Leaving a boat in the Azores or Madeira

[SY Fingold]

Hello sailors, I plan to sail from Amsterdam to the Azores or Madeira this summer, and leave the boat there for about a year, in order to sail from there into the Med next year. Which island(s) its going to be depends mostly on where I can find a safe place to leave the boat (Contessa 32).Actually, I would sleep better having the boat sitting on the hard for such a long period.

Does anybody have a recommendation for a marina/yard with a hard storage facility in the islands?

[Matt Johnson]

Not a ton of options for on the hard storage. We did in Praia Da Vitoria on Terceria for four months. It's the largest work yard I know of for pleasure boats in the Portuguese islands, but each of the other marinas typically have some very limited storage space. It's possible in most spots if you beat the summer crowd.

[Sailormantx]

Thers 2 boatyards in Porto Santo with very reasonable rates. A ferry provides connections to Madeira and theres also an airport on the island. If you plan on doing any work or painting bring supplies with you as there's not much available locally.

[SVTatia]

Originally Posted by SY Fingold

Hello sailors, I plan to sail from Amsterdam to the Azores or Madeira this summer, and leave the boat there for about a year, in order to sail from there into the Med next year. Which island(s) its going to be depends mostly on where I can find a safe place to leave the boat (Contessa 32).Actually, I would sleep better having the boat sitting on the hard for such a long period.



Does anybody have a recommendation for a marina/yard with a hard storage facility in the islands?

If your destination is the Med, I would suggest you store the boat anywhere in the Azores, or even Portugal mainland . You may be up for a hard beat if you want to go from Porto Santo or Funchal to the Med.

[boatman61]

I second the above..

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by SY Fingold

Hello sailors, I plan to sail from Amsterdam to the Azores or Madeira this summer, and leave the boat there for about a year, in order to sail from there into the Med next year. Which island(s) its going to be depends mostly on where I can find a safe place to leave the boat (Contessa 32).Actually, I would sleep better having the boat sitting on the hard for such a long period.

Does anybody have a recommendation for a marina/yard with a hard storage facility in the islands?

personally if that's your intended destination (The Med), personally Id try for the Algarve , failing that A Coruna typically has protected marina space,

[Stewie12]

Why do you want to leave the boat in the Azores or Madera if your eventual destination is the Med ?

[SY Fingold]

Just because I don't want to miss the opportunity to visit those islands by boat. On the way from the Netherlands to Cyprus, where I will keep the boat in the end in a few years time, those islands are worthwhile destinations in themselves, and I'm in no hurry.

[jen1722terry]

Well, we agree that those islands are certainly worthwhile destinations. Most years (except last year due to covid) we live in Madeira for the winter. Can't say enough good things about it. Wonderful place with good winds.

We summer on our little Cape Dory 31 in Maine. It's a dream to sail her to Madeira but, alas, it will have to remain a dream.

Good luck, and we hope to see you in Madeira someday.