PORTO SANTO

Approaches:

Approaching from the North there are two marine protected areas where it is not possible to pass through by sail or motoring. Always keep the depth on 50m and follow the border reported in the Navionics maps. A patrol boat is checking during the day.

The entrance to the commercial harbor is good, well protected from the North sector with just a little bit of swell. The green light is not working.

The marina use working Channel 09 during the day, but you need to contact them several times. As there is normally no space, they don’t care too much to answer (4 persons in the small office).

Anchoring Inside the Harbour:

There is an anchor zone marked with 3 unlit buoys. Inside this area, you can find some small yellow balls with a mooring line, but in mediocre conditions and good only for boats less than 10m.

Other moorings stay on the bottom, they can be dangerous for keel and rudder, because many ropes are floating half height.

Mandatory to use anchor day signal and anchor light. They check.

In the North corner there is some fishing equipment floating, avoid this area.

If you don’t like to anchor inside the harbor, you can anchor in limited space outside, but it can be rolly. You always have to pay € 6,50 for 10 to 15m boat and €10 above 15m. You can use the toilet and laundry for free (during working hours). The laundry is often full and with a waiting list.

If you anchor inside the harbor, consider a good space to swing. The wind passes from WNW to ENE and sometimes to the South.

Marina:

Porto Santo

The marina is small and can guarantee space for only 15 boats less than 43 feet. A couple of 50 footers can find space on the waiting pontoon.

Daily prices are high so the majority of cruisers use the monthly payment, about €150 for a 48 footer. This makes the marina crowded.

Some pontoons are not so good, but some are new.

There is no assistance with mooring and space is very limited – go with the bow to the pontoon.

There are plans for a bigger marina, but who knows when.

The toilets are in medium condition, hot water finishes early. Go first and before 6 pm.

Check-in / Check-out:

When we arrived we went to GND for passports control (for all countries) and marina check-in. Before you leave, check out.

Services Ashore:

There is a Bar-Restaurant, €15 for dinner or you need to walk for 30 minutes to the city center and the Pingo Doce supermarket. Prices are quite low.

Rent a car through the marina, quite expensive, € 65 a day, you need two days to visit the island.

There is a small shipyard with a travel lift of 20 Ton, good cradles. Boats above 44 feet are invited to remove the mast. Mechanical shop, no nautical shop.

The breakwater is full of all the boat logos that have visited and the Island is very beautiful, the beach is just over the street. A nice place to be.

MADEIRA 

Anchorages:

The anchorage in Punta San Lourenco is now partially closed by a fish farm. There is more swell on windy days and especially in the days after. The use of a trip line is mandatory.

Remember that the volcanic black sand is lighter than the brown, so the holding power could be less.

There is a small anchorage just off the Marina Quinta Do Lorde, near the original volcanic beach, away from swimming buoys.

Probably the safer anchorage is just outside the Funchal harbor, in front of the yellow castle, moderate swell and wind.

Thre are some buoys under Cabo Girao, used by day by local touristic boat (there is swell there in any case)

Anchoring is a challenge here, better stay in a marina.

Marinas:

Quinta Do Lorde

It’s the first and best marina on the Island. There is always space, but better to book a berth if the boat is over 15m length. The staff: Joana, Carlos and Orlando are there to help you, but better to arrive in daylight and during working hours. The office is closed at the weekend.

The entrance is narrow and the staff will pick you off the breakwater with a powerful dinghy and make the heading. Stay in the central of entrances, rocks are around the breakwater till 3 meters. The entrance could be rolly.

When you are inside, stay away from the breakwater again, rocks are there.

You will have the wind on the nose or on the transom. When the wind is blowing from north or NE it rounds the Cape and became W or E depending on how strong it is. When it is very strong itis always from the E.

Some surge, better to stay close to the pontoon and use soft mooring and a lot of fenders. The staff check regularly the mooring.

According to many web photos and the marina plan, the long pontoon close to the breakwater is no longer there, and anyway, there is not much space to maneuver. Boats above 15m go with the wind at the side close to the entrance. They will ask you if you like to have the pontoon on starboard or port side.

If you need diesel, the staff will invite you to do it immediately when you enter. The staff and marineros speak good English.

You need to rent a car to visit the island and for a good shop, you can find it in Machico both supermarkets like Pingo Doce or Continente. A small shop in the marina opens at 10 am, prices are moderate to high.

There is a discount for long term parking and club association (Arc, Swan, STW, Transquadra, etc)

A small shop can help you almost in everything. Connection with sailmakers, mechanics, rigging, spares. The owner speaks French, English, and Portuguese. Service for NKE, B&G….

Laundry 7€ and dryer 2€

The showers are not so hot.

Funchal 

The marina is divided into two parts: the older marina (very crowded and with smelly water) and the new marina, just reserved for tourist boats. In July 2019 there was no space in either.

After the tank station in the old marina, you can find 2 spots alongside for boat of about 45 feet. It’s a concrete pier, so you have to adjust your mooring line according to the tide. Smaller boats, if lucky, can find a space in the floating pontoon. No space to maneuver, but most of the time it is not windy.

There is a small old travel lift of about 20 ton.

You are in the city center and this can be the main advantage.

To find a berth call to check and see the waiting list, but it is better to do it when you are in Quinta do Lorde Marina.

The mooring price is aligned to Quinta De Lorde, that surprised us. Toilette and services are far from the breakwater.

Dragging operation outside the Marine, no buoys around.

La Caleta

It is a small marina near a resort on the West side of the island. The cliff behind is falling down and is accessible only from the Est road. There is work in progress to consolidate the cliff.

The marina entrance has a double 90° elbow. The marina is designed for boats with a length of 12m, but larger yachts can find a space in a curved pontoon where they can go alongside. side.

As it’s a curved pontoon place your fenders aft and at the bow, not only in the center.

30 Min from Funchal. No crane.

In this part of the island, the temperatures are over 25°C, the wind is mainly coming from W.

Harbors: 

Canichal

This is a commercial fishing harbor, no yachts are there.

I went there by car. There is no facility to moor a yacht but there is a 200Ton travel lift that can lift yachts. A dry area is reserved for yachts.

Machino

Dragging operations in force in July 2019 with no space on the breakwater.

There are some pontoons for local small boats (less than 10m).

Anchoring here could be good.

Boatyards:

The Água de Pena Shipyard

It’s possible to store the boat ashore very close to the airport under the airport bridge. The boat size is about 14m.

The boats are lifted with a Travel lift, about 25-ton capacity and they have several cradles. It is not possible to sleep on board, but you can do your work during working hours.  The boat is always protected from the bridge.

The boatyard is just 10 miles W from Quinta do Lorde and the entrance is good but then you have to turn starboard to enter in the travel lift facility, which is quite narrow.

Depth seems good, but no info, the small harbor is the base for a SAR boat, but no one was there when I visited.

Shore Services:

Climbing up the street there are some small facilities like Nautileste Nautical Assistance 291965248-968444781 (Jabsco, Rule, Camping Gas, Simrad, Schenker, Danforth, Garmin…)

Selvagem Sailmaker is a skipper sailmaker, ask around.

Luzpronta can fix  Koden, Garmin, Simrad, Furuno and Timezero software 925901608

Madeira temperature are mostly around 17-25°C, it will be windy around the two extremities of the island, but not on the South Coast or near Funchal. If you like trekking, this is the right island, be ready for sun, fun and some drizzle rain.

Davide Zerbinati
SY Aluaka

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The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of Noonsite.com or World Cruising Club.