Mrs. Horne and I just returned from a ten-day trip to Portugal. We take an annual vacation with our daughter Natalie and her family during our grandkid’s spring break.
Our go-to spot is Maui, but both Natalie and Mrs. Horne had an urge to visit Portugal, so off we went!
Our son-in-law, Brian, does an excellent job planning trips, and that meant all I had to do was sit back and enjoy unfettered family time.
Early on, he and I collaborated on the idea of a chartered boat cruise to head east and visit the caves of Benagil.
Being a true romantic, Brian booked the cruise on their 14th wedding anniversary!
Happy Anniversary Natalie and Brian❤️
The Cruise
Brian found a cruise broker who offered an extensive fleet of crewed charters from 40’ to 80’. We initially looked at a 50’ Sunseeker, but knowing our cruise would be along the southwestern coast of the Atlantic Ocean, I successfully lobbied for a Leopard 51 Power Cat, confident we could weather serious seas and take in the sites from the flybridge.
Our crew consisted of Captain Claudio and mate Hugo.
We definitely supersized our ride – Morningstar can handle up to eighteen guests, but given that it turned out to be a blustery day, we made the right choice.
We departed from Albufeira on a course due east to the caves in Lagos.
We boarded at 10:00, and Hugo welcomed us with flutes of chilled Portuguese sparkling rose!
It’s been over a decade since I enjoyed an adult beverage at the start of a day trip, but it certainly went down easy 😋
The southern coast of Portugal is breathtaking, but once we arrived at Benagil, the chaos of all the tour boats was equally exciting.
In the thirty minutes we were there, we witnessed several small boats narrowly avoid smashing into the rocks in an effort to get their passengers as close as possible to the caves.
I shot a lot of video and produced a two-minute compilation set to the Gypsy King’s version of Hotel California.
Once we turned west and headed back toward Albufeira, Hugo served up a beautiful board of Portuguese Tapas.
The Charter Details
We paid a significant premium for the big Power Cat; the entire day cost us around $2,500. Given the chilly sea air, it was worth it.
By comparison, the 50’ Sunseeker would have been $1800.
If you are in the Algarve and want to charter a cruise, I can wholeheartedly recommend these guys.
It appears that there are a bunch of charter brokers and a bunch of yacht operators in Algarve. I think any broker can get you any yacht.
We used Elite Yacht Charters Algarve, but the signature on the email read:
Here is the brochure for The Morningstar:
NEXT UP: April Launch Day
I always enjoy reading your stories Dave. Please say hello to Susan for me. Wishing you a happy fun and healthy boating season 2025. Joyce
Sounds like good fun. Loved the music with the video. What was your take on how the catamaran handled a bit of lumpy seas?
It never came close to pounding, but seemed to porpoise more than my Sabre 48…