The magnificent Frigate Birds were following my yacht

I knew that we were not far from land as the charcoal gulls and flying fish were becoming frequent visitors

My Portuguese stowaway seemed to spend all of her time on deck sketching these beautiful creatures

I had found her under a blanket in the forepeak after I left Portugal

She said that she was in search of adventure

Her poor command of English and my rudimentary understanding of Portuguese meant that communication on board was quite limited

However her skills in the galley matched my own and many memorable meals were prepared during our Atlantic voyage

She stayed onboard for six weeks before leaving me when I docked in Gibraltar

The Skipper had suffered some minor damage and I had decided that Gibraltar was my best option

When these were complete and after resting for a few days I left port and continued my voyage towards Africa

My Portuguese stowaway had left me many of her sketches and these populated most spare areas of my yacht

Although we had promised to keep in touch we did not contact each other again