The small marina here in Funchal is full and if the weather forecast is correct there will be high winds and high waves over the Sunday – Monday period. So, we have decided to go. We don’t want to be here for winds of 30 + knots and waves of 3.5 metres and over; oh no.
Last night the wind picked up and this lovely anchorage, so close to the town became a rolling mass of boats with owners who did not sleep. I for one managed to grab a few hours of sleep around 5am and am therefore feeling somewhat jaded to put it mildly so I apologise now for any strange text – I blame it on lack of sleep.
Here’s hoping tonight is a little better.
It does seems better………
We made the decision to stay on tonight, get as much sleep as possible and head for the Canary Islands in the morning so I hope the weather forecast for tonight is correct and we all get some sleep ( well, the girls slept without a problem last night, though how I don’t know ).
Funchal is a town really worth a visit; we have found the people are extremely friendly and there is so very much to see and do here.
It’s a shame for us that we are leaving so early, but I think with the weather it is a decision we had to make. There are alternative marinas in Madeira but they are all located quite a way from Funchal and are pretty expensive! ( For our boat which is 12,96m length the average charge per night is around 38 euros!!! Compare that to the main marina in Portimão which currently charges 17 euros – low season).
So we go.
Towards Lansarote in the Canary Islands!
(My Portuguese internet connection will be NO MORE ( !!!!!) so my posts may and probably will be, a little more sporadic… I shall write however when I can).
Anyway, back to the lovely town of Funchal:
As mentioned the marina and anchorage are located directly in the town centre.
The anchorage is located directly in front of the main ferry terminals, though they are far enough away not to cause too much of a disturbance ( unlike the swell).
Today as it is now our last day in Madeira and Funchal, we decided to do a spot of sightseeing. Firstly we took the infamous cable car up for some fabulous views over Funchal before heading to a small village located with the walls of a very ancient crater – the speciality in this village is “castanhos” or chestnuts – in many different ways – cakes, breads, soups, baked, or even taken as a liqueur! We chose to have ours baked and they were pretty good. The views were even better. Our final, short stop was to the Botanical garden, which during Spring is a sight to behold we were told. Even now it is still now a lovely space, with gorgeous birds of paradise plants and orchids all around and those fabulous views that is Madeira.
I hope we come back again. It really is an island worth discovering.