Forty miles and a world of difference...
A year afloat: to the Caribbean and back
Sam and Alex Fortescue
Fri 5 Nov 2010 10:59
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32:38.75N
16:54.55W We made a break for freedom yesterday, leaving
Porto Santo with a fleet of other boats who had also been waiting out the bad
weather. Most headed for a marina called Quinta de Lorde on the eastern tip of
MAdeira, which is modern, well equipped and cheap. We decided to head to
Funchal, though. The marina is old, crowded and expensive, but it is in the
heart of the island's capital city - a major draw after so many days in the
splendid isolation of Porto Santo.
We got in two hours after sunset yesterday, just
before 8pm. The blaze of light all along the coast made it hard to distinguish
the red and green lights at the entrance to the harbour. At one point, there was
near panic as a trick of the light made it seem that we were just a few dozen
metres off the beach. Lights festooned the coast, but with great gaping patches
of darkness which marked a cliff or a rocky headland. It was inexplicably
nervewracking.
Then, as we motored into the narrow marina
entrance, a chap bounded out to tell us our berth was at the far end of the port
and that we'd have to motor in astern. In a car, backwards is much like
forwards, but slower. In Summer Song, backwards is always a bit of lottery -
even more so when the extra rudder of the windvane steering is fitted. Will she
go left, right or sideways? In the end we berthed bow to. It's a scramble over
the anchor to get onto the pontoon, but we figure that the same inconvenience
will keep light-fingered locals at bay; the marina really is in the centre of
town, with a McDonalds at the foot of the pier.
We're both hugely excited about being here, but for
different reasons. I'm looking forward to exploring the 1800m high peaks,
tobogganing down the hill into Funchal in a wicker basket and tasting madeira
wines. Alex is beside herself at the prospect of visiting the launderette. And
she has a point. It's just as well that the sun is shining, because the only
clean clothes we have left are shorts. I'm hoping this next washing trip will do
us until Rodney Bay in St Lucia...
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