Our two-week crossing on the yacht Wind Star was a repositioning cruise from Barbados to Lisbon, with 90 passengers on board and crew outnumbering passengers. Mostly we were under power with assistance from time to time from the four sails. It was easy to get used to being pampered and to enjoy the gourmet dining. The small pool and jacuzzi were open for most of the trip, and there were numerous organized activities to keep us amused, but also plenty of time to kick back and relax. While we made our way across, some of the crew were (mostly) quietly making repairs and freshening up the ship to get it ready for summer cruises on the Mediterranean.
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| on the flying bridge |
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| Deck 4 Aft, being set for "Candles" outdoor dining |
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| fruit and vegetable carving |
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| sunset from Deck 4 Aft |
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Arrival in Madeira
On the second Monday the captain announced, as we suspected, our arrival in Europe would be delayed. Both our delayed departure from Bridgetown and less than favourable trade winds slowed our speed and altered our course. The crew was forced to end the cruise in Funchal, Madeira, one of a group of Portuguese islands off the coast of North Africa. We arrived in Funchal before dawn on Saturday and awaited the pilot boat to guide us in. At the dock were two other ships, the large vessel Costa Pacifica and the Wind Star's sister ship, the motorized vessel Star Breeze. Our scheduled departure for 12:00 was delayed due to problems with the charter, but while awaiting transport to the airport, the cruise line provided a bus excursion to part of the island. We were taken to three places around Funchal and felt fortunate to get to see this beautiful and interesting place. This appeased most people but the delay in departure caused further difficulties with passengers' plans, including ours, requiring further changes.
Funchal, Pico dos Barcelos
Funchal is the home of Portuguese football Star, Cristiano Ronaldo, who has done a lot for the community.
 Flower Festival, Funchal
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After the wine tasting we were transported 550 metres by cable car to Monte, where we walked through the village, past a botanic garden and saw a traditional mode of transportation in action, carreiros do Monte. You can be pushed two kms down the mountain in a toboggan.
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| Farewell Wind Star! |
Finally, it was time to say farewell and make our way to the airport for the charter flight most us took to Lisbon. Some passengers stayed on the ship for an extra week to Barcelona and others made other arrangements. For us it was the start of a very long journey (in time, not distance), taking four flights with many delays but about 24 hours after leaving Funchal, we arrived in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Unfortunately, these delays in schedule seem to be the norm now. More about Palma soon.
Flower Festival, Funchal
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