When you think of cruising, you probably think of arriving somewhere with white sandy beaches. You should skip that thought and come sail to the rocky limestone cliffs of Algarve on the southern coast of Portugal.
Waves and rain water have eroded away the soft stone to create giant cave structures that litter the coastline. Based on the steep cliff face, you can assume that the water is incredibly deep right up to the waters edge, and you would be right!
We didn’t dare to bring our floating home, Wisdom, close to the rocks, but we did give it a go in our dinghy Brad! We motored along the coast in our little inflatable going in and out of the caves that litter the coastline.
The depth right up at the cliff face was roughly a steady 30 feet deep, but it quickly dropped off to over 100 feet in no time! We wanted to anchor outside of one cave and swim in, until a local told us that was not a viable option! Outside that one cave was more than 100 feet deep, but inside the cave was a soft sandy beach where we landed the dinghy and had a relaxing afternoon.
Algarve is a beautiful stop on our way into the Mediterranean Sea and one worth stopping at, even if for just one more day in Portuguese waters!
