Funchal a site for sore eyes

The Royal Clipper docks at Funchal, Madeira

We are being told that of the roughly 220 passengers who are on board for this crossing about 147 are returning passengers. That to me is a staggeringly high return rate and if true it speaks to the level of service and luxury provided by the good ship and crew of the Royal Clipper. 2/3’s of the passengers are Europeans (mainly Germans followed by English with Americans a distant third) on, as they say, holiday. The crew is primarily Philippino, Indian, and Indonesian, the cruise director is Lithuanian and the bridge crew (Captain, Chief Officer, etc.) are a mix so it’s an eclectic bunch all coming together to set sail across the roughly 2,800 miles between Madeira and the New World. Many of the passengers who have sailed aboard one of the Star Clipper ships (of which there are three) indicate they wouldn’t be caught dead on one of the behemoth cruise ships that seem to

Dawn saw us approach the
Madeira Archipelago

be the norm in today’s ‘bigger is better’ world. “Way too many people”, they say and from that perspective they have a point. Still, now having done both I can’t say I’m willing to give up on the ‘big boats’ in lieu of the Clipper’s smaller, more intimate footprint. As nice as the Royal Clipper is, it’s size limits it from some of the amenities one takes for granted on a ‘regular’ cruise ship such as extravagant evening shows, more eating and pool options, a more modern fitness center and spa (though the massage area of the Royal Clipper seemed to be doing a steady trade), and just simply more things to do - diversions if you please - to while away the hours at sea. Still, for what we wanted from this voyage - the sailing experience - the Royal Clipper delivers. Many aboard profess that its the sailing experience that keeps them coming back time and time again (one venerable lady on board is on her 22nd trip aboard the Royal Clipper) and if there is any sailing enthusiast in you at all this is, at a minimum, a trip of a lifetime if not necessarily something to be repeated year after year. 

We arrived in Madeira at around 11:00 a.m. local time. The Port of Funchal is a beautiful way to be introduced to this Portuguese discovered and governed island. Madeira is a volcanic island rising out of the sea and on our approach the high peaks were shrouded in cloud and mist allowing the sun beams to poke through and dance their light on the town as we approached. The town reminded me of the pictures you see of the Greek isles in that many of the houses are colorfully painted with red roofs as the houses climb up the verdant, but steep slopes. I will say this, when the Royal Clipper comes into port she does make a grand entrance. There were three massive cruise ships already docked when we came in and their rails were all lined with passengers watching this magnificent 5 masted schooner arrive. It was like being at a concert with all the camera flashes blinking as we sailed by. 

The waterfront of Funchal is a stroller’s delight. Like some other ports around the world its customary for vessels to paint their names and pictures on the walls of the port to celebrate their arrival and right off the boat it was

The botanical gardens featured flowers
from around the world

fun to see all the ships that had preceded us. Madeira is far enough south that the climate is delightful at this time of year though not tropical like some Caribbean islands and even the rain showers we had in the afternoon felt cooling rather than chilling. Funchal is a holiday destination for many Europeans and the harbor-front promenade hosted a wide variety of spoken languages and cultures. They say America is a melting pot but in the U.S. of A the expectation seems to be that once you arrive you should as quickly as possible assimilate and ‘become’ American but in both Lisbon and Funchal the mix of people from all over truly seemed to be celebrated and not simply tolerated. Perhaps its the fact that tourism dominates the economy that makes for such tolerance but I doubt it. The Madeirans seemed genuinely welcoming to all who come for a visit to their island home.

Our two hour leisurely stroll along the waterfront was then followed by a more formal, guided excursion that took us up the ‘Cable Car’ (Gondola) to a church high up the mountain slope offering stunning views of the town, the harbor, and the sea beyond. From there we went to the Botanical Gardens where flowers and plants from around the world were on display, many still in full bloom given the year-round temperate climate and plenty of moisture. That’s something we don’t really have in our home of Colorado. Sure, we have botanical gardens complete with climate controlled habitats but the combination of beautiful flowers from around the world growing out in the fresh air set against such a stunning backdrop makes Madeira worthy of a visit. The guide did a wonderful job of identifying all the different species but for this simple-minded American lad the beauty of nature on display did all the talking that was needed. 

The Royal Clipper left port at around 5 in the afternoon. We were the last ‘cruise’ ship out of the harbor, the three others having preceded us. The harbor tug gave three long blasts of the horn which we returned followed by one short blast. There were several racing kayaks skipping around the harbor like water bugs and the skies blessed us with a beautiful rainbow above the town as we made our way out to the open ocean. Our next stop: Barbados, some 2,800 miles away with naught but wind and waves between. The Azores are hundreds of miles to our north and the Canary Islands about the same to the south. As we entered the ocean proper we had dolphins dancing off our port side as if to say “Bon Voyage, safe travels...We would not see land until reaching Barbados, ten days away.