What to Bring on a Funchal Catamaran Cruise

The two things that change your day

Everything on the packing list matters a little; swimwear and a towel matter a lot, because without them the best part of the trip becomes something you watch. The boat anchors under a 580-metre cliff in clear deep water and puts a ladder over the side, and arriving without swimwear means standing on deck while other people do that.

The simplest approach is to wear your swimwear under your clothes when you leave the hotel. There is no changing room on a day boat, only the heads or a towel held up by a friend, and the whole problem disappears if you are already wearing it when you board.

Sun at sea is not sun on land

This is the thing that catches out more visitors than anything else. Madeira sits at roughly the latitude of Casablanca, so the sun is genuinely strong for most of the year. Out on the water two things then work against you: a constant sea breeze that keeps taking the heat off your skin so you never feel like you are burning, and reflection off the sea adding to what arrives from above.

Three hours is comfortably long enough to burn badly under those conditions, particularly on the trampoline nets where there is no shade at all. Apply sunscreen before you board rather than when you notice, and put it on again after the swim, because getting in the water takes most of it off however waterproof the bottle claims to be.

Hats, sunglasses and the wind

A hat is worth having and a hat that stays on is worth more. Anything wide-brimmed and loose will leave for the Atlantic the first time the boat picks up speed, so a cap, a hat with a cord, or something you are prepared to hold is the practical choice.

Sunglasses are close to essential rather than optional, because glare off the sea is relentless and squinting for three hours is genuinely tiring. Polarised lenses are a real upgrade here for a specific reason: they cut the surface reflection, which means you can see into the water rather than at it, and that is exactly what you want when dolphins are swimming below the bow.

Shoes and clothes

The operator asks for comfortable shoes and the reason is grip rather than support. A boat deck is smooth and gets wet, and you will be moving between the cockpit, the nets and the stern while the boat is under way. Trainers, deck shoes or sandals with a proper sole all work. Anything with a slick sole or a heel does not.

For clothes, layers that suit a warm day with a breeze. It is usually pleasant on the water and occasionally cooler than expected once you are wet and the boat starts moving, so something light with sleeves to put on afterwards is a good idea even in August.

Money, because the bar is not included

Drinks are on the exclusion list and there is a bar on board selling soft drinks, still and sparkling water, beer and white, red or Madeira wine. That is a good arrangement rather than a mean one, but it does mean bringing a means of paying if you want anything.

A Madeira wine on the deck while the boat sails back along the bay is a fair way to end three hours at sea, and it is worth having the option. Water is the other consideration: three hours of sun and salt is dehydrating, and the bar is where that gets solved.

One thing not to worry about is food. Three hours is short enough that nobody needs a meal, and the trip is not built around one. Eat before you come or after you land, and treat the bar as being for drinks rather than lunch.

Cameras and phones

Whatever you bring, attach it to yourself. A strap or a zipped pocket, because a phone dropped on an open deck can go over the side, and it certainly can from the trampoline nets, which are mesh. The nets are the best place to photograph dolphins from and also the easiest place to lose something.

Beyond that, no special kit is needed. Salt spray is the only real hazard and a normal amount of care handles it. If you have a waterproof case or a floating strap, this is a trip to bring it on.

What to leave behind

A large bag, first of all. A day boat has nowhere sensible to stow luggage and it will be in somebody's way wherever you put it. What fits in your pockets plus a small dry bag is the right scale for three hours.

Seasickness deserves a mention here too, because the decision is made before you board rather than on the water. A catamaran is the steadiest small boat there is, and most people who are uneasy on boats are fine on one. If you know you are susceptible, though, take something an hour before departure rather than at the first sign, because tablets taken once you feel unwell rarely work.

Also worth leaving: anything you would be upset to get salt water on, and any expectation of needing a change of clothes. Swimwear under your clothes, a towel, sun protection and a card covers essentially everything this trip asks of you.

Before you book