Q9. I joked in the introduction that you were never busier surveying since ‘retiring’, which was clearly not your original plan. What sort of surveying work are you doing in Portugal and on what type of vessels?
Now let us get something straight here. I have not retired and like most of the ex-pats out here I have run away, run away to a less hectic life in a pleasant climate. I was working off and on out here before deciding to spend half my time out here and so up to now it has worked quite well. My work out here is mostly small pleasure and small commercial craft with some Expert Witness work thrown in for good measure, again in the Small Craft sector. Large ship and cargo are now a thing of the past. In any event, I was finding the gangways of the new container ships akin to an assent on Everest before I left the UK.
Q10. How hard was it to make the decision to leave the UK behind and to head to Portugal?
Easy! During my time as a surveyor I have seen so many people with dreams of selling up and sailing the world and then never living long enough to realise it. I just wanted to make sure that Jan and I had some time, originally it was to be a boat, but now it’s a property, which enables me to continue working. I believe continuing to work is important because I have seen another portion of the population suffer an early demise due to giving up working altogether. My company is UK based and we still
have property in the UK and a small residence that we can share our time in (183 days a year by the rules and there are lots of rules)! Being in Portugal is not a long term plan. It is our intention to return to the UK full time in a few years.
Q11. Since your relatively recent relocation to Portugal, what do you most like about the area you are based in and the country itself?
Portugal is a lovely country with nice people. English is widely spoken and the cost of living is very reasonable. Tavira is very Old Portugal - no night clubs, no stag parties, no hen parties and no badly behaved half naked Brits in union jack shorts. We are 20 minutes from the Spanish border and three hours or so from Gibraltar. We live within the Ria Formosa National Park with the best beach in Portugal and
game fishing - apparently some people play golf out here too.
Q12. Should an IIMS member find him/herself in your neck of the woods, where would you take them for a night out and what would you recommend from the Portuguese menu?
That’s a good question. I would recommend our village of Santa Luzia, (Capital De Polvo), which means the capital of the octopus. Being a fishing village, fish and/ or shell fish is top of every menu. Portuguese cuisine itself is a bit limited. It is mostly Sardines, BBQ fish or BBQ chicken (Piri-Piri of course), but there is an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables with restaurants serving food from most other nationalities well represented. Let us not forget to mention the barking dogs.
Real engineering to keep this one running...
a Norton Comando 1972 (one careful owner from new)
Barril: Geoff’s local beach
“Sea” trialling an electric motor in the pool The Report • September 2018 • Issue 85 | 78
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