Land ho, cap'n!
A year afloat: to the Caribbean and back
Sam and Alex Fortescue
Sat 30 Oct 2010 17:57
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33:03.72N
016:18.87W
At some point last night, while we were dodging the
lights that represented ships sliding past in the dark, we became aware of a
dim, flashing light on the horizon. The 'distance to go' on the instruments
glowed with a titchy 31 miles - a good day's sail normally, but not much more
than a reverse parking manoeuvre in the context of a 500 mile
passage.
The lighthouse that we had glimpsed is about 120m
up on headland off Porto Santo, so called because it was discovered by a
Portuguese explorer running from a storm. By daybreak we were about 10 miles
from the island, which jags dramatically out of the Atlantic in a series of
extinct volcanic cones. Or maybe dormant...
The last 24 hours have been some classic sailing.
We have been on a beam reach most of the time, fizzing along at more than 6
knots, reefed down so the boat barely heeled. Gone was the incessant, shuddering
crashing off waves from the night before. The wind allowed us to buzz straight
into the austere, south facing bay that gives the island its livelihood through
a 7 mile beach (it seems Madeira doesn't have any). The marina appears to be
carved out of the volcanic cliff and is a couple of miles from the town
itself.
The marina wall is covered in hand painted logos
from previous visitors, going back into the mid-90s. Many of them are boats
doing the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, and quite a few mention the ARC 2010. We
are so far bereft of a snazzy logo and verbiage to leave our mark here, but we
plan to do something. All suggestions for pictures or words to summersong (at)
mailasail (dot) com.
The marina officials are a pretty relaxed bunch,
and I've already been recommended a resto and some bars in which to celebrate my
birthday tomorrow. There's a tourist bus which does a tour of the island in a
couple of hours and putters to the top of the 500m high hill in the middle.
We're thinking of hitting that tomorrow afternoon, then tucking into some of
Joao's freshly landed fish for supper.
However, the weather coiuld get in the way of
plans. Despite Alex approvingly reading to me excerpts from the guide and the
pilot mentioning that Porto Santo is an arid island with very little rain and
sparse vegetation, it's been drizzling since lunchtime and there's an ominous
grey on the horizon which promises more of the same. It will be little
consolation to read in Monday's edition of the local paper: "Rain at last - the
wait is over!".
Into a new fish!
 Sunset on a calm sea
 Post lunch slump
 Land ho!!!!
 Porto Santo lighthouse
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