Leg 4 of 97 · Passage plan · RYA Yachtmaster standard
Nazaré to Peniche
About 30 nautical miles south-west to the Berlengas, a granite island group and nature reserve 6 nm off Cabo Carvoeiro, then round the cape into Peniche.
09:00 WEST from Nazaré. 2 hours 10 minutes after sunrise (06:52 WEST).
Arrive
About 15:39 WEST at Peniche. Shortly after high water (15:19 WEST), with about 4 hours 40 minutes of daylight in hand.
Tides
the day of the full moon: springs, range about 2.4 m
Wind
North to north-west most likely
Boat
35 to 38 ft sailing yacht, 1.9 m draught, 6 kn under sail, 5.5 kn under engine
Crew
Skipper and 3 crew, 2 watches of 2. The stop at the Berlengas needs written permission: see Hazards
Track and waypoints 1 to 5.
Go or no-go
Decide at 07:30 WEST. Go only if all of these hold:
Wind from north to west, force 5 or less.
Swell under 2 m. The Berlengas have no shelter for a yacht from westerly swell, and the Peniche bar is dangerous in westerly and southerly swell.
Peniche bar open on amn.pt.
Visibility 3 nm or more: the Estelas off the Berlengas are unlit and have no fog signal.
For the stop only: written permission from the Capitania de Peniche in hand, and the sea at the island calm enough to swim.
If the swell is too big for the island but fine for Peniche, sail straight to Peniche inside the Berlengas and skip the stop.
Route and waypoints
Waypoints are planning positions in open water, checked against a 1:10m coastline to be at least 1 nm off land except at the harbour ends. Distances and courses are calculated from them. Plot every one on the current chart before use. Courses are true.
#
Waypoint
Latitude
Longitude
Course
Leg nm
Total nm
ETA
Notes
0
Nazaré harbour
39°35.1′N
009°04.3′W
09:00 WEST
Depart. Call CAPIMARNAZARÉ on VHF 13.
1
Nazaré approach
39°34.8′N
009°06.5′W
260°T
1.7
1.7
09:19 WEST
Clear of the moles. Head south-west.
2
Off São Martinho do Porto
39°30.5′N
009°12.5′W
227°T
6.3
8.0
10:22 WEST
3 nm off the entrance.
3
East of the Berlengas
39°24.7′N
009°28.2′W
245°T
13.4
21.5
12:36 WEST to 14:06
1 nm east of Berlenga Grande. Stop here only with written permission, in the place it names. Without it, no stop. Check on the chart
4
South of Cabo Carvoeiro
39°20.3′N
009°25.0′W
151°T
5.1
26.5
14:57 WEST
1.3 nm south of the cape. The Nau dos Corvos rock lies off it: give it at least 0.5 nm.
5
Peniche approach
39°19.8′N
009°22.8′W
106°T
1.8
28.3
15:16 WEST
1.5 nm south of the harbour. Call Peniche on VHF 13, then pilot in by eye and chart. Check on the chart
6
Peniche marina
39°21.3′N
009°22.6′W
006°T
1.5
29.8
15:39 WEST
Marina da Ribeira, inside the harbour. Position approximate. Check on the chart
Tides and time
Nazaré · Tue 20 Apr · WEST (UTC+1)
HW
03:00
3.2 m
LW
09:08
0.5 m
HW
15:21
3.1 m
LW
21:26
0.5 m
Peniche · Tue 20 Apr · WEST (UTC+1)
HW
02:58
3.3 m
LW
09:06
0.5 m
HW
15:19
3.2 m
LW
21:24
0.5 m
Tuesday 20 April 2027 is the day of the full moon (23:27 WEST), so these are spring tides: range about 2.4 m at Peniche.
Arriving near high water. High water at Peniche is at about 15:19 WEST, 3.2 m above chart datum, so the depth in the harbour is near its best when you arrive.
Streams. Expect stronger streams than on legs 2 and 3 between the Berlengas and Cabo Carvoeiro at springs. Check the pilot book
Tide times are predictions made for this plan from the TICON-4 harmonic constants (DGFI-TUM) with the Neaps tide predictor, because the official 2027 tables were not yet published when it was written. Tested against the official APDL table for Leixões on 23 July 2026, the predicted times were within 8 minutes and the heights 0.1 to 0.2 m lower. Heights are above lowest astronomical tide. Check every time against the official 2027 table before sailing.
Daylight. Sunrise at Nazaré 06:52 WEST. Sunset at Peniche 20:20 WEST.
Weather
April. North to north-west winds are the most likely. The Berlengas stand in open Atlantic swell with no lee for a yacht except in calm weather.
Cabo Carvoeiro. Wind and sea build off the cape. Pass it 1 nm or more off.
Fog. Common enough in spring to plan for: the Estelas are unlit and have no fog signal.
Forecasts to check
IPMA (Portugal) maritime bulletins and coastal warnings, ipma.pt, maritime section. The high-seas area for this coast is 17 Porto.
NAVTEX Portugal (Monsanto): 518 kHz, station R, in English; 490 kHz, station G, in Portuguese. Check the station letters and broadcast times against the Admiralty List of Radio Signals. Check the pilot book
Bar status: Autoridade Marítima Nacional, “Estado das barras”, on the amn.pt home page, by zone. The online notice overrides the signals shown at the harbour.
Navigation warnings: Instituto Hidrográfico local warnings, geoanavnet.hidrografico.pt.
Hazards
Stopping at the Berlengas. The Berlengas are a nature reserve. Mooring or anchoring is banned everywhere except the 5 licensed mooring fields, which are annual private licences, so there is no right to pick up a buoy. A yacht may anchor at the Berlengas only with authorisation from the Capitania de Peniche and a favourable opinion from ICNF, the parks authority. Anchoring is prohibited in front of the Carreiro do Mosteiro, the landing on the south-east side. Apply in writing well ahead ([email protected], +351 262 790 330). Without permission, look from 1 nm off and carry on.
Rules close to the island. Under 3 kn near the anchorages and 4 kn at most. No navigation between the beach and the first line of moorings. The quays are for landing and embarking only, with at most 2 boats at the Carreiro do Mosteiro. No spearfishing. A cliff-fall exclusion zone is in force on Berlenga beach.
The Berlenga group. Keep at least 1 nm off on passage. The Estelas, west of Berlenga, are unlit with no fog signal. Keep at least 2 nm off the Farilhões, north-west of Berlenga. The passage between the Medas and Berlenga is only about 0.5 nm wide even in good weather: do not use it.
Cabo Carvoeiro and Peniche. Give at least 0.5 nm to Baleal, Ponta da Papôa and Cabo Carvoeiro, where the Nau dos Corvos rock lies. The Papôa reef runs about 0.3 nm north-west.
Fishing traffic. Peniche is a busy fishing port. Traffic peaks around 06:00 and midnight.
Ports of refuge
Port
From the route
Use it when
Notes
Nazaré
Start
Within the first 2 hours
Port of refuge all year.
Peniche
Destination
Always the first choice south of Nazaré
Port of refuge all year. Dangerous bar in westerly and southerly swell.
Carreiro do Mosteiro, Berlenga
At waypoint 3
Emergency only
A seasonal port of refuge from 15 May in 2026, so not yet open on this date if the same dates apply. Very small, open quay.
Pilotage
Leaving Nazaré
Call CAPIMARNAZARÉ on VHF 13 before slipping.
Leave between the moles at no more than 3 kn in the outer harbour, then head west to waypoint 1.
Turn south-west and make sail.
Entering Peniche
From waypoint 4, keep south of Cabo Carvoeiro and well off the Nau dos Corvos, then turn east for the harbour.
Look for the bar signal at the lifeboat station: a bicone by day, or green-red-green lights at night, means closed.
Call Peniche port control on VHF 13 (mandatory watch; VHF 9 recreational). There are no pilots.
Enter between the moles, watching for fishing boats leaving.
Go to the Marina da Ribeira, which is for recreational and tourist boats only. Book ahead. Check the pilot book
+351 214 401 919 · [email protected] · watches VHF 16 around the clock
Contingencies
No permission, or too much swell at the island. Pass 1 nm east of Berlenga and go straight to Peniche.
Swell rising. Peniche's bar is dangerous in westerly and southerly swell. If it is closed, return to Nazaré, which is the more resilient harbour, arriving before dark.
Fog near the Berlengas. Move east, toward the mainland side of the channel, and away from the unlit Estelas. Fog routine as for leg 2.
Engine failure. Sail to Peniche and call the Polícia Marítima for a tow in.
Person overboard. Shout, point, throw the danger buoy, press MOB, DSC distress alert, Mayday on 16. Swimmers wear a bright cap and swim only with a line streamed astern and the engine off.
Before leaving
Forecasts read and logged before the go or no-go time
Bar status checked on amn.pt for departure, destination and refuges
Navigation warnings checked
Waypoints entered and checked against the chart
Ship's log started in UTC
Crew briefing: route, watches, safety gear, MOB, fog
Berlengas permission printed and aboard, or the stop dropped
Fuel for 7 hours under engine, plus a reserve
Water, food and hot drinks for 9 hours
Lifejackets with crotch straps, jackstays rigged, harnesses
Hazards, Peniche and the Berlengas: Plano de Salvamento Marítimo, Capitania de Peniche (amn.pt).
Contacts: Capitania de Peniche and Polícia Marítima de Peniche pages, amn.pt.
Moon: full moon 20 April 2027 22:27 UTC, calculated with PyEphem.
Tides: predictions from TICON-4 harmonic constants (Hart-Davis, Dettmering and Seitz, DGFI-TUM, 2025, doi 10.17882/109129) with Neaps (openwaters.io). Check against the Instituto Hidrográfico 2027 tables.
Sunrise and sunset: calculated (NOAA method).
Lights: The Lighthouse Directory (Rowlett), ibiblio.org/lighthouse, Portugal pages revised August 2024. Cross-check with the IH List of Lights, volume I.