It has been 5 days since the rally yachts left the Azores and had a great send off from Santa Maria. The first yachts arrived earlier this afternoon and since then it has been a little busy on the reception pontoon at Marina de Lagos. Ingrid Fortunato, Marina Manager, has been out there to welcome the first arrivals and they have been commenting on the heat here! 31'C is a scorcher, even more so after the cooler temperatures in the islands and the night watches on the way across.
Dala was pleased to be the first boat to arrive, closely followed by Zingara, and they have both now made their way through the pedestrian bridge and into the marina. It really is a first class marina and makes for a very comfortable finish for ARC Europe. Marina de Lagos continues to welcome ARC Europe and ARC Portugal, which finishes here next week, they also meet a lot of ARC and ARC+ boats making their way down to the Canaries.
Dala crew Zingara met by the Sasquatch guys!
There was a steady flow of Scandinavians arriving also this afternoon so the crews from Mantra 2, Song of the Sea and Zera are all enjoying some herrings and drinks celebrating the Midsummer, a big holiday for them. They will be joining the rest of the crews, as we now have 11 boats here, up at the Lighthouse Bar - a great spot for a get together each evening. In the daytime it is worth heading off to explore the historic walled city of Lagos and getting lost in the maze of cobbled streets, or just relax at the nearby beaches or the marina swimming pool. There is a crew supper tomorrow night at Linda's beach bar and then Prizegiving on Sunday evening.