Madeira is part of an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, 300m off the north western coast of Africa and about 600m from Europe.  It was discovered by the Portuguese in 1418 and like all things Portuguese, in our opinion, it is a jewel.  The island is small, 35m long and 13m wide, but mighty in its strength of character, lush vegetation and majestic scenery.  The steep mountainous relief is stunning as the patch work plots of terraced land clings and drops directly into the sea.  During our time here we have been graced with daily showers which have given rise to countless rainbows shinning thru the mist hovering over the top of the mountains.

The island is referred to as The Garden Island; a better description could not be bestowed upon this lovely place.  In addition to the abundance of tropical plants and flowers flowing naturally all over the island there are gorgeous parks and fountains springing up all over the city.  If you have been to Victoria, BC than you have an idea of the abundance of beauty and charm which can be found here.  One of the most unique and charming characteristic of Portugal are the patterned inlaid stone mosaic sidewalks found everywhere, not just in the old city areas.   My favorite ones are of the oldest style and found extensively in the multitude of parks and gardens where they take on the appearance of pathways rather than sidewalks.  Each smooth stone is carefully and artistically placed on its side, not flat, bumpered up against its neighboring stone, in intricate patterns which are only discernable by close inspection and appreciation.

We have been here much longer than expected but I have loved every minute of it.   We are anchored in a lovely harbor with easy access to a dinghy dock and many shopping areas within walking distance.  There is a beach for the dogs, and many fresh water fountains for them to rinse the salt water off along our regularly walked paths.  The Portuguese are wonderful people.  I know I have said that many times before.  We cannot be in a better place to have Michael’s ankle fracture repaired and adequate time for healing.   They are loving, tolerant and welcoming.  Michael is extremely pleased with the medical care he has received, with few if any of the common complexities and cost characteristic in the US.  We rented a car for 2 days so we could see more of the island without putting undue stress on Michael’s leg.

Now, for a “doggy” update:

 Costa is everything Brisa is not.  He is calm, undemanding, content and generally a big ole bundle of love with soft fluffy hair.  Brisa is still Brisa, incredibly smart, bossy and in need of nearly constant challenge, either physically or intellectually.  I have a few really funny Brisa stories.   One day I left both dogs in the kennel for a few hours to go visit Michael in the hospital.  When I got back to the boat I let the dogs out of the kennel but continued doing the laundry instead of paying attention to the dogs.  Brisa wanted to go to the beach.  When she didn’t feel like waiting any longer she jumped into the floating dinghy and started barking at me.  I thought she was barking because the dinghy had drifted a little too far from the boat preventing her from leaping back onto the boat, but no, she wanted to go for a boat ride, to the beach!   I continued with the laundry and a few minutes later when I was finishing up I looked back and Costa had joined her in the dinghy but she dove into the water and was swimming around, just letting me know that she was indeed ready to go play!

Another time I purposely put both of them outside and closed the sliding glass door.  Usually Brisa hops up onto the bench under the window and lays her front paws thru the opening barking at me.  I closed the window.  A few minutes later she found the lanyard of the ship’s bell and started ringing the bell! 

Yesterday I was rewarding Costa with hugs and attention after he trotted up to the trampolines to go potty all by himself, without being directed to do so.  Well, Brisa felt left out.  She can be a really spiteful bitch at times.  A few minutes later I found 2 perfectly laid turds just inside the door!

The stories go on and on.  I am shocked at how much I love having both onboard.  Costa has been a terrific addition and as soon as he is old enough to really chase Brisa around on the beach and compete with retrieving the ball in the water I think we will have a much better way to manage the exercise demands of Number 1.

Today is Sunday, Nov. 2.  We will be departing for the Canary Islands as soon as we post this update and take one last look at the weather prediction.   This passage should only take 40 hours.   We will meet Mike and Margi within the next week or so.  They will join us to cross the Atlantic Ocean.  Most likely we will sail from the Canary Islands, after Nov. 15^th, to the Cape Verde Islands which will give us a more favorable jumping off place to find the trade winds.  Landfall is planned for St. Lucia about 10 days following our departure from Cape Verde.  We should be back on your side of the Atlantic Ocean early in December.

We are in Portugal now, the southern coastal region known as The Algarve, in Lagos where Brisa came from.  We have been spending time with her family, both her mother’s side and her father’s side.   Surprisingly, neither her mother nor sister recognized her, nor she them.  Having only experienced the relationships of Kali, Lily and Oso as examples I didn’t know what to expect.  But, when we visited her father’s house, where she spent the first 3 months of her life, she recognized both the property and her “human” mother who loved and cared for her during that time. 

It has been thrilling and heartwarming watching her interact with all, and I mean ALL, of these dogs.  The house of her father has 9 Portuguese Water Dogs!  She got her first semi-professional hair cut there and looks adorable now.  A noticeable transition has taken place in Brisa since being here with all of these dogs.  She has gone from timid, slightly fearful of other dogs, to a full spirited, extroverted dog.  One day Rodrigo, her mother’s owner, spent the morning teaching her how to dive.  Her breeders are so proud of her, very touching really.  Both breeders currently have a litter, one set just 10 days old and the other 3 months so we have been in puppy heaven surrounded by either “piles of puppies” (the newborns) or the romping, rolling playful 3 month olds.

One of the 3 month old males found Michael on one of our visits and it was love at first sight!  I have never been a proponent of 2 dogs so I was more than skeptical about the idea, but alas, Costa won both of our hearts and is now with us on Aphrodite.  He is a wonderfully tempered dog, calmer and more contented than Brisa, already very brave in the water and seems to love us as well as Brisa.  Brisa accepted him amazingly well, transitioning from a bully to a gentle playmate within just a few days.  Our plan is to breed them once we return to the States, introducing a new champion blood line.

It’s already the middle of Oct. and time for us to head to the Canary Islands.  The winter storms and cooler weather are starting to arrive.  Our plan is to take the next weather window, perhaps as soon as tomorrow, and sail to the island of Madeira and, then from there to the Canary Islands.  We have two friends, Mike Moradzadeh and Margi Sells who will join us there for the trans-Atlantic portion of the sail to St. Lucia.  We hope to depart the Canary Islands mid November, putting us back in Caribbean waters by early December.

We have been all around Portugal looking for a Portugese Water Dog or Cao do Agua as they are called here.  The breed is purebreed.  They are rare and hard to find, it may take us up to one year to get one.  Today we visited one of the best breeders, Carla, who lives in near Faro, Portugal.  We saw 2 and 4 month old puppies and many adult dogs.  It was heartbreaking that we couldn’t just take one home with us.     Yesterday, Stephanie finally had her cast removed; tomorrow we head for Gibralter which is an overnight sail.  We plan to meet Stephanie’s son Luke in Spain and sail to Spannish Moracco and take the train to Fez and Marrakech.

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We spent a night in Sines, pronounced “cinch” which is a charming fishing village and set out for Lagos. We sailed downwind with only the Code-0 spinnaker for 5 hours until the winds built to over 20 and we reefed it. Within an hour the winds “died” to 11 knots and we put it back up again. As we rounded Cabo de Sao Vicente, the southwestern most tip of Europe, the combination of gusts off the cliff and the reflected swell built astonishingly rapid and we were soon flying at 18.6 knots. a new record speed for us. The combination was formidable and we soon lost our Code-0 in an exciting explosion of lines and fiberglass as the turning block ripped out of the deck and the bowsprit gave way. The winds were over 35 knots as we struggled to recover the sail and regain control of Aphrodite. When we finally stowed the sail it was about 8:30 and blowing very hard, so we sought shelter in Ensenada de Sagres. It was upon these cliffs that Prince Henry the Navigator held school and sent the Portuguese explorers off to discover the Azores and other lands. Even in the shelter of this beautiful cove the winds were howling above 25 knots so we will shall stay hunkered down for a day of rest and reading before continuing on to Lagos tomorrow. I have a new respect for rounding these rocky steep cliffs.

We sited land on 7/2/07 after a lovely 5 1/2 day downwind sail from the Azores. Arriving mainland Europe was an amazing moment for us, especially for me since just 4 years ago even the thought of it scared me. I still have to pinch myself and look at a world map to realize just how far we have come. Michael says it is about 32,000 miles.Landfall was Lisbon, Portugal. We spent one full day walking the hilly streets of downtown Lisbon looking for boat parts, finding a way to get wireless internet on board and securing international phone service. Most of it proved to be challenging, but as always, an interesting way to get to know a city and its people. Most travelers go to cities to see the sights, it seems that we go to find boat parts! But, we finally succeeded on all accounts and are set up to start our European lives.