Europe 2021 – part IV: Madeira, Portugal
After provisioning for the 6 people on board and having the galley watch system assigned (no minor task) we waited 2 days before a good weather window opened up for our offshore passage to Madeira. The trip should take about 5 days.
As it turned out, the winds were good and from the north, the seas were following from the quarter (the most comfortable in terms of boat motion) and we were sailing fast! We made the trip in 3.5 days. This was the first time Savvy Sailing Girl had the luxury of doing watch with someone and it was great!…
We arrived at Porto Santo, the small island to the northeast of Madeira Grande, the main island. Porto Santo is a small island, lower than the steep hillsides of Madeira Grande, and less of a “destination” spot. Cruisers stop here, and it is a beach resort area for locals, but not much beyond that. Kimberly and I spent the one day we had there walking along the beach and then headed to the old town center. We happened upon a little wine bar and thought we might stop back there later in the afternoon after we saw the sign indicating they had sangria made with local Porto Santo wine. They had a window display of all sorts of wines, jams and other delights. We were window browsing when a woman came out and struck up a conversation. She spoke excellent English but would be on break in the afternoon, so one thing led to another and we went inside to learn about Porto Santo wines and other local products. This was a family-owned business and they had a vineyard and garden. They grew their own grapes, made their own wines and produced their own jams and some bakery products. Then they sold it all at this delightful little establishment. We enjoyed our time there, both initially and when we returned later in the afternoon for a glass of their homemade sangria. In fact, the sangria was so delicious, we decided to buy some to take with us. They made it up and bottled it for us right there! We also were delighted to make a new friend in the lovely woman who worked there.
Then it was off to Madeira Grande! It was a lovely day sail as we made our way down the eastern side of Madeira Grande. The airport is an interesting site to see from the water looking ashore. Passengers on the plane would see a normal runway, but in fact it is perched on supports bridging the gap between hills.
We anchored directly off of Funchal, the capitol. I was to have almost a week there before needing to fly out… unfortunately, my Schengen visa time was running out, so I wouldn’t be able to join for the trip to the Canaries. Kimberly and I headed out the first day to explore, taste Madeira wines (the third of the fortified wines regions). The flower festival was going on as well, so there would be plenty to enjoy! We visited Blandy’s first, the well-known brand, as it was directly in town and located next to the tourist information center and very convenient. It wasn’t the personalized tasting experience we had enjoyed in Porto and Jerez, but gave us a bit of background and a start at what Madeira was all about.
What fun we had! We did the hop-on/hop-off bus thing to explore some outlying areas, tasted more, took a gondola up and toboggan ride down, and enjoyed the local fare – Yay, grilled skewers done beautifully and the pervasive Portuguese garlic bread which couldn’t be beat!
And then, all of a sudden, it was time to fly out. My 90 days in Europe this year was fantastic! Thank you, Kimberly, for making this a great trip and experience. I am so glad to have you as a new friend! Thank you, Sam, for your generosity, for taking me to places I have long wished to visit, for new friendship, and for some experiences and personal growth opportunities that will serve me well!