We will leave Vila Real de San Antonio at 8.30 on Saturday morning for the crossing to Madeira of about 505 nautical miles (1 nautical mile = 1.8 km). We think it will take us about 4 to 4.5 days; the longest crossing so far. Waved off by the Barbarossa, and Ellen's parents from their apartment, we sail down the river at the turn of the tide and are soon at sea again. The day before we said goodbye to the Valentijn; they will stay in Portugal for another two weeks. We are sure to see each other again, because on the last evening we spontaneously drew lots with the adults for Saint Nicholas, which we will celebrate together at the Cape Verden. Then we will see the Valentine again for the first time. We will see the Barbarossa sooner, probably on Madeira, and certainly on La Gomera, from where we will undertake the voyage to The Gambia at the beginning of November. That we will be visiting The Gambia has recently been decided. It is on our route anyway and if we limit the time on the Canary Islands to a few days on La Gomera it fits well in our schedule. Things like malaria pills and mosquito nets for the windows of the boat we were able to arrange last week in Vila Real de San Antonio.

Well, back to a new adventure ... the crossing to Madeira. In the morning there is a nice breeze (force 5, decreasing to 4, 3, and around noon 2), so we can sail well in the morning. Around noon the engine comes on, there is no more wind, and just after that the wind (sea breeze because of the land effect) stops right in front of us. So we sail the first day in the shelter of the land with very little sea. It's good to stay on the boat. Sunbathing and I can cook a lot (recipe of Inge, potatoes with garlic and rosemary in the oven), delicious!

When we are far enough away from the country around 10 p.m. we get sailable wind as expected. the first night still from the northwest, so half wind (because we are sailing right southwest), the next days stable from the north with ample wind. this means with us a wind that enters the boat diagonally from behind. the Brandaan then runs perfectly on the so-called fishing trawler position; mainsail on port (left), genoa on starboard (right, port), on the tree. we fix the tree with a separate line so that the guard can turn into the genoa without fighting the tree. this position is very stable and the Brandaan runs here between 6 and 7 knots, really perfect. from then until the last morning the engine doesn't turn on, only an hour every now and then to turn power. the first night is heavy, the wind is strong (a thick 5) and there is quite a swell. the latter causes an uncomfortable feeling on board (boat is regularly shaken back and forth) so Toine and I barely have any ku

The next morning the wind gradually decreases (force 3-4) and increases (from the north). The swell decreases during the day and it is much more pleasant on board. The first 24 hours we cover 145 miles. Toine and I try to catch up on sleeping during the day, but we don't feel very fit and we don't feel like eating. The girls, on the other hand, do feel like it, but they are also lying on the couch listening to audio books on their I-Pods or watching a movie. The second night, sleeping is much better for us. We get a nice rhythm of 3 hours of sleep alternated with 3 hours of waiting. Above us there is a beautiful clear sky, with lots of stars and a small moon that still gives a lot of light. The sun sets at 7.15 pm and rises again at 7.30 am. Special to see both sunset and sunrise. There are no boats around us and that gives us a special 'alone in the world'-feeling, but also a very 'safe and good' feeling, the four of us together on this safe and sturdy boat.

In the middle of the night of the 2nd night we are halfway (252 miles on it). During my watch (between 1.00 and 4.00 a.m.) I make a stupid mistake; I press a wrong button on the computer in response to an AIS-alarm which suddenly causes the boat to steer 180 degrees in the opposite direction and we end up in a jibe while the big sail is stuck on the bulletalie. Not a nice situation and for a moment a complete confusion with me, "where are all those buttons and how do I get that computer control switched off?" Toine called in, and then fortunately everything was quickly solved without any damage. Toine just couldn't sleep much more because of the adrenaline rush it had given him. The second 24 hours we tapped 151 miles away.

The third day everyone comes into a rhythm with a better feeling. We all feel like eating again and in the afternoon we watch Indiana Jones 3 together. We leave school for the girls. They are ahead of the rest anyway. The boat makes its miles and we increasingly leave the navigation unmanned for about 15 minutes. There's nothing to see around us anyway. Just look around once in a while and then just do each and every one of us thing again. That's how the third night goes by very easily and quickly. Listen to music on the Ipod, dabble a bit with the egg timer in 10 minutes and the watch is already over. The third day we tap 159 miles away and then on the fourth day there's only 50 miles to go; we sail those on the engine, because the wind is almost gone. Around 3 p.m. we suddenly see the island of Porto Santo, the 1st island of the Madeira archipelago, which we will visit for the next two days before we pick up Mom, Inge and Luc at the main island from the airport on Saturday. At 6.0 pm