Sophia Goes to Norway: Crosshaven to Madeira

We have been late to post our last adventures but here is the update from August 2011:

Joan in her dress best waves to the send off crowd in Crosshaven, Ireland

This ended up being a false start. We were forced to return to the dock after the engine stopped running only 100 feet off the dock. Filters were clogged with water! Sh*#T. After polishing the

fuel with the help from Roger at Salve Marina we pushed off from the dock a few days later. Under a full moon and darkening skys we left Cork Channel. By midn

ight we were reaching at 8 plus knots with a double reef and staysail flying. The deck was constantly wet and all the leaks we did not find at the dock were now showing themeless.

Phil and Joan looking forward to the warm breezes of Madeira

After 24 hours of breezy fast sailing the wind eased. By the second morning we were experiencing the Bay of Biscay at its calmest. We struggled for the next 5 days to keep the boat moving under sail. We had 10 days before our flights out of Madeira and we were not getting much closer. A low pressure that was forecasted to move north of us stalled, change directions and passed to our south delivering rain, lightning and shifting winds for 3 days. Just as we were getting worried about making it in time the wind came in giving us a couple of fast days sailing straight at the mark.

Rachel on "watch"

In the cockpit without rain gear! Finally (just 24 hours out from Madeira). We thought this was going to be a warm sunny sail.

The runway in Madeira.

Sophia will spend the next few months on the hard under the tarmac. Yes those pillars are tall enough for a boat to go under with the mast stepped.

We arrived in Funchal, Madeira with two days to spare greeted by clear hot weather and a beautiful city full of flowers. We wished we did not need to leave so quickly.

We toasted our arrival with a bottle of Madeira of course.

We turned a few heads as we pulled skis and back country gear off the boat and starting packing on the sea wall.

After being on the boat for 10 days we need to get the heart pumping so we went for a walk to the top of the tourist tram that runs out of Funchal, were we found these guys...