Madeira
Marita3
Mark & Helen Syrett
Fri 16 Sep 2011 18:12
We sailed, or rather motor sailed, the 30 miles from Porto Santo to Quinta do Lorde today, leaving the Columbus Festival (the re-enactment of Columbus' return to Porto Santo, to continue in our wake).
This is a small village that was to have been developed as a major marina/ holiday resort at the east end of Madeira about 32 km from Funchal. Unfortunately the recession has got the better of it and it is half developed with houses half built and many empty---all rather eerie. It will be quite pretty if it is ever finished.
Tomorrow is a fishing boat festival (they have a lot of festivals out here!) and all the people on boats in the marina have been invited to jump on one of the fishing boats for a day trip with lunch provided (drink and tuna sandwiches), all at no cost, to go to the Islas Desertas to bless the fishing fleet. The Islas Desertas are a nature reserve and normally you would need a permit to visit; they are a breeding ground for a rare type of seal---the Atlantic monk seal.
The windex failed again and the solar panels that were meant to be here waiting for us are on a boat from Lisbon to Funchal and are not expected until next week. Even a refill of a gas container will take 4 days starting on Monday. The moral is never arrive on a Friday afternoon. The colours of the volcanic rocks and deep blue sea are amazing here, the sand is grey but the water is very clean and clear. There are a large number of big ARC yachts making their way down to Gran Canaria to cross the Atlantic.
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