Sailing vacation in Portugal

Why do yachtsmen prefer Portugal?

This is the sunniest region in Europe. A cloudy day is a rarity for local latitudes. Here is a subtropical zone with mild winters and summers without heat. Winds are strong enough to help yachts on their routes but not so catchy to create significant discomfort.

A suitable climate provides a long list of benefits:

• convenient coastal infrastructure with an ever-increasing number of marines;
• the beauty of the coastline — in whatever direction the route lies, the views of sandy beaches and wild rocks are captivating;
• ancient architecture, houses and churches of the Age of Discoveries — in each port there is where to go for a walk and what to sightsee;
• a variety of routes — most of the coastline is suitable for mooring, so you could come here for many years in a row and each time go by a new route;
• educational opportunities — there are many schools and clubs in the country that offer courses for skipper-beginners;
• additional entertainment — while the ship is on service in the marina, you could go surfing or diving, including wreck diving (trips to the scuppered ships).

The regattas take place year-round. In some of them, both amateur and professional crews may participate. For example, race class RG44 which starts in Cascais at the end of September. It increases the demand for ships, so the charter for the time of the popular regattas must be taken care of in advance.

Yachting features in the region

Portuguese yachting could be a walk along the mainland coast, cruise between the Azores or a trip to Madeira. Traditionally, ships are rented for a week — from Saturday to Saturday, still, in Portugal it is easy to arrange rentals for a few hours or a couple of days.

To do this you must submit one of the documents:

• RYA;
• IYT;
• ISSA;
• GIMS (category must correspond to the selected vessel);
• yacht captain diploma.

A radio operator license is not required.