My father, Ted, had the worst internal compass of any person I’ve met or even heard about. Our annual excursions to the Brisbane Ekka were legendary. Every year we would set out early in the morning from Rosewood, get close to the showgrounds without actually finding the parking area, head back to Sherwood RSL then catch a train to the Ekka and back from Sherwood. I can’t remember him actually finding the Brisbane show grounds in a car.

The Portuguese, by contrast, were renown navigators by the 15th century.
Christopher Columbus became the last person credited with finding the Americas- he was beaten by Inuits, Indians from North, South and Central Americas, and lots of Vikings. He was also beaten by Portuguese cod fishermen who headed off every year to the rich grounds off the east coast of America, dried and salted their fish ashore then headed back to make a fortune from each journey. They were doing this for at least 200 years before Chris set out, but wisely kept their mouths shut. 

Prince Henry of Portugal recognised the skills of his sailors and built a navigation school and provided free boats for those who wanted to go further. Da Gama made it around Africa, Diaz to the Cape. Eventually Portuguese even made it to Japan where the idea for the curry sauce that goes on their chicken today was introduced by Portuguese traders and missionaries who arrived via India from 1543 onwards. All of this started because of the Portuguese love of fish. The sea was rich, their lands poor.

We benefited today from the Portuguese love of the sea. For the first time in my life my knees and I saw the Atlantic Ocean at the coastal town of Foz. We had lunch at a beachside cafe – Linda calamari, Catrina pork sausages, Ross sardines followed by a whole roasted sea bream – all with vegetables. It was simple food, incredibly fresh and superbly done.

As we ate lunch I couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if it had been Ted the Navigator who’d set up Portugal’s navigation school. Their sailors would have set out for Africa, ended up in Finland, and today it would have been reindeer roast with braised lemming. The Portuguese seamen got it right when they went with Henry. Well done those sailors – wise choice indeed.

F C-S