Passing Gibraltar closed the Mediterranean chapter that had begun when Malua was shipped from Australia to Spain in 2007. But 2012 was far from over.

Into the Atlantic

The voyage continued along the Atlantic coasts of Spain and Portugal. When persistent northerly winds made the planned route towards Lisbon unattractive, we chose to sail downwind to Madeira instead. That passage became a useful shakedown for the much larger Atlantic crossing still ahead.

From Madeira I sailed to Morocco, visiting Rabat and travelling inland before continuing south towards the Canary Islands. Those passages belong to the next part of the story: preparation for, and then the crossing of, the Atlantic Ocean.