Macaronesian Islands – Madeira to Gran Canaria

  • Macaronesian Islands – Madeira to Gran Canaria by LLAS e.V. Brigg ROALD AMUNDSEN
  • Macaronesian Islands – Madeira to Gran Canaria by
  • Macaronesian Islands – Madeira to Gran Canaria by
  • Macaronesian Islands – Madeira to Gran Canaria by
  • Macaronesian Islands – Madeira to Gran Canaria by
Cabin charter
Macaronesian Islands – Madeira to Gran Canaria
1,250 €
Description

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Macaronesian Islands 2027 – From Porto Santo to Gran Canaria
Tuesday, 16 February – Wednesday, 24 February 2027 Reduced: €855 | Adults: €1250

Nine days under sail between two of Europe's most beautiful island worlds. From Porto Santo in the Madeira archipelago to the harbour of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria – a sailing trip through the heart of Macaronesia, along one of the classic trade routes of the Atlantic.

There are names that carry an entire region like an incantation. Macaronesia is one of them. The term comes from Greek and means, literally translated, Islands of the Blessed. For the ancient world, beyond the Pillars of Hercules lay legendary islands where the gods rewarded their chosen ones – with eternal spring, gentle winds and a sea that never came to rest. What the ancient Greeks called myth is geography today: the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands and the Cape Verde Islands together form Macaronesia – four Atlantic archipelagos closely connected by climate, flora and marine life. On this sailing trip we sail right through this realm of the blessed.

Departure from Porto Santo
We start in Porto Santo – the golden sister island of Madeira. Its nine-kilometre-long sandy beach lies behind us as we set sail and head south. Ahead of us lies the open Atlantic: around 300 nautical miles to the Canary Islands – a manageable but genuine blue-water passage.

Into the north-east trade winds
Barely have we left Porto Santo when we feel them: the reliable north-east trade winds, those steady winds that once carried Portuguese and Spanish explorers towards America. They bring mild air, clear visibility and – when they show themselves – wonderful sailing conditions with long beam and broad reaches. Precisely the wind systems that have made this route so popular for centuries.

With each day the sun rises higher, the light grows brighter, the air warmer. The classic winter journey of Europeans wanting to approach the sun for a few days – only under sail.

Possible detour to the Ilhas Selvagens – "the wild islands"
About halfway between Madeira and the Canary Islands lie the Ilhas Selvagens – a tiny Portuguese archipelago that hardly anyone knows, although it belongs to the strictest and most valuable nature reserves of the Atlantic. Uninhabited, barren, wild and protected. Only a few sailors pass these islands each year, landing is strictly regulated – but sailing within sight is a special experience. The Selvagens are a breeding ground for numerous rare seabird species and are considered one of the last truly untouched spots in the European Atlantic.

Whether we see them is decided by wind, weather and schedule. If we do: a sight you will always remember.

Arrival in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
After several days at sea, the volcanic silhouette of Gran Canaria appears on the horizon. Our destination is Las Palmas, the largest city in the Canary Islands and one of the most important port cities of the Atlantic. Christopher Columbus stopped here before his first voyage to America to take on drinking water – the Casa de Colón in the old town is a reminder to this day.

Las Palmas is a refreshingly genuine city, not a façade. Large, lively harbours, one of Europe's finest city beach promenades (Playa de Las Canteras), the charming old town of Vegueta with cobbled lanes, colonial architecture, tapas bars and a culture that is as much Atlantic as southern European. The perfect destination harbour for a winter passage.

"Macaronesia" – the Islands of the Blessed
The biogeographic term Macaronesia encompasses four archipelagos closely related through their climatic and ecological similarities: the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands and the Cape Verde Islands. They all lie on similar latitudes in the North Atlantic, are of volcanic origin and share many plant and animal species. The laurel forest (Laurisilva), which grows on Madeira and the western Canary Islands, is a remnant of the subtropical forests that covered large parts of Europe millions of years ago – living fossils of a vanished world.

When you sail from one archipelago to the next on this sailing trip, you wander through an ecosystem that has more connections than one suspects at first glance. And you move within a name that is ancient – in the traces of the classical notion of the Islands of the Blessed.

Sail training under the trade winds
On this sailing trip we sail throughout in the classic three-watch system. You are part of the crew – with everything that entails: setting and furling sails, taking the helm, lookout, navigation, night watches under the clear Atlantic sky. The conditions in the north-east trade winds are ideal for a classic sailing ship: we come under full sail, into beam and broad reach sailing, and you experience first-hand why these winds were the backbone of merchant shipping for centuries. An experienced permanent crew will teach you everything you need. Previous experience is welcome but not essential.

What to expect
Nine days on one of the most classic sailing routes of the Atlantic. Trade winds in the sails, warm sun, blue water. Possibly the enchanted Selvagens on the horizon. Starlit nights that make you forget the European winter. A crew that quickly becomes a community. And at the end a city where Columbus himself stood before he set off for a new world.

Come aboard. Sail through Macaronesia. Experience the Islands of the Blessed under the trade winds.

Pictures by Anton Blanke https://antonblanke.de/
Book via www.sailtraining.de
Prices are inclusive of accommodation, meals, harbour fees and everything the ship costs. We organise your sailing trip, you organise your travel between home and harbour.
All prices plus annual membership of LebenLernen auf Segelschiffen e.V.: €70 for adults, €40 for young people. The fee is only due once a year, regardless of how many sailing trips you do.

Offered by
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LLAS e.V. Brigg ROALD AMUNDSEN
Commercial provider

+49435172 60 74
Start of trip
16.02.2027
End of trip
24.02.2027
Departure
Porto Santo

Map from OpenStreetMap. When the map is displayed, data is transmitted to the provider.

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Destination
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Harbour information)

Map from OpenStreetMap. When the map is displayed, data is transmitted to the provider.

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Duration
9 days
Distance
approx. 350 nautical miles
Yacht
Traditional sailing vessel
Brig
163 feet
Language on board
German
Sailing area
AtlanticCanary Islands / MadeiraTransatlantic
Country
PortugalSpain
Interested in this trip? Message LLAS e.V. Brigg ROALD AMUNDSEN directly
"Macaronesian Islands – Madeira to Gran Canariafrom the harbour "Porto Santo" to the harbour "Las Palmas de Gran Canaria" from 16.02.2027 to 24.02.2027
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