We landed at Selvagem Grande

Going ahead of schedule on the September 24th, we landed at SelvagemGrande, a Portuguese island located between Madeira and the Canaries.Being of volcanic origin, it's otherworldy and almost deserted. If itweren't for regular staff - two marine police officers, two rangers anda mechanic - with their dog Selvagem, only wildlife was to be found onthe island. Attempts were made to colonize the island centuries ago, butthe lack of water made the endeavour unsuccessful.Regular staff stay at the island for periods of up to 15 days.Biologists may also be working on the island, but aren't always present.Hence, rangers help biologists in surveying the island. They may dotechnical work such as blood sampling or biometric studies, among other.Man-made structures are limited to staff houses and landing facilities,apart from the walls and the wells built during the colonization attempt.Despite being a somewhat remote island, visitors are accepted and canuse a barbecue facility upon requesting for permission.Being the only Portuguese person on board, I was asked to act as atranslator and help facilitate the communication between the EUROPA crewand the island staff. We were suggested to trek the island on an onehour tour, guided by one of the rangers.While walking on partly steep and small paths, which were delimited byvolcanic stones, we experienced breathtaking views of cliffs, bays andvolcanic peaks.There are no trees on the island. Fauna in Selvagem Grande is limited tosheerwater birds, lizards and geccoes.All in all, this was an experience which seemed to have happened farfrom the European continent. Having EUROPA laid anchor close to a remoteisland and having gone ashore on small rubber boats, it somewhatreminded me of my trip to Antarctica in 2006.Going to Selvagem Grande was a big and delightful surprise, and I feelthankful to the Bark EUROPA crew for such a wonderful experience.Luis Monteiro