On 7 March 2026 it was time to say goodbye to Madeira. We thought for a long time about where to go next. In the Canaries there are really only two islands we haven’t seen yet: La Graciosa and El Hierro. But in the end the decision was clear: back to Fuerteventura! We simply loved it there, the people are incredibly friendly and we have made great friends. The marina is in the south, where the weather is almost always fine – and in Jandía there’s a huge sandy beach.
Dream sailing – and a beginner’s mistake
Once again we were under way for around 48 to 50 hours. At first we had superb sailing weather: always around 20 knots on a beam reach – simply wonderful. Before each night we reefed down properly and shook the reefs out again in the morning.
Between Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura, on the home straight so to speak, we considered in the evening: the forecast says 18 knots – so we’ll just leave the sails as they are. Well, as these things go, it caught up with us during the night. Between the islands there is an acceleration zone where the wind is squeezed as if through a nozzle. At one or two in the morning we suddenly had three-metre waves and 35 to 40 knots of wind – and had to reef in the dark, pretty exhausted.
Afterwards we were really annoyed with ourselves: a classic beginner’s mistake, and after all this time! The old sailors’ rule goes: if you’re thinking about reefing, do it straight away. We actually know that – and yet once again we didn’t heed it.
We arrived in Fuerteventura in the early hours of the morning – and were given a wonderful welcome. But more about that in the next entry …