Murtosa & Torreira

Have been camping at Torriera since moving down from Porto. Ellie described the site a bit like an army camp. I see exactly what she means, but then you get used to it. The great thing it has going for it is the location. From here I can get to Clube Nortada (kite surfing) at Murtosa on the other side of the lagoon, just 15min drive away, or the Atlantic coast 10min walk, or the lagoon and fishing harbour 10min walk, or the patisserie for breakfast 5min on the bike, or the restaurants 5min on the bike. What's there not to like?

Torreira is on the narrow spur between the Atlantic and the lagoon with Murtosa on the mainland on the far side of the lagoon. Clube Nortada is down from Murtosa. Torreira and Mortosa are linked by a bridge across the lagoon.

I have been going to Nortada daily when the wind blows. The wind is cross shore so for experienced kite surfers a perfect reach across to Torriera and back. Not quite so perfect for those struggling to kite up wind, particularly when the tide is going down with the wind. The first time I went out I lost the board and was being blown out with the tide so let the kite go! foolish, foolish. I could have easily made it to the shore but having released the safety the kite remained powered up and heading out with the tide, I let it go.

Back at Clube Nortada the advice was to go to the next village to see if the wind had taken it there. Meanwhile someone went down the coast and spoke to the fishermen who had already recovered the kite. I was at Cais do Bico, the next fishing village, trying to strike up a conversation with guys in the low water harbour, 'have you seen my board/kite'? Eventually Joao Chipelo who I was talking to beaconed to me to follow him. He drove his car to the next mooring and I followed. Petrol from his boot and down onto the pontoon and into this is Joao, took me round the lagoon in his boat, how generous was that!

his small outboard. Out we went into the lagoon criss-crossing from shore to shore. At low tide the water is so shallow we had at times to get out of the boat to push it clear of the mud. But no sign of my gear. We parted back in the harbour but met up again at Clube Nortada where we found the fishermen had recovered both board and kite. The kite had some damage so I sent it off to Paulo Meira in Lisbon who repaired and returned it. You would be hard pushed to even recognise the repair, great stuff Paulo, thank you.

I had to cancel my scheduled lesson with Andrejo because of my food poisoning but was able to get on the water with him a week later to get a better understanding of kiting upwind and to go over recovery, I'm not losing a kite again! After a couple of lessons he says I can kite up wind with good technique but for some unknown reason I just give up and fall in the water. It doesn't quite feel like that to me, but still, just need to keep practicing.

Now here's a thing. I went out again today, came off down wind of the board, tried a bit of upwind body dragging and lost sight of the board. Two hours later after wading down wind for a kilometre I couldn't find my board and landed up hiring a board (with leash). I hope the fishermen pick mine up again.

The photo doesn't do this display justice, it is difficult to make out the ornaments from farmyard animals to statues of the Virgin Mary, gnomes, donkeys, geese. The traditional fishing boat appears genuine but the rest, polished stone or plaster cast? All in a very rural setting in Murtosa, quite bazaar.

Here are the traditional fishing boats at Cais do Bico at low tide and below at high tide. There are so many and so many others being worked on, or restored, it is clearly a popular hobby, in addition to the many boats fishing commercially.

The village bar Casa Alcina was serving eels when I called at Bestida, just down from Clube Nortada.

Deep fried eels, a delicacy.