Moving on to Funchal

Having returned from the whale museum about an hour later than we had expected, we needed to get moving pretty quickly, both to clear Quinta do Lorde Marina before the latest check-out time (conveniently set very late at 1600, rather than the usual noon) but also to ensure that we would arrive at Funchal Marina at around the time we had said we would arrive. Once outside the marina we unrolled the genoa (no need for the mainsail in up to 24kts from the NE) and enjoyed a fast ride downwind along the coast.

Machico (L) and Caniçal (R) 

We retraced the bus route in less winding a fashion but at about the same relative straight-line speed. Caniçal was the first town we passed, followed shortly by Machico, a town we had also gone through on the bus.

Madeira’s airport   

Of course, as we sailed down the coast we got another close-up view of the runway on stilts and had fun watching the aircraft land and depart.

The south coast scenery is fabulous; highly indented by steep ravines with their innumerable terraces for growing food [Ed: and vines!]

Other parts of the coastline, however, are less aesthetically pleasing!

At Ponta do Garajau, we passed one of the whaling look-out posts we’d heard about that morning at the museum. Below it, on the western side of the point, is one of the first beaches that they had used for landing and processing the whales.

Funchal ahead   

Once we had cleared Ponta do Garajau we could see Funchal ahead.

But there was still plenty to see before we got to the harbour. Above us on clifftops we could see small vineyards and cultivated land between the houses clinging to the hillside.

Forte de São Tiago (painted yellow, top pictures) and Fortaleza do Pico (bottom photos)   

And closer to the city we saw the forts, the Forte de São Tiago on the eastern outskirts of the city and the Fortaleza do Pico above the old part of the city to the northwest.

BV in plum position (moored bottom left)   

We called up the marina on the VHF as we entered the harbour and were directed to a decidedly dodgy reception pontoon [Ed: floating very low and with absolutely no cleats to secure to. The mariñeros took our lines and tied them to the gangway down onto the pontoon and a ladder on the wall.] Happily, they had excellent English and, having moved a group of paddle-boarders out of the marina so that we could get in, they allocated us the marina’s plum mooring position – alongside a pontoon (vice stern to with slime lines) in the most sheltered area.

So, there we were, right in the centre of Funchal and on time. Fantastic! With arrival paperwork complete, Nicky’s priority task was to take a fistful of cash and haggle for the only VHF aerial that we could find on Madeira. She returned triumphant having struck a reasonable deal under the circumstances. I, meanwhile, had put BV ‘to bed’ and accepted a drinks invitation onto S/Y Fiona from Eric Forsyth. We had a fascinating evening chatting to Eric and his crew and Eric provided us with an excellent rum cocktail recipe [Ed: does that mean we no longer need to go to the Caribbean?] and some suggestions of things to see on Madeira. So, over an much later than intended dinner, we plotted and schemed the next few days, trying to work out how to fit everything we wanted to do into the available time.

Funchal Marina, Madeira