Faial, The Azores

Approaching Faial

The overnight passage to Horta, Faial passed without incident. We motor sailed all the way in fairly calm conditions. The dolphins came quite early on and we wondered if the weather would change. It didn’t. We overtook a yacht and saw two more, all going in our direction. Another yacht surprised me by coming from the NE, crossing my bows and heading towards Bermuda. Two ships passed us just over a mile away. The AIS picked them up. I put the radar on to see how close the yacht was when it passed in front of me. It was only half a mile away. These are busy waters at this time of year.

The impressive Town Hall, Horta

We tied to the Reception/fuel berth at Horta at 2.30pm on Sunday 15^th June. All the officials work daily at this time of year, usually 8.00am t0 8.00pm, so there are no overtime fees. We filled up with diesel (132 litres cost 168 euros), checked in with the port captain and immigration and were allocated berth 13 in the north basin. It was raining as we tied up, but hot showers were not far away for 2 euros including a towel and soap.

Horta

The next day, Monday, we went straight to the dentist’s and Jeremy was told to come back at 7.00pm. There was a lot to do and the time passed quickly. The dentist was a sailor and he spoke good English. He told Jeremy he did not have an abscess; he had an infection in his jaw which should be cleared up with the antibiotics. He would need 6 weeks of treatment, preferably with one dentist, and he should wait until he’s back in the UK. Further antibiotics were prescribed in case the infection comes back. Then the dentist showed him UTube clips of his boat when he was racing, his house and his four by four.

Weigh that!

We found out from our bus timetable, obtained from the helpful Tourist Information Office, that there was a bus that went around the island. The journey took about two and a half hours and cost 6 euros each. It was well worth it and we had a good overview of Faial. We had beers in the famous Peter’s Cafe on our return.

Birds eye view of Horta harbour

Horta was a great place to have laundry done, gas bottles filled, meet sailing friends, provision, clean and repair. Our berth cost 12 euros per night including electricity and water. We met Geoff and Nikki from the Westerly, Spirit of Penmar and Carol and Anton from Shayelle. The last time we saw Anton was in Thailand in 2012. We tried to buy a second hand Navtex, but the seller did not turn up or contact us, so that was not to be.

The dormant volcano on Pico, just a few miles away

 We left the marina on Thursday 19^th June and set sail for Lajes, Pico, 25 miles away.

The Azores

We left St Georges, Bermuda, on 28^th May expecting to be at sea for 18 days. Our destination was Horta on the island of Faial in the Azores. We changed our destination to the nearer island of Flores, when Jeremy developed toothache. We had some out of date antibiotics on board and Jeremy started taking them along with ibuprofen.

North Atlantic swell

 The weather window was good and we made good progress with the wind between WSW and SSW. It died away on the second night and we became a little concerned as the barometer continued to fall. Sure enough, it soon came back rising to 24knots. We reefed the sails. The weather was mixed – everything from continuous rain, to showers, to sunshine and thunder and lightning. The swell did not always follow the wind. Sometimes there were two swells, one behind and one hitting the side. At other times the swell was from the opposite direction from the wind. The barometer dropped to 1008mb before it started to rise and we began to wonder what had happened to the Azores high.

Running repairs

Waves broke over us from time to time or went thundering past like a waterfall after heavy rain. As the wind turned SSE we had a force 7 blowing with gusts up to gale force. It rained hard. Three times the dolphins came and rode our bow wave and three times the weather worsened. We began to believe the old sailors’ tale that the dolphins come to warn us of bad weather.

Look out behind

We had some lovely sailing days as well with full sails on fairly calm seas. Jeremy sealed one of the saloon windows that had started leaking. He began drying out lockers and a bunk that had taken on water through the front cabin hatch. The off switch on the engine broke and, for a time, we had to switch the engine off inside the engine compartment (a bit like having to get out of your car, lift the bonnet and find the place where you can stop the motor running). Jeremy managed to wire two switches into the circuit which do the job of the broken switch, but this meant emptying all the clothes out of our wardrobe and climbing inside to get to the control panel. All the time, Sal Darago is being bounced along on a rocky, rolly swell.

Land ahoy! Flores

To sum up, the passage took us 14 days. We motored for 29 hours in total. The AIS picked up 10 ships, some of which we called up on the VHF to ask for a weather forecast. We saw one yacht and kept in contact for two days. Jeremy’s toothache began half way through and by the time we arrived in Flores, he could only eat mashed or liquid food. Chewing was agony.

 Flores

At rest behind the new breakwater

We were delighted to find that a marina had been built in Lajes, Flores. Our friend, Guido, had advised us to avoid Lajes as the swell comes into the anchorage making it very uncomfortable. He didn’t know about the marina. We tied up alongside Quintessa, moving to the berth left by Pilgrim (the British catamaran from Saba).

Lajes Marina, Flores

Local transport

 Everyone was friendly, the port captain spoke English and the next day we caught the bus to Santa Cruz to see the dentist at the hospital. She would not treat Jeremy until he’d taken a different antibiotic for at least 5 days. He saw a doctor, used his E111 card and paid 4 euros for the consultation and a further 4 euros for the prescription. Oh, it’s so good to be back in Europe!

Leaving Lajes

Flores is a beautiful island unspoilt by tourism. The views are fabulous, the flowers plentiful. Agriculture is apparent everywhere. We even saw a small field being worked with a horse drawn harrow. Fruit and vegetables are grown wherever there’s a patch of ground and the island is so green with pasture and trees. We would have stayed longer, but we heard there was a good dentist in Horta, Faial, 133 miles away, so we left on Saturday 14^th June.

Bermuda

The passage to Bermuda took 8 days and was mixed as regards the weather. The first two days were good sailing in sunny weather, with the occasional squall passing over. The wind gradually decreased once we reached the Tropic of Cancer and we motored for the next 5 days. We used all but our emergency reserves of diesel getting through the Horse Latitudes. There was still no wind. The Atlantic Ocean was glassy, reflecting the stars, and our wake was a phosphorescent trail. Almost as soon as the emergency reserves of diesel went into the tank, the wind came back. We heard the forecast and the small craft warning 60 miles away from Bermuda. In the end we had a tiny bit of genoa flying as we slowed down so that we would pass through the extensive reefs surrounding Bermuda in the light. The sea was soon whipped up into an uncomfortable state, which I called rough and Jeremy said was moderate. It was much colder too. Naked sailing had been replaced with woolly hats, socks, at least two layers of clothes and a jacket.

North Atlantic sunset

One advantage of calm seas was being able to take a dip in the ocean. This attracted the sea birds. As many as 7 boobies sat and watched this peculiar human behaviour! The AIS showed us 9 vessels over the duration of the passage. Three of them were going to pass within a mile of us. One was a yacht, the other two were ships. We called them on the VHF radio. Two altered course and the other kept to his course and passed just a mile in front of our bows. It seemed so close in the dark! Jeremy saw the tail of a whale disappearing below the surface ahead and there were a few tropic birds. That was all, except for fiery sunsets, beautiful dawns and amazing displays of stars.

Flat calm sea in the horse latitudes

So, what went wrong? First to go down was Navtex, our weather receiver. Jeremy took it to bits and found the circuits inside had corroded. We searched through our cruising guide and found the SSB frequency for the US Goastguard. We picked up their weather transmissions, but often missed our sea area, as they broadcast so many. Next, one of our three batteries overheated. I was very hot and sweaty in my bunk above the battery compartment one night. No wonder – I was cooking. Jeremy moved me to his bunk while he set up a fan to keep the batteries cool. He was able to isolate the offending battery and switch it off. Then, the heads started leaking. Water of unknown origin (would you want to taste it?) leaked out from under the pedestal. Fortunately, only a little water was leaking but it was going to be another job for later. Last, but not least, Jeremy noticed the stern fibre glass was flexing as Hydrovane steered the boat. We had put larger plates on the bolts on the inside some time ago. Now we would need a larger wooden backing plate to strengthen the stern. Yet another job for the harbour. Oh, the joys of sailing!

The Customs dock, Ordnance Island, St Georges

We arrived at the Customs dock in St Georges Harbour, Bermuda at 7.30am our time on 23^rd May. We soon learned that Bermuda was one hour ahead, due to daylight saving time. As Customs opened at 8.00am, this suited us fine. A very friendly, football fan officer told Jeremy the good news that Sunderland had survived relegation, once he learned of Jeremy’s home town. We filled in the forms, paid 35USD each and we could stay for 90 days, although we’ll probably only stay for a week. 

The anchorage at St Georges

St Georges is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, like the Taj Mahal. Once anchored, we slept for 2 hours then went ashore to Tourist Information. The plywood was sourced straight away from a carpenter’s shop just up the road. No charge. The battery took a little longer. Today was Friday and it was a holiday weekend, with many businesses closing until Tuesday. We met many helpful people, but it was clear that we would have to go to the capital, Hamilton, to find the battery we wanted. The next day we caught the bus and 50 minutes later we were looking for chandleries. After much frustration, we bought a battery we could top up, which isn’t exactly what we want but it will have to do. It cost 210USD. We had a look around Hamilton, which is very like any Western city, and just had to go into Marks and Spencers! We took a taxi back to St Georges, collecting the battery on the way. This cost 40USD. Bermuda is proving expensive for us.

Bermuda Day procession

Jeremy has worked hard doing the jobs. The leak in the heads has been fixed with a new jubilee clip on a hose. A new wooden backing plate has been shaped and fitted. The new battery has been wired in. A lubrication oil and filters change has been done and the diesel fuel filters, with the pipes checked for rust particles. I’ve fed the mechanic and written blogs. Navtex is beyond repair.

Colourful costumes on Bermuda Day

We went to Hamilton again on holiday Monday and watched the parade to celebrate the Queen’s Birthday and Bermuda Day. Bermuda is British Overseas Territory with strong links to the USA. The Bermudan dollar is equal to the USA dollar and just about everything is imported from America. It’s a lovely place, steeped in history with much of its heritage preserved. We wanted to stay longer but a weather window opened up on Tuesday, which we would have been fools to miss.

This costume is so heavy it needs wheels

We rushed round like headless chickens on Tuesday doing laundry, shopping, checking emails and preparing Sal Darago for her next voyage. We cleared out on Wednesday 28^th May leaving Bermuda at 2.00pm for anything from 18-25 days at sea. Our next landfall should be Horta on the island of Faial in the Azores.

Dancing in the street