Family on board – Sailing from Spain to Madeira
Traveling for more than one year on a sailing boat? What sounds like a dream to most people became reality for my friends Nico and Theresa with their baby »Joni«. I had the honor to travel with them and another friend for almost a month, sailing from southern Spain to Morocco and later to Madeira.
Our home for the next 4 weeks: A Beneteau First 36.7
After meeting up in a marina close to Malaga (Spain), we made the boat ready for our first crossing. Across the teal waters of the Mediterranean Sea, we headed towards Morocco. With a short stop at Ceuta, an autonomous city of Spain located on the northern coast of Africa, we arrived in Tangier (Morocco) a day later.
The most important job on the boat: Entertaining the smallest passenger
Checking the weather and navigation tool to find the best time to leave the harbor
For us, it was the first time being in Morocco. Despite being just a few nautical miles away from Europe, the cultural differences are huge. Here, we felt like diving directly into the array culture. Morocco has a rich cultural heritage that reflects both Arab and Berber influences. We spent the days strolling across the city, with its winding alleys and busy markets. We had a lot of coffee, sweet mint tea, and, of course, »Tajin« the traditional steamed dishes.
After almost a week, it was time for us to move on. For the crossing to Madeira, we had to cover 550 nm (about 1000 km). The wind seemed rather low, but enough to travel at a comfortable speed. For 3.5 days, there were only the five of us, the boat, and the ocean. The sun set and rose again and again while we were living according to our watch schedule.
Enjoying the end of the first day on board with a beautiful sunset
Care work
Elegant accompaniment: Once in a while, these beautiful animals were following us
Then we finally arrived at Madeira, or better, at Porto Santo, its sister island. Before heading over to the main island, we stayed there a few days and got used to life on land again.
Madeira really surprised me. The strong contrast between arid, rocky cliffs and lush green forests was just insane. We traveled to the famous »Fanal« with its rustic trees in the foggy weather. We watched the sunrise at the very northern peak of the island, close to our anchor spot. We went snorkeling in the crystal-clear water next to our boat. We hike up the typical »Levadas«, artificial streams built to move water for agriculture.
Sunrise close to Miradouro de São Lourenço
Cave on Porto Santo
The days flew by, and when I had to fly back home, I was feeling like I could have stayed here for weeks. One thing I know for sure: I will come back. But will I get there by sailing? Probably, this was a unique experience.
Hiking up the »Levada«
