Charming Portugal

Offshore passages to high end marinas in the middle of ancient towns harking back to when and where modern navigation was invented, anchorages behind islands consisting of nothing more than sand dunes, and a mild climate make cruising Portugal’s Atlantic coast as varied as its multinational population.

The Rio Miño forms the border between Spain and Portugal on the western Atlantic Coast. Like several ports along this west coast, it has sand bars that are treacherous to cross in adverse conditions and without local knowledge.

South of here, the topography changes almost immediately from mountainous to sandstone cliffs bearing prehistoric fossils and dotted with sea caves and miles of white sandy beaches. Seaside villages spill down canyons to beaches adorned with coloured umbrellas.

Periodically, rivers spill into the sea, the mouths of some protected by massive man-made breakwaters. Marinas are springing up behind these barriers beckoning to