Between euphoria, fatigue and questions about the rest of his crossing, this tenth day marks an important milestone in his adventure.
“Land ahoy, friends! Wow! Fantastic!” Éric Pilato can barely contain his excitement as a mountainous silhouette finally appears on the horizon. “The island you can see right ahead is Porto Santo. Madeira is behind it. It's the first land we've seen since leaving La Rochelle!”
It has taken just under ten days of sailing to reach the Portuguese archipelago. This is a first for Éric, who had never sailed as far as Madeira before. And it's an unusual experience: approaching an unfamiliar island without being able to go ashore! The drone footage shot at sunset captures the beauty of this arrival.
But there's no time to linger. The plan is to pass between Madeira and the Desertas Islands during the night before continuing south. The Canaries might even remain out of sight: a favorable weather window appears to offer Skiboo 2 a chance to reach the trade winds without heading as far south as originally planned. “There might be an option worth considering. We're going to try to make the most of it!”
The skipper's enthusiasm contrasts with his growing fatigue. Éric admits to feeling seriously drained, to the point that he's fallen behind in sending his updates. Hardly surprising after ten days of solo sailing, nonstop and without using the engine.
The weather outlook for the next leg is encouraging, although Éric remains cautious about his overall crossing time. Finishing in under 30 days still seems unlikely to him. And another concern is beginning to weigh on his mind: the announced navigation restrictions in the Canal des Saintes during the Route du Rhum. For Éric, who hopes to reach Guadeloupe ahead of the big trimarans, there's a lot at stake. After a year of preparation, he fears that a navigation restriction could prevent him from completing his planned route.
For now, the course remains set westward, accompanied by two reflections Éric has sent us that beautifully sum up his state of mind:
“We think we're crossing an ocean. In reality, it's often the ocean that passes through us.”
“Some people collect objects. I collect horizons…”
Follow Skiboo 2 on the Garmin tracking map
