Yacht Charter Destinations; Algarve Canary Islands | Cape Verde
The yacht charter area in the Atlantic Ocean includes Western Spain, Portugal, the Canary Islands, Maderia, the Azores and the Cape Verde Islands.
The Algarve is the name of the area that forms the southern coast of Portugal on the Atlantic Ocean. Major coastal towns include: Faro, Albufeira, Lagoa, Lagos, Olhão, Portimão, Quarteira and Vila Real de Santo António.
The length of coastline is just under 100 miles. Beyond the westernmost point of Cape St. Vincent it stretches a further 30 miles to the north. The coastline is notable for picturesque limestone caves and grottoes, particularly around Lagos. There are many other beautiful and famous summer places such as Albufeira, Vilamoura, Praia da Rocha, Lagos, Armação de Pêra, Alvor, Monte Gordo, Tavira, and Sagres.
The Spanish Canary Islands is an archipelago that lies of the NW coast of mainland Africa, Morocco and the Western Sahara in the Atlantic Ocean. They consist of seven islands of volcanic origin; Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro, Fuerteventura, La Graciosa
The distinct features of the Canary Islands are their great height in relation to their area. Indeed the Teide volcano on Tenerife is the highest mountain in Spain, and the third largest volcano on Earth. When the prevailing wind, the NE trades, meet the high mountains, moisture is condensed and the windward side of the islands see a good deal of rain. This accounts for the diversity found in the Canary Islands, from pine forests to sand dunes, lush green valleys in the North, to dry and hot desert in the south. According to the position of the islands with respect to the trade winds, the climate can be mild and wet or very dry.
The Canary Island's geographical position means that there are generally good winds for sailing. The North Easterly trades that once took Columbus to America funnel through the islands creating what are known as wind acceleration zones and this means that even with fairly light prevailing winds there is still enough wind for a great.
Despite its position close to the tropics, the Canaries are not too hot in summer, 21-29°C, pleasantly warm in winter, 15-20°C and can be regarded as an year round yacht charter area. Gales are infrequent and the islands are not affected by hurricanes.
The Republic of Cape Verde is an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean, 375 miles off the western coast of Africa.
Cape Verde is composed of ten islands, of which nine are inhabited, and eight islets. The islands are divided into the Barlavento or windward islands: Santo Antão, São Vicente, Santa Luzia, São Nicolau, Sal, and Boa Vista. And the Sotavento or leeward islands: Maio, Santiago, Fogo, and Brava.The largest island, both in size and population, is Santiago, where the capital of Praia is located.
Though Cape Verde's islands are all volcanic in origin, they vary widely in terrain. A still-active volcano on the island of Fogo is the highest point on the archipelago at an elevation 2,829 meters.Extensive salt flats can be found on Sal and Maio. On Santiago, Santo Antão, and São Nicolau, arid, rocky slopes give way at higher elavations to sugarcane fields and banana plantations.
