Leg 3...........And then there were 3!

Chiscos - Atlantic Cruise
John Simpson
Sat 1 Oct 2011 16:50
Quinto do Lorde Marina Madeira.
 
After a couple of weeks the crew has reassembled in at Quinto do Lorde Marina in Madeira.
The skipper spent some time in Spain and then walking the levadas and mountains in Madeira.
 
We have been joined by Corrine from Zurich and Mikaela from Brighton.
Elise has now left the boat to nurse a sick friend back in Rome.
 
The boat is on fine form. We have fitted the new gasket to the engine, sourced by Regis in the UK and brought to Madeira by Mikaela, and also sorted a small problem with the burners on the gas cooker. Yesterday Corrine and I donned flippers, snorkels, masks and wetsuits and scrubbed the bottom of the boat. There was a small amount of weed growth along the waterline which we took the opportunity to clean off.  It was good fun - but quite hard work scrubbing under water!
 
Our plan was to leave for Funchal today, but the weather has turned against us. We woke this morning to strong wind and driving rain! (I understand it is 29 degrees in the UK today!) So we have delayed a day and plan to leave tomorrow (Sunday) instead. This may mean that we eschew the Selvagem Islands on the way to the Canaries, as it will make for a very complicated schedule if we try and fit them in as well.
So today we went for a long walk to the next village of Canical. By the time we were walking the rain had stopped  - but the wind was still strong. However, the crew seemed to enjoy the walk and the dramatic Madeiran landscape.
Mikaela and Corrine in Canical.