It’s been nearly a month since I made landfall in Horta with the Salty Dawg Azores rally. As I write this, Brenda and I are now in a marina in San Miquel, our last stop before she flies to Scotland on the 16th giving us more a week to tour the island together before she departs.
Over the next few days my crew, Steve and Peter will arrive with their partners who will also tour the island before everyone flies out and the guys move aboard to prepare for our run to the Med.
As I write this It is not completely clear to me where our first landfall will be, perhaps in Lagos, on the southern coast of Portugal, Morocco or maybe Gibraltar, at the mouth of the Med itself.
I say that as so much has to do with the orca “situation” and the uncertainty about how well the “Pinger” i have ordered from a company in Germany, will be at deterring attacks on our rudder. Some suggest that making a beeline for Logos in Portugal and then hugging the coastline until Gibraltar is best or going toward Tangier and pass on the southern coastline into the Med. I suppose I will have to decide on what course we will take, but not yet.
After a very nice few days in Sao Jeorge, Brenda and I left mid-day on Monday to make the 140nm run from there to San Miguel, a run that was somewhat spoiled by a very large number of squalls that hit us.
I suspect that had I used a Chris Parker, our weather router, he would have cautioned me on this but I didn’t so he didn’t. I got very little sleep so I was pretty beat when we arrived and while I rallied to have a very nice lunch out I was in bed by 19:00 and slept for 11 hours.
Our good by view of Sao Jeorge.
And, of course, one last photo of Pico, our constant companion since arriving.
Unlike many of the squalls on prior voyages, these did not bring increased winds, but killed the wind totally from the gradient winds of 15-18kts that were powering us along. The wind died to perhaps 5kts, and stayed that way for an hour or more but the seas were still up with a one meter chop, so the boat wallowed terribly until the wind returned. Pandora’s uneven and sometimes violent motion did not sit well with Brenda and once she was sick it was clear that nothing was going to solve the problem except “sitting under an apple tree,” which was not an option.
That was very unfortunate as the near dozen squalls that we had overnight was a lot in comparison with a single squall during my nearly two week passage to Horta from Bermuda. Brenda has all the luck.
As the biggest island in the Azores, San Miquel is very cosmopolitan, with the historic areas mixed with modern offices and hotels.
The marina is huge. And while I wasn’t able to book a slip in advance, as I approached the marina I was told “there are a number of open slips, just pick one and tie up”. After weeks of being told that the marina in Horta was packed and we’d have to raft to someone, this was a welcome change.
And for less than $200/week you get a slip on a very nice floating dock with free water and electric. The marina has a lot of boats that look like they have not moved in years so clearly living here is a very economical option for the “house or income deprived”.
This view represents perhaps 50% of the marina. And, there is Pandora in the slip at the end on the left.
Of course, what post is complete without a photo of Pandora up close?
Can’t sail here and yet want to be in the marina? Rent a house boat.
They are pretty neat and in a terrific location to tour the city. However, you won’t be alone as there is a whole row of them.
But, just like Pandora, you will have easy access to the city and the beautiful promenade along the waterfront.
And so begins the second day of our last visit in the Azores before we head our separate ways, Brenda and me, until she flies to Almeria Spain on August 1st where we will meet up again.
I will be giving a number of talks about our trip in the Azores and my passage there from the Caribbean so I thought it fitting to fly a few burgees, just in case I need them to illustrate the point…
I guess that’s about enough for now. On with our day. Lunch and dinner out and a bit of exploring.
Hopefully I will be able to stay awake long enough to have dinner out.
A few days ago we departed Horta, bound for Sao Jorge, a mere 21 miles away. Sadly, the wind was not cooperative and making that “mere” 21 miles felt like 40. We had to tack and sail hard on the wind for the entire way, making for an unpleasant day.
And here we are a few days later and that run felt good compared to the rolling anchorage that we were in for the first few says. Most of these tiny harbors are nothing more than a breakwater with an even smaller marina behind yet another breakwater.
We were told that most of the time these marinas, as small as they are, can accommodate the limited number of cruising boats that head there way. However, with all of the festivals that happen in June traffic was busier than normal and all the slips were filled.
The wind has been light but from a variety of directions and for a good amount of time, blowing into the mouth of the harbor. As a result, for several days we were rolling all night long, a full 20 degrees, ten degrees in each direction. This is enough to cause things to bang around in the cabinets and for dishes to slide across the counters. Fortunately, for the last two days, it’s been much nicer and today, our last day, it’s flat calm.
Our friend Bill on Kalunamoo has a “scale” to measure rolling that goes from 0-7 and I would say that conditions were a solid 6.
In a tiny harbor it is often tough to drop the anchor with enough room to avoid banging into another boat, especially when the depth is 40′ or more as so much scope is needed. On our first night, as the wind died, but not the waves, and a light breeze swung us around, we “T boned” another boat, banging into her on a 90 degree angle. The sound was deafening and woke us to the call of “Pandora, Pandora” from our unlucky neighbor.
We shortened up our scope, anchor chain, and pulled away a bit. The next morning I stopped by to check to see what sort of damage we had caused and fortunately it was a very minor scratch on their rubrail. Fortunately, their rail was at the exact height of our bow sprit. Lucky us. No harm done.
Fortunately for me, Brenda loves the island so much that rolling or not, we are happy to be here and a few days ago we rented a car to tour the island and see the sights.
Everyone has told us that each island has its one characteristics which I see now that we are visiting the third island.
For sure, Horta is the most cosmopolitan when compared to Pico and Sao Jorge and as witnessed by a few rolly days, Horta has the only decent harbor. Sao Jorge is largely an agrarian island with only about 7,500 people in spite of being roughly the same size as Antigua that has 90,000. I expect that there are way more cows and goats here than people. It’s a nice mix and as you’d expect, cheese is their biggest product.
Pico has a more traditional atmosphere when it comes to homes, with many built of rough volcanic stone. That is not to say that Sao Jorge is not traditional, as it is, but the rough stone homes are not the dominant style, with more with smooth cement walls very common. As is the case everywhere, the roofs are clay tiles, which gives each island a wonderful feel.
And, Pico, the mountain, dominates the skyline pretty much wherever you go. This view of Pico from Pandora this morning was particularly iconic and a wonderful way to start the day.
The fact that the rolling had pretty much stopped, didn’t hurt.
The marina is so tiny it’s clear that only a government would go to the trouble to build one here as the cost is so high that it would never turn a profit. And the prices they charge, dirt cheap, would never begin to cover even the upkeep. While there is a small airport, most of the movement from nearby islands is by ferry and they show up completely full several times a day, mostly from Horta.
This photo does not begin to show the small scale of the marina. In fact, one of the reasons that Pandora isn’t able to get a slip is that we are too big for all but a few slips. That is in very sharp contrast to the Caribbean where Pandora is on the tiny side.
The entrance is very narrow and I can only imagine what it would be like to enter it with a sea running. The scale of the wall is apparent here. Big waves in the winter, I’ll bet.
The road out of town is a series of switchbacks as the mountain is quite steep.
The harbor viewed from an overlook a short distance outside of town.
The big dock is for supply ships that bring in everything that is needed on the island. In the short time that we have been here two have come and gone.
The harbor doesn’t look particularly tight but there are a lot more boats now than when this photo was taken. And, with nearly 50′ of water it takes over 150′ of chain to anchor and that makes for a huge swing when the wind changes direction. Boats have to be quite far apart so as to avoid bumping, like we did on the first night.
Pandora close up.
The waterfront is very charming, and as is the case in most harbor side towns, the local churches dominate.
As in Horta, the sidewalks are mosaic and streets cobblestone.
The entire island is well kept and unlike much of rural America, no junk cars or old stuff littering the landscape. This civic garden is particularly lovely. Flowers in abundance and not a single spec of litter.
One of Brenda’s goals in visiting these islands is to see handwork so we drove to the other end of the island, a 45 minute drive to go about 17km on windy roads, and visited a weaving studio. Of course, she bought a few pieces. I, on the other hand, was more interested, and she was as well, in what we learned was the only operating coffee plantation in the Azores.
It is a very tiny operation, tended by one family very close to the coastline. There was a cafe, serving their own coffee, a weaving studio on the second level and the coffee growing out back.
The studio was so clean I wondered how much weaving was actually going on.
When we toured the coffee plantation, actually more like a garden, Peter of Pete’s Cafe Sport in Horta, showed up with his family. It seems that he takes “vacations” to Sao George. Who knew?
The beans were ripening on the trees. I was told that the leaves come off and new ones grow but at this point the trees looked half dead compared to the lushness all around. I was assured that this was normal.
Each bean is picked as it turns red. Very labor intensive. Picked one bean at a time.
And put on a cement slab to dry. Their entire yearly production is only about 400 kilos. A tiny business at best, I’d say.
Like nearly every home on the island, wine grapes growing over a patio.
Like on the other islands, the government takes pains in making sure that there are lots of fun places to hang out. This is a grilling station. I thought it was a bus stop.
It was adjacent to this beautiful picnic area.
Which happened to be right near the ruins of an old water mill. Two actually, as one was behind trees up a series of stone steps. The “river” was dry and I expect that is only runs when it’s particularly rainy and then they would jump to and grind stuff with the mill. The site was complete with a post displaying a QR code which was the only reason that I knew it was a mill.
We went to the very end of the island to see the old lighthouse, down an endless dirt road.
The lighthouse is decommissioned in 1964 after damage from an earthquake. It operated for less than ten years. It’s a huge complex but is now in ruins. We viewed it from a lookout station high up on the hill.
We viewed it from a lookout station high up on the hill.
There were a number of steep steps getting there.
But what a view.
And a lone stand of trees on the ridge.
Along the way, lots of livestock. Of course, cows.
Cows and flowers.
And goats. Cute goats in no particular rush.
Of course, a hydrangea lined roadway. The iconic view of the Azores.
One “must see” sight is a forest preserve in the middle of the island. We came upon it without actually trying as it is on one of the few roads through the middle of the island. It is a dense stand of trees, flowers and ferns. Note the lichen growing on the trunks of these cedars.
There are lovely paths that wind through the woods.
While hydrangea grow everywhere along the road, they also grow in the shade.
And beautiful tree ferns.
These emerging fronds are as thick as a wrist.
The ferns grow to great heights.
This area used to be near a village as witnessed by these old washing basins. They would have been fed by a spring. Each square basin has it’s own spillway to feed water where women washed clothes.
As dense as the forest is, the boundaries are abrupt, ending with pasture. I am guessing that this area was once dense forest everywhere but cut down for construction and to make room for livestock.
Yesterday we stayed local and spent a good deal of the afternoon aboard. Fortunate for us, Sunday was the annual bull fight. Actually, this isn’t much of a fight, more of a “bull taunting” by 20 somethings that tease the bulls.
I say “aboard Pandora” as the entire spectacle, and it is very popular, takes place on the commercial pier on the waterfront. It’s quite something to see the crowds line the tops of 40′ shipping containers that are lined up against the breakwater. This image is just a very small part of the waterfront.
Bulls were brought in and released on the pier to chase the “taunters”. No bulls were harmed in the making of this spectacle, just really annoyed.
This went on for several hours, with a succession of bulls employed, and was so much fun to watch. Pandora was anchored nearby so Brenda and I sat on deck with a glass of wine, cheering them on.
As the bulls run back and forth, some of the participants had to jump in the water to avoid getting hit by the very pissed off bull. I have to say that it is more show and danger, but great fun. I was trying to imagine something like this happening in the US as there were mothers with strollers on top of the huge containers with every opportunity to drop 20′ to a cement pier.
In the US there would be an army of police keeping everyone in place and an equally aggressive group of lawyers hoping for someone to be hurt so they could sue the city or whomever they could blame.
Alas, I only saw two police and a single ambulance. No loss of life or even an injury it seems. Nice to see good old fashioned fun for all ages, something that is scarce in the US with such a massive concern about placing blame if things go badly.
Within moments of the crowd dispersing the machinery came out to clear the “bleachers” and get the port back in shape to accept the next ship.
In less than an hour, the last of dozens of containers were moved and the port was ready for business.
A great fun day for the citizens, and a few pissed off bulls, on Sao Jeorge and we were there.
All the while, Mount Pico kept watch over the crowd.
This afternoon we head out to San Miquel, a 140nm run. We should arrive early tomorrow morning. It’s been a while since Brenda has done an overnight. Details to come.
It’s hard to believe that it has been three weeks since I made landfall in Horta, and as the days flew by, not a lot of posting going on from my end. Forgive me but we have been so busy that somehow “life got in the way”.
It’s hard to know where to start except that the Salty Dawg Azores Rally was a terrific success with all but one boat making a fast passage. The one boat that arrived a lot later and that is a long story for another time…
I presented the current senior “Peter”, not his real name, but he plays the part well, with an SDSA rally flag. Peter donated a bottle of his signature gin which went to one of our members in a raffle. I always carry raffle tickets aboard Pandora for events like this 🙂
Peter proudly displayed our flag.
The gang posed for a group shot with the harbor in the background.
I also presented Peter with an Essex Yacht Club burgee that was given to me years ago by my friend Ken. This flag, from our home club, belonged to Ken’s dad, a member for many years. Years ago I took Ken and others from his family out on Pandora to spread their parent’s ashes on the waters between Stonington CT and Block Island, a path that they had taken many times over the years, so often that they joked that they had “worn a groove in Block Island Sound.” I wrote about that emotional day in this post.
There are thousands of burgees on display, in some cases, multiple burgees deep covering the walls.
There was so much to do in the Azores it’s hard to know where to begin…
Years ago, during our first few seasons in the Bahamas, we spent time with friends on a boat called Nati, a small catamaran owned by Anne and Dick. We went everywhere with them and had a wonderful time.
They sold Nati a few years later and now live in Florida and when we were talking with them last year about our plan to visit the Azores, they told us about friends that they had also cruised with, Lynn and Ian, and about their home in the Azores on Pico, an island that is very close to Horta. They were adamant that we reach out to them and arrange to meet.
Brenda and I contacted them and immediately hit it off. They invited us to visit and we made plans.
We arranged to put Pandora on a dock and hired a company to keep an eye on here while we were gone.
So, last weekend we met Lynn at the ferry dock in Pico and began a whirlwind multi-day tour of the island and a wonderful stay as guests at their amazing cliff side home.
The coastlines in the Azores are very rough and the “harbors” are basically walled in “teacup” basins, just big enough for a commercial dock. The walls are huge and speak to the power of waves when the seas are rough. Note the diminutive size of the car compared to the wall. Nobody builds walls like these unless there is a very good reason.
I could not believe their place as we walked down from their steep driveway carved into the hillside.
The view from their patio down the coast is amazing.
The colors and light change by the moment.
One moment better than the last.
Can you imagine a more beautiful spot to share a meal? I can’t…
It gets better… They have an amazing window that looks out on the ocean. To me it looks like some sort of big screen TV screen-saver like you get on YouTube. An hours long movie with clouds slowly streaming by.
Every day we toured a different part of the island. At the end of one day we returned home to discover that someone had, anonymously, left a large selection of limpets, a sort of clam or snail that sticks to the side of rocks. Ian broiled them with olive oil, salt and garlic. This selection wasn’t even half of what was gifted to them. Yum…
The next morning Ian delivered kitchen scraps to a neighbor’s chickens who he greeted with a “good morning girls”. They were thrilled to see him and new what was coming.
And speaking of “neighborly generosity”, we were invited to a celebration in their village where there were huge potluck tables heaped with food, wine and some alarmingly strong home made local spirits along with “spirited” dancing. It was a magical evening on so many levels. This sort of “community” is sadly lacking in the suburban area where we live. Sure, we socialize at the yacht club and other “membership” groups that we are involved with, but a sense of community in the neighborhoods, where we have lived over the years, is sadly lacking.
This celebration reminded me of our neighborhood in Jackson NJ, decades ago, where most of our neighbors were from Brooklyn and Staten Island, a place where their neighborhoods had a distinctly old world feel, which they brought with them to our community. There were lots of big parties back then where many neighbors joined in the celebration.
The architecture is so beautiful in these villages with everything built out of volcanic stone. Even the “ruins” are beautiful.
We also visited another couple who had moved from California and renovated an ancient stone cottage. The couple entertains a lot and there are so many tables on their patio that some passersby think they are running a restaurant. Sorry… You have to be a friend.
All over Pico, and elsewhere in the Azores, a common building material, is lava stones with the mortar meticulously painted in white. This church is certainly represents the pinnacle of this tradition sporting a breakwater to top all breakwaters with every joint painted white.
Whaling was a big part of these islands until it was banned in 1984 when the “save the whale” movement was in full swing. It does seem sad that so many of these magnificent creatures met an untimely end, nearly 2,000 in Horta alone. Fortunately, stocks are improving but their ultimate survival still face major threats with commercial shipping, fishing and other environmental threats.
In the Azores, where whales were close to shore, they were captured with small boats. These open rowing/sailing boats, are still a big part of the culture here. Nice to see Pandora in the background.
I was fortunate to be able to see a few of these beautiful boats sailing in Horta.
I am not certain what this means but the boats in Horta have pink interiors and those in Pico, red.
When they were hunting whales, fisherman would row out to harpoon the whale and these powerful motorboats would tow the whale back for processing on shore. These boats were made on Pico and have huge Caterpillar engines in them. As you can imagine, it takes a lot of horsepower to tow a 50′ whale.
To attach the whale to the boat required a hefty bridle which attached to the stout towing bit that crosses the cockpit.
After the hunt the whale was towed to a processing factory and hauled up a stone ramp.
And then cut into pieces for processing into various products. These gentle creatures were enormous and no match for the hunters.
This brief documentary movie is part of a whaling exhibit that we visited in Pico. It gives a good feel for what it was like in the day when whaling was an important part of the local community. Not so good for the whale though.
Beyond remnants of the whaling industry, Lynn and Ian took us round and round the island and saw many of their favorite places.
Commercial fishing is still a big business here in the islands with tuna fishing particularly important. The local fishing boats look like they are designed for rugged conditions.
Some bigger than others but all brightly painted.
The bulk of harbors are nothing more than small inlets with a breakwater and a big crane. Nearly all of the boats are pulled out of the water after every trip. These simple cranes have a capacity of 40,000 pounds and are operated by boat owners so there is no hauling fee. A lot different than in the US where to “dry sail” a boat is a very expensive proposition. In the US, if so it yourself cranes like this existed at all, would require extensive training sessions and waiver after waiver, just to get near a crane like this.
In spite of the water being chilly, swimming in the islands is hugely popular and the local government has established many “swimming holes” for the locals. Each spot has stainless steel steps with cement and tile walkways leading to down to a sheltered cove. Some are very elaborate and all have fancy bath houses, all free of charge.
Many hang out to enjoy the warm sun if not the warm water.
Some swimming spots are more elaborate than others.
I am told that on some islands there are hot springs that feed into them allowing for warm water swimming year round.
The picnic areas at some are very elaborate and we stopped and had a lovely meal of fruit, bread, cheese and cured meats as well as locally canned tuna, at one. It overlooked the ocean and had a number of very nice tables.
It came complete with a community of resident lizards. These guys live in the stone walls and are everywhere. This one scampered up onto our table, looking for scraps.
I assumed that they ate bugs or something but not bread, cheese and fruit. I tossed scraps to them, to the horror of our hosts, of course. As you can see, it was a big hit. Sort of like a Raiders of the Lost Arc movie clip. It seems that it is “every lizard for himself” as not a lot of sharing seems to be going on. “Oh I will wait my turn, you go first, I insist!”
Of course, many scenes were not quite so visceral.
I did not expect to see tree ferns. And, unlike the Caribbean islands, where they only grow higher up the mountains where it is cooler. Here about a 1,000 feet of elevation is cool enough. Like Brenda, they prefer “sweater weather” and the Azores has that in abundance.
And vines that look a lot like morning glories are quite invasive.
You don’t get the full picture of these stands of blue unless you step back a bit.
And speaking of flowers, the Azores are known for their extensive hedges of hydrangea. Unfortunately, we were a bit too early to see them at their height of bloom but they line both sides of most roads. Pretty amazing.
The islands are also known for cheese and where there is cheese there are cows. They are everywhere and look like very happy cows.
I wonder if the quality of the view has a bearing on how good the cheese is? I can say that the cheeses are awesome…
And Pico is also known for wine. With the constant wind and cool temperatures, to keep the grape vines as happy as the cows, they build miles of lava rock stone walls to keep the vines warm. These vineyards are within a few hundred yards of the ocean and it is hard to believe that salt spray doesn’t kill them.
The area is impossibly scenic, with windmills that were once used to grind grain. Not sure why one is in the middle of grape fields but it looks great.
Unlike in the US, where individual vines are meticulously groomed and sprayed with weed killer, these vines, some hundreds of years old, are pretty much left to fend for themselves.
And every row of vines has it’s own private stone wall to keep it happy and a bit warmer during the cool evenings. And happy they appear to be. Of course, why not sprinkle a bit of pineapple in the mix?
Land use in Pico, and elsewhere in the Azores, is carefully managed with no space unused. Much of the island is pasture and the villages are clustered along the coastline. The views are amazing.
Our friends Lynn and Ian, and we didn’t even know that they would be our friends for more than ten years after spending time with Anne and Dick, cruising in the Bahamas.
Lynn and Ian only had to visit Pico once when they decided to purchase a home there, now more than a decade ago. They continue to split their time between Pico and the Bahamas, summers here and winters aboard and after spending a few days on Pico I can see how they decided that they wanted to make a home here.
When we spent time with Anne and Dick so many years ago who would have ever expected that we were destined to be friends in Lynn and Ian, a decade before we had even met them.
It took many years but it finally happened and we finally met the friends we didn’t even know we were destined to have. And we are so glad that we did.
Someone once told me that life is “all about what you decide to spend your time on”. So true, and who’d have imagined the chain of events that took me and Brenda to Pico to meet Lynn and Ian.
Now we have to figure out a way to stage a reunion of sorts at our home. Anne and Dick? Lynn and Ian?
