An easy sail to Madeira

A stiff breeze, but a calm sea, winds astern. We set out at 8am with the Brazilian ketch, "Rapunzal" an hour ahead. We're double-reefed after a night with harbor gusts up to 28 knots, quite a good blow.
We have an easy sail over, but "Babette" is rocking like a church bell. The rolling gets irritating after a while. Still "Lille Per" steers well, slighly off the wind. A shorts-and-t-shirt" sail, with a strong wind from behind, perfect! We close in on the much bigger "Rapunzel"which is sailing with only a foresail. No one seems to be in much of a hurry; it's a nice day to be out to sea!

We're headed for the Eastern spur of Madeira, Sao Lourenço. That's a scraggely chain of windswept volcanic rock. Part still peninsula, barely hanging together with two islands at the point. On top of the outermost rock is a lighthouse, high on this steep, unapproachable little island.
A motor launch races out to invite us to the building-set marina, Quinta do Lorde. Part modern pontoon marina, part ongoing construction site. The facilities are what are missing. A metal container contains the showers and a "squat-toilet". There's hot water; the toilet is clean, because nobody is using it. The Marina is supposed to be ready in November... or December. The rest of the whole huge planned holiday resort they plan to open in 2008. We see very ambitious architect prospects in the marina offices. There are already some whitewashed, red-tiled buildings with a round tower, almost finished, down on the pier. The Marina is priced are as if everything was already functioning.

We are berthed beside English "Tamarisk" and Norwegian"Sedna", both leaving tomorrow, but both with lots of tips about what to do, where to go, here at Madeira. We especially enjoyed seeing "Sedna"s photos and film of their Pico to Pico hikes and bullfighting in Portugal. The bull is not killed in the arena.

And the matador there was a woman.