Leg 5 of 97 · Passage plan · RYA Yachtmaster standard
Peniche to Cascais
About 48 nautical miles south past Ericeira and round Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of mainland Europe, and Cabo Raso into Cascais at the mouth of the Tagus.
08:00 WEST from Peniche. 1 hour 5 minutes after sunrise (06:53 WEST), 1 hour 45 minutes before low water at Peniche.
Arrive
About 16:02 WEST at Cascais. About 15 minutes after high water at Cascais (15:46 WEST), with about 4 hours 15 minutes of daylight in hand.
Tides
Springs, the day after the full moon: range about 2.7 m at Cascais
Wind
North to north-west most likely: fair, and stronger round Cabo da Roca
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
Track and waypoints 1 to 7, with ports of refuge as squares.
Go or no-go
Decide at 06:30 WEST. Go only if all of these hold:
Wind from north to west, force 5 or less at Peniche, and not more than force 6 forecast off Cabo da Roca, where a northerly accelerates round the cape.
Swell under 2.5 m and not from the south or west at Peniche.
Peniche bar open on amn.pt.
Visibility 2 nm or more.
No navigation warning for the route or the Tagus approach.
If the forecast fails, stay in Peniche. Cascais has a rest day planned on 22 April, which absorbs a day's wait.
Route and waypoints
Waypoints are planning positions in open water, checked against a 1:10m coastline to be at least 1.2 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
Peniche marina
39°21.3′N
009°22.6′W
08:00 WEST
Depart. Call Peniche on VHF 13.
1
Peniche approach
39°19.8′N
009°22.8′W
186°T
1.5
1.5
08:16 WEST
1.5 nm south of the harbour, clear of the moles. Head south.
2
Off Santa Cruz
39°08.0′N
009°26.5′W
194°T
12.2
13.7
10:18 WEST
3 nm off.
3
Off Ericeira
38°58.0′N
009°29.0′W
191°T
10.2
23.9
12:00 WEST
3 nm off.
4
Off Cabo da Roca
38°46.8′N
009°33.0′W
196°T
11.6
35.5
13:56 WEST
2.3 nm west of the light (Fl(4) 18s). Inside the traffic scheme, which is far offshore. Call Roca Control if asked.
5
Off Cabo Raso
38°42.0′N
009°32.0′W
171°T
4.9
40.4
14:45 WEST
2 nm off. Give it a wide berth in heavy westerly or south-westerly swell.
6
South of Guia
38°40.3′N
009°27.0′W
114°T
4.3
44.6
15:27 WEST
1.5 nm south of the coast. Turn east for Cascais.
7
Cascais approach
38°41.0′N
009°24.7′W
069°T
1.9
46.5
15:51 WEST
Stay south of the cardinal buoys over the submerged breakwater. Call the marina on VHF 62. Check on the chart
8
Marina de Cascais
38°41.5′N
009°25.1′W
328°T
0.6
47.1
16:02 WEST
Reception pontoon on the north side of the entrance.
Tides and time
Peniche · Wed 21 Apr · WEST (UTC+1)
HW
03:38
3.3 m
LW
09:43
0.5 m
HW
15:57
3.2 m
LW
22:04
0.5 m
Cascais · Wed 21 Apr · WEST (UTC+1)
HW
03:28
3.2 m
LW
09:31
0.4 m
HW
15:46
3.2 m
LW
21:51
0.4 m
Wednesday 21 April 2027 is the day after the full moon: big spring tides, range about 2.7 m at Cascais.
Leaving near low water. Low water at Peniche is at about 09:43 WEST. The bar is rarely a problem in a north-westerly; with westerly or southerly swell it is, and then you do not go.
The Tagus ebb off Cascais. High water at Cascais is at about 15:46 WEST. Arriving at about 16:00, the ebb out of the Tagus is about to start, setting west and south-west across the approach. At springs it is strong in the river mouth; in Cascais bay it is weaker. Allow for it on the final approach. 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 Peniche 06:53 WEST. Sunset at Cascais 20:20 WEST.
Weather
Cabo da Roca. A northerly wind is locally stronger round Cabo da Roca and off Guincho, south of it. Expect a force or more above the forecast for the coast, and reef before the cape, not at it.
Cabo Raso. Swell steepens off the cape in westerlies. Keep 2 nm off.
Into the bay. Once round Cabo Raso, Cascais bay is sheltered from the north and west.
April. As for the earlier legs: north to north-west most likely, with fronts still possible.
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
Leaving Peniche. Fishing traffic, and a bar that is dangerous in westerly and southerly swell. Give at least 0.5 nm to Cabo Carvoeiro and the Nau dos Corvos.
Traffic off Cabo da Roca. The Roca traffic separation scheme lies well offshore; heavy traffic runs about 10 to 40 nm out. This route stays inshore of it. A sailing yacht may use an inshore traffic zone but does not have to, must not impede ships in a lane, and crosses a lane at right angles if it must cross. Roca Control (coastal VTS) works VHF 69 and 79. Check the scheme's position on the chart. Check on the chart
Cascais approach. The shoal at the submerged south breakwater is growing and is marked by 3 orange spherical buoys and cardinal buoys MC1 to MC3. Stay south of the buoys and of the line from MC3 to CC2, and enter close to the north breakwater head. Rocks: the Recife at 38°41.70′N 009°25.09′W and the Pedras do Almagreiro at 38°41.98′N 009°24.52′W.
Protected area and anchoring. No anchoring in the Avencas marine protected area. Anchoring in Cascais bay needs approval from the Capitania, for 72 hours at most. Keep 200 m off the seaweed site near Guia.
Speed. 5 kn on the final approach to the marina, 3 kn inside.
Ports of refuge
Port
From the route
Use it when
Notes
Peniche
Start
Within the first 2 hours
Port of refuge all year.
Ericeira
3 nm from waypoint 3
Not for this boat
Small fishing harbour. Suitability for 1.9 m not confirmed. Check the pilot book
Cascais
Destination
Always the first choice
A large marina behind breakwaters, sheltered from the north and west once round Cabo Raso.
Pilotage
Leaving Peniche
Call Peniche on VHF 13 before slipping.
Leave between the moles, watching for fishing boats, and head south to waypoint 1.
Turn south, keeping at least 1 nm off Cabo Carvoeiro, and make sail.
Entering Cascais
From waypoint 6, head east-north-east, keeping south of the cardinal buoys MC1 to MC3 over the submerged breakwater.
Call Marina de Cascais on VHF 62 before entering, and keep watch on VHF 13.
Enter close to the north breakwater head, at no more than 5 kn.
Go to the reception pontoon on the north side of the entrance. Summer hours 08:30 to 20:00.
Lights on the way
Cabo Carvoeiro
Fl(3) R 15s, 57 m
Berlenga
Fl 10s, 121 m
Cabo da Roca
Fl(4) 18s, 165 m
Cabo Raso
Fl(3) 15s, 23 m
Guia
White, 1 s on and 1 s off, 58 m, with a red sector
Santa Marta
White and red by direction, 4.5 s on and 1.5 s off, 25 m
+351 210 732 664 · Captain of the Port +351 210 984 195
Polícia Marítima, Cascais
+351 214 864 500 or +351 918 498 043
Cascais lifeboat station
+351 912 177 311
Emergency
VHF 16, DSC 70 · 112
MRCC Lisboa
+351 214 401 919 · [email protected] · watches VHF 16 around the clock
Contingencies
Wind too strong at Cabo da Roca. The cape is the crux. With a northerly over force 6, reef early and keep 3 nm off; with a southerly, do not round it: stay in Peniche.
Swell building from the west. Peniche may close behind you. Carry on to Cascais, which is sheltered once round Cabo Raso.
Fog. Fog routine. Ships converge on the Tagus here: keep radar and AIS watch, and stay inshore of the traffic scheme.
Engine failure. Sail into Cascais bay and call the marina or the Polícia Marítima for a tow onto the pontoon.
Running late. Cascais is lit and open at night; the marina reception closes at 20:00 in summer, so call ahead.
Person overboard. Shout, point, throw the danger buoy, press MOB, DSC distress alert, Mayday on 16.
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
Fuel for 10 hours under engine, plus a reserve
Water, food and hot drinks for 11 hours
Lifejackets with crotch straps, jackstays rigged, harnesses
Liferaft, grab bag, flares in date, handheld VHF
Radar, AIS and navigation lights tested
Passports and boat papers aboard
Sources
Cascais rules, VHF and exclusion zone: Capitania do Porto de Cascais, Edital 950/2024 (amn.pt).
Cascais approach, rocks and contacts: Plano de Salvamento Marítimo, Capitania do Porto de Cascais (amn.pt).
Marina: marinacascais.com (contacts and welcome guide).
Roca Control: DGRM, VTS costeiro, dgrm.pt.
Traffic schemes: COLREG Rule 10; Portuguese text, Instituto Hidrográfico.
Peniche: Capitania de Peniche, Edital 712/2024 and rescue plan (amn.pt).
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.