The passage to Madeira was quite a mix of light winds, close hauled, calms and then force 6-7 gusting 8!!
Here are a few pix!

We start off with dolphins visiting as we leave Santa Maria and a wonderful time in the Azores! We will be back!!!

The first day is fairly calm and we have a lovely sunset!! Santa Maria is still visible upper right…

Sheryl in the galley making a delicious soup! Thick chicken lentil stew/soup … hmmm

Another one of MANY dolphin visits on this passage. They always look so great as they charge up to see us…


The wind builds half way through the passage… waves are over 2 meters.

Wind was forecast to get up to 20 knots or so for the last 200 miles to Madeira. This would be ENE so close-reaching…
Keeping watch Paul gets a wave in the face :-)

It built more as we got closer to the island! We saw Force 6 (21-27) then with 50 miles to go we saw steady force 7 (27-33 knots) with gusts of force 8. We dropped the already double-reefed main and reefed our tough little 100% jib. Still making 7 knots to windward!

Finally we get into the wind shadow of Madeira. Suddenly its calm (with 2-3 meter seas) and we approach this tall dramatic island.

We get a slip right in Funchal’s marina - normally crowded later in the season when boats are heading south we tie up and have a quiet night with no Nightwatches!