When Brenda and I purchased our SAGA 43, the first boat we did extended cruising on, beginning around 2010, the goal, for me anyway, was to have a boat that could “cross an ocean” and while that boat was certainly capable of such a journey, I can say with certainty, that I NEVER expected that I would ever be able to say, “I am almost to Horta.”
After years of sailing in Long Island Sound and venturing to Maine for summer vacations, the idea that I would someday cross the Atlantic Ocean, seemed to be an unattainable goal.
Who knew?
As I begin this post, we are less than 50nm from Horta and if the story of our cruising life so far tells us anything, there will be a lot more chapters to this story.
I do not really know what is next after I leave Pandora in Spain and fly home with Brenda in August but I have already made it farther than I ever imagined.
Well, here we are…almost.
For much of this passage, we really thought that we might be able to sail nearly the entire way but as we moved into the last part of the run it has been tougher to keep moving as the wind has become lighter and moved aft.
Motoring or not, compared to other runs I have made over the years, we have sailed the bulk of this run, and surely more than any previous passage.
When we are offshore, on a long passage, we can adjust our heading to keep moving, even if it points us in the wrong direction for a while as we can always wait for wind from a different direction and get back on track.
However, once we are near our destination, we have limited ability to adjust our course and still make it into the harbor and today is a good example. If we could just adjust our course by as little as 20 degrees, we would be sailing but to get into Horta before dark today we do not have a lot of flexibility.
For the morning I struggled to sail, as we were dead downwind but now, as we make our final approach, the wind has freshened and veered so we are now on a solid broad reach and moving along nicely.
While we have been able to sail most of the last few hundred miles, the wind has not been terribly cooperative recently and we have had to resort to the engine for a few hours, from time to time.
While we had hoped for a mid-morning arrival, it is now looking like we will not make it until later in the afternoon. Fortunately, it does not get dark until around 9:00 so there is little risk of arriving in the dark.
And, speaking of “time of the day” we made our final adjustment to the clocks earlier today and are now four hours ahead of Brenda in Connecticut. Not a lot of risk of jet lag when you are going so S-L-O-W-L-Y…
There is a lot of boat activity approaching Horta as this is “the” place to make landfall. This shot of AIS on my plotter shows so I can see that we are not the only boat heading that way.
Based on some information from boats that are already in the harbor, we learned that it is very crowded and that there is a wait list to get on a dock or to tie up at the cement wall. Having said that, there is a lot of movement every day as boats depart and spots open quickly.
A shot of the harbor on Marine Traffic, the AIS tracking site, shows just how crowded it is. Oh boy, good luck anchoring.
When we were planning dates for departure from Bermuda we tried to take into account the schedule for the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, ARC, to Horta, a large group that has been doing this run for years. As their numbers really strain the local facilities, we wanted to arrive at least a week after they did but given how busy the harbor is, I am wondering if perhaps their passage was not a fast one suggesting that we will have arrived before many of them have moved on.
We probably will not arrive in the harbor in time to clear customs today but I will ask around and see if it is ok to head ashore for a beer and dinner. I am so ready to do that…
I reached out to the sailmaker to arrange to have the mainsail leech cord replaced and a few other minor repairs and was told that they have daily pickup from the waterfront. I hope that the repairs are completed before the guys fly out as it is a handful to get it back on the boom.
When we arrive, the plan is to drop the anchor and put out fenders to protect us from other nearby boats. I have to say that I have never deployed fenders when I am anchored. With so many boats crammed into the harbor, I expect that this will be a whole new experience as “Close” does not begin to describe how tight boats are anchored near one another. I hope that my brand-new paintjob does not get violated immediately.
Fortunately, I have the large inflatable fenders as well as a half dozen smaller ones that should help cushion the blow from nearby boats.
After nearly two weeks on passage from Bermuda I am really looking forward to being at anchor and going ashore.
I can’t believe that I am nearly to Horta, a place that I only imagined that I would one day visit.
To be here… I really wasn’t expecting this…
Editor: While the Salty Dawg rally from Bermuda to the Azores is drawing to an close you can see where Pandora and the other boats are located in real time at the Salty Dawg Azores Rally Map.
Brenda and I will remain in the Azores for a month and we will both be posting regularly while we are here. In mid July I will depart the Azores, heading for Spain and will continue to post along the way.