Greeks, Romans, Arabs, and Vikings likely knew of the island of Madeira from their seafaring adventures. In their turn to find the island, the Portuguese waited on ship for more than three days before setting foot on land. Madeira is only about 1000 km southwest of Portugal, but the explorers feared the island would be teaming with dangerous animals and fierce tribes people. Ironically, produced long ago from a volcanic eruption from the ocean floor, Madeira was very fertile but uninhabited. The island has no large animals, snakes, or mosquitos! A visit today will also provide an opportunity to taste plenty of delicious port-like wine that improves with age.
Skyler was inspired to create “(D)iscovery of Madeira, 1419” when he imagined the explorers docked on the coast and quivering with fear in their boats, afraid to go ashore.
That is the power of the unknown; it discourages us from taking action. But "taking the plunge," getting your feet wet, is the only way to find out what is really the situation. As such, maybe it is not surprising that most discoveries come about by accident, and terrific finds rarely are how we first imagine them to be. Maybe some good dating advice there ….
