What a relief! The wind died down and the sea state is better. Even the sun is out and Hans cooked an excellent fresh sardines lunch with paella. It has been a challenging 36 hours. What a difference it can make that the movements of the boat are more gentle and that we have our destination in sight (we can't see it, mentally I mean) at 129 Nautical miles at 327 degrees. That hopefully means that we are in Funchal just after lunch tomorrow Friday.



We came within 50 Nautical miles today of Ilhas Savagems (The Savage Islands). We had got a permit to stop at those islands from the Portuguese authorities who issued a letter to us from Madeira. We got the sixth permit awarded this year to visit. Unfortunately neither weather conditions and time made it possible. Maybe next time? They are known for having an amazing bird life. They are uninhabited except for two wardens. You can anchor in a bay on the South West side which should protect you from moderate winds from North East which is the prevailing wind direction.