Santa Bernarda pirate ship

It looks like a pirate ship, it has a Pirate Bar and grown-ups are invited to walk the plank. For a child who has spent the holiday talking in pirate voices, the Santa Bernarda in Portimão is hard to beat. Behind the costume is a sturdy, 75-foot (about 23 metres) two-masted sailing boat with plenty of seats, shade, toilets and an indoor salon, which makes it a comfortable way for mixed-age families to see the famous sea caves near Benagil.

The ship doesn’t squeeze into the caves itself. It stays offshore along the cliffs while two boatmen ferry passengers into the caves in small motorised “pirate dinghies”. That means children get two boat rides in one trip: a slow, steady sail on the big ship and a short, exciting hop into the caves.

The Santa Bernarda wasn’t built as a pirate ship. It started life in 1968 in Bayonne, in south-west France, as a fishing boat called Le Trident, and it fished the North Atlantic until 1992. Santa Bernarda Cruzeiros bought it in 1995 and turned it into a tourist boat. It has since starred in adverts for Doritos and KFC. The crew is two captains who speak several languages, two boatmen for the cave boats and two sailors who run the bar.

Most trips head east to Benagil. You board at Cais Vasco da Gama in Portimão, sail down the Arade river past the fishing village of Ferragudo and its 15th-century castle, and out into the Atlantic. Along the cliffs, the cave boats take you into a string of caves with names children will love: Atlantis, the Crocodile, the Echo, the Deep, the Turtle, the Benagil Cathedral and the dark Submarine cave. On the way back you pass Praia da Marinha. The trip lasts two and a half hours, and seasickness prevention is included.

There are four Benagil departures a day, and each has a different feel:

• Sunrise, 8:40 to 11:10: the company promises calm sea and little wind.
• Morning, 11:30 to 14:00: it says the narrow cave entrances are quieter, with fewer speedboats about.
• Afternoon, 14:30 to 17:00: described as the more adventurous one.
• Sunset, 17:30 to 20:00: the evening light on the cliffs.

With young children, the sunrise or morning trip is the gentler choice.

On Thursdays from 14:30 to 17:00 the ship heads west instead, to the caves and rock stacks near Lagos, again with small-boat visits into the caves. On the way back the crew stop the engine for a while and sail on the wind, which is the best chance to see the ship working as a real sailing boat.

When we checked, every cruise cost €35 for adults, €25 for teenagers aged 11 to 17 and €15 for children aged 3 to 10. Babies up to two years old go free. You can book through the website, by phone or email, or at the sales stand (no. 5) on the Portimão riverside near the Capitania, the harbour master’s office.

Tickets can’t be refunded or transferred. To cancel, contact the office at least 24 hours before; inside 24 hours they only consider it with a medical certificate. The port captain or maritime police can close the caves without notice when the sea is rough. If that happens there’s no refund, and the weather can change the programme.

The council’s tourism site describes some trips with a barbecue lunch on the beach. The ship’s own site didn’t list a barbecue trip when we checked, so ask if that’s what you’re after.

The company says children, babies and disabled passengers are welcome, and describes the ship as designed with wheelchairs in mind. Tell them when you book if you need help getting on board.

Be early. The terms ask you to arrive 30 minutes before departure, boarding starts 15 minutes before, and the ship leaves on time without waiting for late passengers. Parking is next to the pier at Rua Gonçalo Nascimento 6, though it can be limited during public events. There are drinks and snacks at the Pirate Bar, but bring sun cream, hats and a layer for the evening trips.

The same stretch of coast is covered by 5Emotions’ Benagil and dolphin trips, also from Portimão, if your child cares more about dolphins than pirates. For a castle to go with the pirate ship, the Castelo de Silves is up the same Arade river. Pirate fans in Lisbon can explore a real 19th-century warship, the Fragata D. Fernando II e Glória.

How old do children have to be?

There’s no minimum age. Babies up to two go free, and children aged 3 to 10 pay €15.

Does the pirate ship go into the Benagil cave?

The ship stays outside. Small cave boats from the ship take passengers into the caves, weather and maritime police permitting.

Is there a toilet on board?

Yes. The ship has toilets, shade and an indoor salon.

How long is the trip?

Two and a half hours for every departure.

What happens if the caves are closed?

The maritime authorities can close the caves in rough seas. If that happens, there’s no refund for missing the caves.