Overnight sail started on the 11th from Porto to Nazaré. Huge winds 25-35 knots. We tried flying the spinnaker, but the wind was too much and we made a mistake causing the sail to wrap around the forestays on the boat. Two hours of struggle resulted in the sail in tatters and totally destroyed. Very demoralizing.
The next day was a long day of projects getting the boat into shape. Vicente from North sails drove 2 hours from Lisbon to see if he could repair the sail. Prognosis was cautious but optimistic. He took the sail with him with vaguely hopeful comments about being able to repair it, and not so vague curses about sailors with knives. Fortunately, he was able to repair our sail.
We also hoisted Keith up the mast to apply chafe tape to the spreaders.
Sightseeing
We finally had some time to relax and see the town. The crew took some amazing photos and you can check them all out on this post.
Madeira
On Monday, November 15th, we enjoyed a relaxed morning getting everything setup before leaving. Fuel, food, coffee, projects.
With huge winds which had us sailing storm headsail and triple reefed main, we made amazingly fast time to Madeira covering 800NM in 72 hours. So fast! Arrived in Quinta Do Lorde Marina on Madeira. Beers and Fish at the marina and a restaurant in town.
These are just some of the beautiful photos captured on our way to Madeira and while we were on land. For the full gallery, visit this post.
