Iona arrived safely in Lagos, Portugal on June 29, at 3:30 am.  The entire fleet of Rally boats finished within 9 hours of each other after 875 miles of sailing. Crissie and crew were thrilled.  IONA was greeted with a chilled bottle of champagne by the Rally organizers and the fleet already in harbor. 
     The sail from the Azores was uneventful, if not downright boring, with down-wind sailing for most of the trip.  The last day--the last 100 miles or so, was anything but boring.  The wind came around to the north and piped up to a rousing 25+ knots, with very confused seas.  After coming in on the Cabo Sao Vincente light, which was very reassuring to see, the wind lightened up and Iona comfortably sailed into the same port Henry-the-Navigator sailed from, Lagos, Portugal.
     Lagos is a beautifully preserved and  maintained old walled city, with cobbled streets and historic monuments.  It was once the capital of the Algarve region, around the 14th century, and again in the 17th century. It once had the only slave market in Portugal . Lagos is on the Bensafrim River and has always been a sailing center.  Today is supports an active fishing fleet, as well as an international collection of pleasure yachts.
       Iona is moored at the Marina de Lagos, built in 1994.   The marina is ideally situated in the heart of town.  There is a pedestrian bridge that crosses the river, making the marina district accessible to the rest of the area.  The bus station and rail station are only a few blocks away, so side trips around the area are easy to organize.
     There are boats here from all over Europe.  The location, size and security at the marina make it an ideal place to leave a boat for an extended period of time. 
     In town you are immediately aware of Lagos's standing as a tourist destination for the northern Europeans, as most of the signs, advertisements, and menus are in German as well as English and Portuguese.  Seafood is extraordinary here.  Most restaurants feature some sort of local seafood on their mid-day menu special.
     Lagos is a port-of-entry so Iona had to recheck into Portugal and submit all paperwork to customs, immigration, and maritime police.  Each time you must check into and out of every port-of-entry in Portugal.  (Most of the ports are ports-of-entry--so you check in and out of each one--gets tedious after a while.)
     Jack met the boat here and promptly came down with a case of phlebitis.  He checked into the local emergency room after it became apparent that things were worsening instead of improving.  The doctor treated him immediately, then followed-up by visiting him everyday on the boat, administering medications, and checking on his progress. His walking was restricted and he had to rest with his leg up most of the time.   He returned to the hospital a week later for further bloodwork, and more consultation with the doctor about further tests.  Jack felt he got excellent care, albeit quite different than what one might expect in the US.  After being restricted to the boat with his leg elevated for a week, he is now able to walk around and enjoy beautiful Lagos.