Sailing in Lisbon

5 days of RYA Competent Crew Training

By Rod Loboz

April 26^th, 2025

The weather had been miserable for the whole first month of Spring — it rained daily and it was still cold. Miraculously, it cleared up in the end of April and we had our first full week of warm weather in Lisbon, just in time for my second RYA sailing course. I had done the Competent Crew last year and was looking to refresh what I had learned and get some more sailing miles before trying to get the Day Skipper credentials.

Without any sailing background, everything is new — from the vocabulary to the new skills you need to picks up. You learn how to prepare the boat, getting the mooring lines ready to slip, then motoring out of the marina and hosting the mainsail under engine against the wind. Then you unfurl the headsail and you're on your way with the wind. There are basic knots to learn: the clove hitch for the fenders, the cleat hitch for mooring, and the bowline. You get some time at the helm and learn how to manoeuvre the boat in the wind, tacking and jibing. It can be both relaxing and stressful at the same time, specially when the wind is blowing in strong gusts.

We moved down the river from Oeiras to berth in Cascais, then sailed upriver the following day for an overnight stop at Alcântara. We crossed the river into the Barreiro channel and motored into the beautiful Seixal harbour for lunch. Then back to Oeiras. On the final day, the wind really picked up again.