Portugal : Profile

Facts

From the cruising point of view, mainland Portugal divides into two distinct areas, the west and the south. The ports on the west coast are situated mostly in estuaries or rivers often with bars at the entrance. Among them, the most interesting landfall is the capital Lisbon set on the River Tagus, which can be navigated right up into the centre of the city.
The Algarve coast in the south has better weather and easier approaches to its small picturesque ports. In recent years several new marinas have opened on both west and south coasts, which has greatly improved cruising the Portuguese coast.
An interesting cruising ground is the River Guadiana, which forms the border between Portugal and Spain. The river is navigable for some 20 miles as far as Pomarao, and the scenery as well as the wildlife are worth the detour. The bridge linking the two banks is reported to have an overhead clearance of at least 20 metres.
Repair facilities, with a few exceptions, are below the standards of neighbouring countries. The best repair facilities are concentrated in the three areas which have a local boating community: the capital Lisbon, Porto on the west coast and the large Vilamoura marina on the Algarve coast.

The climate is mild and varies slightly, being cooler in the north and warmer in the south. The prevailing winds of summer are northerly. The Portuguese trades commence in about April and last until September. On the Algarve coast the northerly winds of summer are often replaced by land and sea breezes. Most gales occur in winter, when the prevailing winds are westerly. Due to their location some harbours are inaccessible in strong onshore winds.

Radiodifusao Portuguesa broadcasts a forecast for the coastal waters of Portugal at 1100 daily on the following frequencies - 650kHz, 666kHz, 720kHz, 94MHz, 96.4MHz, 97.6MHz, 97.9MHz

Weather forecasts on the internet - Portuguese Met Office www.meteo.pt

For an excellent article on Algarve Summer Weather Patterns, see Martin Northey's website here.