Harmon and Randall's Voyage…

Azores Madeira Leg

Day 1

Saturday, June 27

Noon Position: 38 24.7N 28 28.0W

Course/Speed: ESE/6.6

Wind: SSE 6

Sail: Motoring

Noon Miles: 10.6

Total Miles: 10.6

Departed Horta, Faial Island in the Azores at 1000 on June 27th. The routing program directed us to the lee side of Pico, but I chose the windward side … for the wind, which was forecast to be 15 on the beam and was nearly nothing at dead ahead fifteen minutes from the breakwater. No sloppier sea than what can be found on the windward side of an island.

Our destination is Funchal, located on the south side of Madeira and the Island’s main town. At 653 miles end to end, this passage is about half that of Newfoundland to the Azores, but we will soon be contending with a ridge of high pressure which will steal our wind for two full days, forcing us to motor almost as much as we did to reach the Azores. So goes cruising on a schedule. The leg should take about 4.5 days, with arrival slated for the evening of July 1.

Horta was wonderful. I’ll let Harmon tell the story with pictures; suffice to say that the people were generous, the rustic foods hearty, the landscape colorful and lush, and the weather, absolute crap for sightseeing. On a tour of the countryside we had to squint to see the roadway through the fog and drizzle, never mind the volcano. And it didn’t matter one bit.