• Madeira is a Portuguese group of four islands located just off the west coast of Africa in the North Atlantic.
• Only two islands of this volcanic archipelago are inhabited, the largest, Madeira Grande, which gives its name to the whole group, and Porto Santo, 28 NM to the northeast.
• The main island of Madeira is volcanic, green and rugged, with high cliffs, pebbly beaches and settlements on deltas of the Fajã River. The smaller islands of the main group are Ilha Chao, Ilha Deserta Grande, and Ilheu de Bugio. The Madeira wine produced here is world famous.
• The population is approx. 270,000. Portuguese is the national language, but English is widely spoken.
• Madeira operates on UTC and a summertime zone of UTC +1.
• The weather is subtropical. For more details see Weather below.
• The majority of yachts arrive here during October and November on their way to the Canary Islands and the Caribbean, while some leave direct from the main port Funchal to cross the Atlantic.
• There has also been an increase in the number of American boats cruising the Atlantic circle of Bermuda, Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands during the summer, while Madeira has also become a popular port of call in the spring, for yachts returning to Europe after wintering in the Canaries.
• The Ilhas Selvagens, a small group of islands 163nm from the island of Madeira and 82NM from the Canary Islands, are a wildlife refuge administered by Madeira. Yachts wishing to visit them can now acquire a permit on site from the guards, however, the Madeira Natural Park recommends that yachts should ask for the permit prior to their arrival. The marinas in Madeira can all assist with this.
• There are only basic repair facilities in Porto Santo and for any work, it is best to sail over to Funchal. There are no facilities or provisioning on any of the other adjacent islands. For more details on yachting services see Yachting Essentials.

Read and Post Related Comments

If you have information for this section, or feedback on businesses used, please let us know at editor@noonsite.com. We also welcome new information about businesses you have used (see Related Businesses).

Explore Country

• Info
• Formalities
• Main Ports
• Comments
• Downloads

---

Offline Access (Downloads)

Select your download option below

This feature is only available to Premium members. You need to Login or Register to access port and formalities downloads.

---

Special Offers for Noonsite Members

This feature is only available to Basic and Premium members. You need to Login or Register to access special offers.