Tuesday 22nd continued squally and rolly but moderating enough to get the main up with 3, but eventually 2, reefs. A standard working day with average progress and more ships appearing. Squalls and big seas reappeared on Tuesday night but with the wind now well aft on our port quarter so we are sailing at a good speed on a near gybing course. By the early hours of Wednesday, the distant glow of the Azores in visible and by 0400 we can see the peak of Pico (which, despite being 500 miles offshore is claimed as the highest Portuguese mountain). Our dawn approach to Faial is a bit tricky because we have constant showers and squalls, and a ginormous following sea, and are close to gybing, but we manage to gradually ease around to skim the south face of the island, and begin our approach to the capital, and major port, Horta. So, on day 22 (21.5 days, 2700 miles from St Barts) we secure alongside the visitors pontoon at Horta marina, clear customs, and formally re-enter Europe, some 6 months after leaving the Canaries.
Our time in Horta is spent on boat work and provisioning, and eating normal solid food, always with chips.David got the job of painting the ship’s crest on the wall, along with the 10,000 others here. Every surface, bollard, structure, wall, jetty, etc is covered with 1000’s of badges and names. Dockside shops even sell the paints and brushes for the job.
Alas the weather hasn’t been good enough for island sight-seeing, but Horta itself is a pleasant enough place with plenty of old buildings to see.
Good bars and restaurants with local Portuguese fare, and we even happened on a great Fado night in a local cafe, with great singers and musicians. Wasn’t a fan before but now truly converted.
The harbour is rapidly filling with ocean travelling yachts as this is the beginning of the Atlantic return crossing season and Horta’s busiest time. We are lucky to get a decent berth as more recent arrivals are being rafted up by day 3. We’ve managed to catch up and renew friendships with lots of familiar faces and boats from our trip out and from the WI’s.
By Sunday 27th, its raining heavily and we’ve delayed our sailing date by a day so far as a great big low is forming up and we are all waiting to see what it does. Time for more jobs below.
We are still looking at a 10 day dash to Kinsale, probably with big following winds, so we need to have our downwind procedures well organised. More poling out practice when the rain stops.
M & D
Raparee, Horta, Faial, Azores
Wow, what a passage you have had. We're glad you're both safe and sound and Raparee looked after you well. We've just gone through the canal and will spend a few days provisioning in Panama City before heading for the Galapagos, where a friend joining us for the mega passage to the Marquesas. Rodney Bay seems a very long time ago, though we've enjoyed ourselves in the Windwards, Bonaire, Cartagena and the San Blas. Hope we'll meet up in Gosport in a couple of years time.
ReplyDeleteCarol & Jon Dutton, S/V Aranmentia
Balboa Yacht Club
PS - Give the Thai restaurant in Kinsale a miss - two of us who had plain rice got food poisoning!