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23 October 2000 Selvagem Grande Island, Portugal


After a 36 hour navigation I brought to anchor, and rowed my little dinghy to the guard house. The island permanently has two guards assigned, since it is a nature reserve and bird sanctuary. The water that surrounds the island is a marine reserve as well.

Selvagem Grande Island is 2.5 square kilometres, so it would be easy to overlook.. You are not allowed to walk around on your own. The guards follow you around, but that is nothing to feel bad about. It is actually very helpful. They know everything about the birds and gladly share their knowledge. To go ashore, you MUST first have a permit, which is issued by the National Parks Department in either Funchal, Madeira or Porto Santo Island, and checked by the guards.

I read somewhere in a pilot book to always attach a tripping line to the anchor, so that is what I did. In the morning when I wanted to raise the anchor, it was completely impossible. When I dropped the anchor and moved backwards with the engine, it suddenly stopped. It had hit rocks and apparently a rock bed and was stuck. With the tripping line it wasn't a problem, it came straight up. Some people lead the line back to the boat. Instead, I attached a red ball at the end of mine, which at the same time is an indication of how far the boat can turn and the location of the anchor.
 

Fishing port, Portugal     Fish market

Fishing port, Portugal                Fish market

 

Fish market     Dinner!

Fish market                            Dinner!

To Page 22

From Esbjerg, Denmark to Tahiti aboard a Junker 22