Crossing from Madeira to mainland Portugal

After spending 5 lovely months in Madeira, we were exited to be on the move again. We had prepared the boat and tested the equipement with a journey to Islas Desertas. We were ready. Therefore, when a weather window appeared for a 4 day sail to mainland Portugal, we took it. We are now in Cascais, near Lisbon, and will slowly make our way up north along the Atlantic coast.

Work and fun

When coming back to the boatyard after the holidays, we first prepared Fabule for new adventures.

Taking care of the anti-fouking paint ourselves was a dirty job but we were proud of the result. Besides, we were rewarded by the increased speed of the boat thanks to the smooth hull.

Meanwhile, we continued to enjoy the island. Even in winter, the climate is agreable in Madeira. There is more wind and rain, but with regular sunny days.

We were in good company with fellow live-aboards on Lolita and friends visiting from Switzerland.

Test Sail (Islas Desertas)

The next important step consisted in making sure that boat and equipement were fully functional. Located about 20 nautical miles south of Madeira, Islas Desertas provided an ideal destination for a test sail.

Islas Desertas have no permanent settlement because of lack of freshwater. However, to watch over the natural reserve and the preservation of Mediterranean Monk Seals, rangers live on the main island, right next to the anchorage of Ensanada da Doca. For our overnight stay, we took one of the 3 mooring buoys.

A barrier of partly submerged rocks gives the anchorage some protection. Some rocks only became apparent at low tide (beware).

In the afternoon, we took the dinghy ashore and loved our chat with the rangers. The rocky scenery took beautiful colors during the sunset. Later in the night, we could see the lights of Madeira in the distance.

Controlled gibing in 40+ knots

Now that we had successfully completed the test sail, we were even more eager to start our journey.

February is still early in the season with a succession of depressions bringing strong winds and waves. To sail back to mainland Portugal, you typically look for the tail of a depression, with southwesterly winds pushing you towards your destination.

In accordance with the forecast, the conditions started smoothly as we passed south of the Island of Porto Santo.

On the second day, the wind picked up and we prepared for a windy night (2 reefs in the main).

During that night, storm cells with lightning became a challenge combined with wind gusts stronger than forecasted. To avoid one of the cells, we decided to jibe and take a more northely course. We would have to jibe eventually after the passage of the front, so why not now?

Taking advantage of a lull, we started winching in the main sail to bring it back to the center of the boat before jibing to the other side. But the storm cell caught up on us and the wind quickly increased (47 knots true, 42 apparent). The mainsail was almost in the center when the combination of wind and waves caused for enormous strain. There was nothing else to do but to wait for the gusts to abait before passing the boom to the other side. We had installed preventers on both sides, though one got entangled and Yan had to venture outside the cockpit to get it sorted.

Finally, the manoeuvre was complete and we were drenched. This was a precious lesson: next time we will keep the foresail only, which provides more flexibilty to change course and is easier to reduce if the wind picks up.

What’s next?

This year, our goal is to accumulate sailing experience. We will go up the Atlantic coast, with each window of favorable wind and visit beautiful places along the way. Portugal, northern Spain (Galicia), Brittany, Cornwall and Scotland will be our playgrounds for the coming months.