We are currently on passage and making good progress with favourable winds. We are making about 5-6 knots an hour on a nearly 500 mile passage from southern Portugal. We hope to arrive on Tuesday/Wednesday at Porto Santo an island in the Madeira group, just north of the island itself. Once under way our day acquires a sort of rhythm eating, sleeping, watch keeping. At least within sight of land there is something to look at but it quickly became a distant smudge, the coastal fishing vessels are far behind us too. Our route crossed the edge of the traffic separation zone off Cape St Vincent, and we sighted cargo ships and crossed tracks with other yachts probably heading for the Canaries which are SE of the rhum line to Madeira. There has been little to see during the day, the sea birds of course and bizarrely a dragon fly, I think it must have been a bit of course as we are a considerable distance from land. The nightwatches are the real pleasure, with a huge, clear star filled night sky, phosphoresence in our bow wave and wake and distant lightening to our west, it was a veritable light show. An absolute joy!

Here are a selection of photos from our La Guadiana trip;

Coastal plain Castro Marim

Interior of small traditional church Castro Marim

High rise apartments for the loved ones.

Traditional salt pans, there’s a heap of salt just in front of the La Guadiana bridge

Wonderful market stall.

Amazing kitchen stall, now what would a metal jug with several different spouts around the body be used for?

Ocean Cruising club members, our Port Officer Peter to far left and wife Irene in blue in middle with a 60th anniversary OCC cake

In the next instalment all the thrills of the zip wire!

All our best Lynne and Alan