We were told by a friend :
“You’re in Porto Santo? Why? There’s nothing there!”..
But she was wrong. Porto Santo may give the impression that it is a mere stopping off point before the better known island of Madeira but it is a great place in its own right and in my opinion well worth a longer look.
The beach is beautiful, the water so so clear, the sand beautifully fine and we were told the minerals in the sand are very good for you too..
The people here are really, really friendly too. In fact the whole atmosphere is remarkably warm and it seems that all visitors to this small island are made to feel very welcome.
The island boast some impressive view points and there is even a volcano ( now dead and covered in land) that sits at the top of the island overlooking it all. There are paths and tracks leading up to the volcano, though we were a little lazy and simply took the tourist bus!
The ( very touristy) bus that we took circles the whole island and drops you off in various places giving you a little time to explore on foot. It is a fair and fine way to see the island from my point of view, even if you do feel like a complete tourist for the entire two hour trip!
This is the house, now a museum that Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) lived in for a short time whilst he stayed on Porto Santo ( he married the governor’s daughter and had a son here ); which is also well worth a visit. It’s small but it gives some lovely information on this famous explorer and navigator.
There is only one marina in Porto Santo and so when the weather gets a little rough this is a welcome sanctuary. A few boats anchor off-shore, just outside the marina and opposite the beach (which we intend to do this evening as the wind has now dropped down)…The marina of Porto Santo is safe and easy to enter into even at night.
We have spent our time anchored within the harbour walls – but be aware if you intend to do this some of the pilot / guide books are out to date as you now need to pay even for this. (You do get a key to the showers but we still found the price for simply anchoring a little expensive – for our boat of 12, 96m the price is 19 euros per night). Still this is a better price than the marina and when you leave you are able to dock on for an hour or so to fill up with water e.t.c.
The highlight, however, of our time so far in Porto Santo has been the people we have met. There is such a friendly atmosphere here between all the yachties that we have already made many new friends and have had several lovely evenings with a variety of different people – sharing food, stories and even, thanks to Olaf who brought along his guitar one memorable night on the pontoon, songs. So many people, all of us with common interests ( sailing and travelling) which lends itself to a friendly and open atmosphere all around. I love it!
The children are also over the moon as they too have made some new friends:
I end with these images. This fellow yachtie, from Sweden, is about to set off in his home-made boat to Martinique, tomorrow. (He arrived from Ireland in this tiny boat!). He told us he likes to be close to the water; I guess you’d have to in this unique boat!
His water tank holds a mere 65 litres and he lives on sardines, muesli and oranges. He reckons it’ll take him two months to get to Martinique. Good luck to him; what a character!
