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Arrival in Figueira da Foz & another fascinating trip inland



Arrival in Figueira da Foz and another fascinating trip inland
20 June 2012

Having arrived one boat behind the other into Figueira yesterday late afternoon, the Rally Portugal fleet made no hesitiation in tucking straight into the freshly prepared sardine barbecue feast - a local speciality and Rally Portugal tradition - laid on as part of the rally programme.

With the yacht club restaurant conveniently located just five metres from the top of the pontoon ramp, there was a real buzz amongst the crews, who packed themselves along one giant table inside. They munched on endless freshly cooked sardines brought out by the attentive waitresses, washed them down with a continual flow of locally homemade organic red wine, and compared notes about the day's sailing down from Povoa de Varzim.
A brief stop onroute to try some famous local pastries!
Most of the boats had managed a great day's sailing in the sunny and breezy downwind conditions, with only a few hours of motorsailing to be had when the winds dropped off for a while. This long leg of the rally - 75nm - had taken most boats only around 11 hours to complete.

Despite a fairly late night for some, there was no shortage of enthusiasm from the participants this morning as they jumped on the coach outside the marina in Figueira da Foz, to head off on a historical and information-packed guided tour to the historic city of Coimbra and the surrounding area.

As the coach made it's way inland through green forested hills, crews listened to commentary from our faithful local guide Joao, who has been taking Rally Portugal groups on this tour for many successful years. After stopping onroute at a well-known pastry and coffee shop for a refreshing wake-up of caffeine and local delicacies, the coach continued on to Coimbra to begin a tour of Portugal's best-known University with local guide Maria Jose.

Built on a hill it was at the top that the group left the coach to start the guided walking tour around the university. First stop was the beautiful ornate library, where the books date back several centuries, and the resident bats help preserve the books. Continuing on firstly through the university cells (not in use today, although the university is out-with police jurisdiction and has their own force), and then the graduation hall, to a balcony affording amazing views over the city. The opulence around the university suggested at the wealth enjoyed by a nation supported by so many colonies for so long during the discoveries of the world, with much gold coming from Brazil to decorate the inside of many of the magnificent university buildings.

The stunning public libraries at Coimbra UniversityAfter some free time exploring and finding different venues for lunch, it was time to board the buses and head to the Moorish Montemor Castle situated in the Figueira valley, half way back to the city at its’ mouth (Foz). A short climb into what is reported as the best preserved castle of this age and style in the area to enjoy the magnificent all round views, and hear stories about the castle's rich history of battlement and religion.

Prizegiving drinks are always enjoyed by all, and the crews headed to the tiny Skippers Bar overlooking the marina this evening, where the rally was welcomed to Figueira da Foz by yacht club president Miguel Amaral, before some more fun prizes were dished out for Leg 3 of the rally, from everything from corrected results to correctly guessing the arrival time in advance of your boat!

Tomorrow the fleet will set sail again down the coast on a 50nm trip south to Peniche. The forecast is for light NW (downwind) breezes in the morning, then increasing by lunchtime.


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