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First Day Sailing Portugal - Sailing from Spain to Tunisia, Part 6 | DrakeParagon Sailing
11 July 2026 · 22 min · 2K views · Portugal
What this video covers
A Westsail 42 departs a rolly anchorage on the southern Portuguese coast at 0620, bound for Faro — 57 nautical miles into a 25-knot southerly forecast to arrive overnight.▶ 0:18 Drake and Monique hug the shoreline in under 60 feet of water the entire leg to avoid orcas, which have attacked four sailboats in the area within the past month.▶ 0:47 The strategy works but the sailing doesn't: expected southerly winds never materialize, replaced by easterlies dead on the nose, forcing seven-plus hours of motoring and burning an estimated 12 gallons of diesel.▶ 14:10 The tidal channel into Faro runs up to eight knots of current; Drake times arrival at waypoint 14 for 1750, two hours before high tide at 1924, so the current runs with them.▶ 0:58 Anchorage selection uses the Navalee app, which shows the Faro anchorage at 96% comfort through the weekend with all-direction wind shelter — critical because southerly-protected anchorages are scarce on this coast.▶ 1:18 The windlass loses a retaining pin during anchor retrieval, leaving one fitting holding.▶ 4:56 Timing a tidal channel entry two hours before high tide to ride the flood current in is the key practical lesson from this leg.
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