexpected few days spent waiting for some high winds to pass, the Rally Portugal fleet finally left Bayona for their next stopover port of Povoa de Varzim. The fleet had been extremely well looked after at the Monte Real Club de Yates in Bayona, but were please to be moving again. The conditions for the fleet were still not ideal – the high winds had subsided but there was a bit of fog and drizzle to sail through – but far safer than the previous few days.

A deteriorating weather forecast of strong winds meant that today’s intended restart was postponed 24hrs. Whilst participants were disappointed not to be moving on as planned, many took the opportunity to go on an additional bus excursion around the local area, travel across into Portugal and visit the border town of Valenca.

To celebrate the completion of leg one of Rally Portugal 09 and 15 years of the rally, an anniversary dinner was held at the Monte Real Club de Yates in Bayona. The evening was the first in a number of functions of its kind, that will be held during the rally. The participants were well looked after by the staff at the yacht club and enjoyed a splendid menu.

Following dinner, presentations of prizes were made to mark achievements during Leg 1.

An intrepid group of 35 headed off by coach to visit the Pilgrimage city of Santiago de Compostela yesterday. The scenic journey past Vigo and Pontevedra was made more interesting thanks to Marta, the Assistant Manager from the Monte Real Club de Yates, who gave a running commentary of interesting facts, and set the scene for Santiago.

Thursday night was another busy night with several boats of the rally fleet arriving in Bayona. By daybreak, almost all of the fleet had successfully completed the passage across the Bay of Biscay, with the next boat expected shortly. Whilst there has been the need for some motoring, the boats have all enjoyed many hours of fine sailing and have experienced a good trip across the bay.

The first boat of the Rally Portugal fleet arrived safely in Bayona this afternoon, following a good passage from Plymouth across the Bay of Biscay. First across the finish line was Roanda, a Jeanneau Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 45.2, owned by skipper Bob Nurse.

On stepping off the boat onto the pontoons of the Monte Real Club de Yates in Bayona, the crew expressed how pleased they were to arrive after their time at sea. The journey had included some great sailing, sometimes in difficult seas, but occasionally the winds were so light that they chose to use the engine.