Madeira – La Palma
29/06/2024 – 02/07/2024 – 326 Nautical miles

The second long passage of the trip, and saying goodbye to Portugal and hello to Spain. We didn’t have any newfound complications with the boat. We went down to La Palma on a broad reach as we had done since Lagos, which is when the wind is behind at an angle of 120°. This is generally a comfortable point of sail for Questina, but we are still trying to use the wind pilot, which is an autopilot system that uses wind to steer the boat at a chosen angle. So far, we have only been able to use it for shorter periods and not an entire passage. When working, it greatly reduces the physical effort that is needed to steer for hours at a time.

With only one crew change in Madeira, it was helpful to have four people on board for this passage. This again aided in the ability to rest for a couple of hours after being on watch. Iñaki from Mexico had started off from Lagos, and Dan from Germany had hopped on, replacing Les from England. Having these two on board was great as we got along well and had the same interests when on land. Hint hint, a lot of hiking was done.

Even though the mileage wasn’t as much as the first leg to Porto Santo, the passage still felt very slow. As this is first time I’m sailing long distances over multiple days, I constantly ponder whether this is really the thing for me . A few months ago, the thought of being away from people and travelling for long periods of time by boat was something that intrigued an interest in me. Only now, and on top of several other challenges do I find myself rethinking. I’m not ready to leave the yachting industry so soon, but once the year is over and I have completed the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, I will use the experience that I have gained to try out in other sectors of the industry. Either chartering or a complete switch to motor.

La Palma is a beautiful island. We stayed in the marina for several days exploring Santa Cruz and the mountain ranges that gave breathtaking views. Its refreshing to go out on foot and breathe after being in close quarters with people. Dan, Iñaki and I climbed up to the top of the island to Roque de los Muchachos which hosts an observatory and is one of the best places to watch the night sky. I hope to return there with my parents as they would appreciate what a phenomena it is to see stars with extreme clarity.

Being on Questina this summer tests and will continue to test me. Every single day, I wake up almost longing to be somewhere else, and I know that sounds disfigured but there is a battle going on in my head. One side urges me to go on, while the other often asks, “why be unhappy when you can easily change your situation?”

For now I press on. It’ll be day sailing around the Canary islands and so this part of the trip isn’t so much about mileage but practicing moorings, meeting other people that will crew on the boat and perhaps getting some more technical sailing done rather than only setting the sails at one tack for the whole journey. (Being on one tack means that you don’t make a significant change in direction and so tacking or gybing isn’t needed). The next island is La Gomera, which I had never heard of until this trip was being planned. Its a small, relatively unknown island close to Tenerife, but I look forward to visiting it nonetheless.