Algarve tourist boats - more deaths predicted

tourismOver the last few years I have witnessed the rise in tourism to the coastline from Armação de Pêra to Portimão, writes Stafan Meigh.

Having worked in the tourism business for 25 years I can see how important this is to the local and regional economies. To have such an incredible coastline come to world attention through TV documentaries and social media is exactly what all players in this game dream of.

It's a wrap - new vinyl is cheaper and quicker

yachtThe Algarve's thousands of yacht owners now have a cost effective option to an expensive hull strip down and respray as a dedicated team specialising in boat and yacht vinyl wrapping now is offering its services in the Algarve.

Greg from Prestige Wrap & Customs answers the most asked question, "What is a boat vinyl wrap?" by explaining the simplicity of the system and the expertise shown by his team when applying a specialised marine grade vinyl to upgrade  a tired looking yacht or simply to change the colour.

Check Team Essence's progress as they row to Venezuela

teamessenceFive men in the Ellida, an eight metre boat, set off from Lagos marina today, destination Venezuela.

The ‘hard-as-nails’ rowers aim to set a new world record for the unassisted crossing, risking the fury of the Atlantic to raise money for the NSPCC children’s charity.

Safety at sea

With the leak that this boat had the skipper would have soon got tired of baling water with his bucket and his boat would have sunk!We are fast approaching the time of year when we all start to use our boats again, whilst we may have been out a few times this winter, our boats have not been used that much in recent months and we ourselves are perhaps a little out of practise. Our first priority should be safety and we should therefore ask ourselves the following questions.

Will I get the boat back safely?
Will the boat get me back safely?

Atlantic Tides

Atlantic TidesThe tides of the Atlantic Ocean have been observed since ancient times. Medieval monks recorded tidal movements along the coast of England as early as AD 600 and correctly understood the relationship between the tides and the position of the sun and the phases of the moon. The use of modern tidal gauges for continuous data collection and of sophisticated computers for modeling and prediction have improved considerably the accuracy of tide tables and the understanding of the individual constituent forces that determine and affect tidal activity.

The October 'Mar Algarve' Expo returns, this year it is in Faro - and it's free

octopus2The Mar Algarve (Sea Algarve) expo, the largest such event south of Lisbon, returns to the Algarve this year to publicise the Algarve’s sea as a productive area in its own right.

The event will take place between the 1st and the 3rd of  October at the ‘School of Hospitality and Tourism of the Algarve’ in Faro, and admission is free.

Ria Formosa - Maritime Police 'keen to interview' Spanish yachtsman over Heptarchy sinking

heptarchyThe holed and sunken yacht Heptarchy, lying on the seabed just off a busy shipping lane near Farol Island in the Ria Formosa, is to be raised and towed to a position in front of an Olhão shipyard tomorrow, Saturday.

The circumstances surrounding her sinking have been explained in detail to Maritime Police who spend the day interviewing the skipper and crew to establish exactly what happened.

A history of the Guadiana river

A history of the Guadiana riverSailors from far away have been visiting the Guadiana for thousands of years, the first to arrive were probably the Phoenicians from the eastern Mediterranean, who arrived about 1000 BC, not as conquerors but as merchants bringing with them dyes, fabrics, ceramics, glass, metals, wine, seeds for crops and olive oil to trade with the locals. They established a fishing port at Vila Real de Santo Antonio and ports at Alcoutim and Mértola further up the river.