Catamaran sailing in Madeira, portuguese holiday destination an atlantic island
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between in the north Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the Autonomous regions of Portugal, that includes the islands of Madeira, Porto Santo, the Desertas and the Savage Islands; it is an outermost region of the European Union. Madeira was re-discovered by Portuguese sailors in the service of Infante D. Henrique (Henry the Navigator) in 1419, and settled after 1420. The archipelago is considered to be the first territorial discovery of the exploratory period of the Portuguese Age of Discovery. Today, it is a popular year-round resort, noted for its Madeira wine, flowers, and embroidery artisans, as well for its annual New Years celebrations that feature a spectacular fireworks show (considered the largest in the world according to the Guinness World Records).[4] The main harbour in Funchal is an important stopover for commercial and trans-Atlantic passenger cruises between Europe, the Caribbean and North America. Same sex marriage is legal in Portugal and therefore in the Madeira Archipelago. A catamaran (from Tamil kattumaram “kattumaram]”) is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas. Catamarans can be sail- or engine-powered. Catamarans are a relatively recent introduction to the design of boats for both leisure and sport sailing, although they have been used since time immemorial among the paravas, a fishing community in the …