Happy Holidays (Madeira)

Right in time to enjoy the holiday vibe on Madeira, 3 other Boréal boats visited our marina: Leonida and Pould’O (on their way to the Canaries) and Olicécante (ex. Juan Sa Bulan, one of the first models initially owned by Boréal’s founder). With Lolita (on their way to the Mediterranean) and Fabule, there were 5 members of this beautiful family of about 100 aluminium boats. What a nice surprise and an occasion for drinks and a lot of boat talk!

As for us, we took a quick trip to the boatyard of Agua de Pena, located right underneath the airport. We hauled Fabule out of the water and will spend the holidays with our families.

Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of Rum

A fun activity of our stay was Rum tasting. Sugar cane was once an essential source of wealth of Madeira, because 15^th century Europeans loved this type of sugar. It grows in small plots on the south hills of the island. To allow the 4 distilleries to continue the production of Rum Agricola da Madeira, the government subsidizes the labor intensive harvest of sugar cane.

From the festive cocktail called Poncha (mix of rum, honey and fruit juice) to special aged rums, the distilleries of Madeira produce a variety of rums.

Rum Agricola da Madeira is distilled from freshly pressed sugar cane juice where other rums, also called sugar rum, are distilled from sugar cane molasses (a residue of sugar refining).

The fresh juice ferments in vats for two days before being distilled in stills. The amber coloration and aromatic profile comes from the barrels in which the rum is aged. Our favorite? The William Hinton aged 6 years.

Wrap up this season

As we progress towards winter, the episodes of wind and rain increase. It did not prevent us from exploring the island. But we needed to time our activities more carefully.

One of the big bonus of our long stay in Madeira was the experience sharing with fellow sailors. We learned so much about boat repair and maintenance, in parallel of building new friendships.

We continued to get Fabule ready for our next adventure. The last step will be to give the hull a fresh coat of anti-fouling in January. Where will we go next? We plan to point our bow north, visit Norway and reach the polar circle (66.6 N) during the summer.

Happy Holidays

There is something special about the holiday atmosphere in Madeira. Beginning of December, the villages turn on their lights with big celebrations. Many adults and children come to watch the kickoff of the illuminations. They enjoy the festive traditions of music, food trucks and street arts that come with it.

The practice of illuminating spaces during the darkest months of the year originated long time ago. Let’s not shy away from our pleasure to see these symbols of joy, warmth and hope.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!