Tuesday, July 8, 2014 –
The plan was to leave Lisbon and start south along the coast of Portugal to the Algarve, the southern coast and vacation spot of Portugal. We had the boat clean, laundry done, and were provisioned. 
All seemed good to go. Not. Somehow on a boat there is always a project. This time it was the water pump. As Bob sat in the middle of 5 (yes five) water pumps and their various working and non-working parts, he managed to cobble together one pump to keep us going until we can get warranty replacements for the main pump and spare pressure switches.
We had just purchased two new pumps and three backup pressure switches in September (with a 3 year warranty). All had failed in the past three months. Sara took on the U.S. company we had purchased them through and the parent company in Sweden. They were remarkably responsive. They had no distributors in Gibraltar, our next major stop, but are shipping replacements to a distributor in Spain, just over the border from Gibraltar. When we arrive there we will take our passports, walk over the border to pick up the parts, and clear them back into Gibraltar.
By the time Bob and Ken finished trouble shooting the water pumps and had us back in business we decided it was too late to get a start south and we needed some levity. After Bob got a quick swim at the pool, we walked to the train and took it west to the town of Cascais, a wonderful village on the western coast of Portugal, and a commutable train ride from Lisbon. It is charming with endless restaurants and cafes, a beach, and shopping. 
We explored down to the beach where a very proud sand sculptor was showing off a day’s work. We walked all over the town exploring the narrow streets and cafes before choosing one and having an excellent dinner. Photos on the wall showed the Americas Cup boats that competed there two years ago. We all loved the area and agreed that, if we go back to Lisbon by boat, will stay at the marina there to again enjoy Cascais while still having the train easily available to Lisbon: The best of both worlds.