The Azores Archipelago and an Eventful Ocean Crossing!

Volcanic peaks rising to the sky, black basalt walls surrounding grapevines in minute fields, massive churches, clouds, cattle and Calderas is a brief description of our time in the Arquipelago dos Acores! These islands are Portuguese, though apparently the Dutch discovered them first in the 1400’s but they didn’t manage to locate them again before the Portuguese did! It is incredible to think these great explorers colonised the world in wooden boats with no charts or even a concept of Longitude to tell them where they were! Vasco de Gama, Christopher Columbus, Henri the Navigator, Van Deiman and Abel Tasman are celebrated navigators from these times. There were no indigenous people on the Azores islands when they arrived and as with many of the places we visited they were first set up as staging posts for onward travel. The islands vary depending how old they are geologically, Pico being the youngest only 300,000 years old and the basalt landscape has earned it the nickname “ the black island”. It was tough to cultivate food here but the grapevines did well. So well in fact, that the wines eventually produced on Pico became sought after and they even supplied the Russian Tsars! This was one of the fascinating facts I learnt at the Wine Cooperative on Pico- “Cooperitiva Vitivinicola Da Ilha Do Pico” where we enjoyed a tasting of 5 wines. They were flinty, with a mineral taste and subtle fruits but worth buying a bottle or two. The wine that we really enjoyed was the Vinho Verde from the mainland, slightly frizzante and only 9%, so a few glasses didn’t put me under the table or dancing on top of the table!

We had made our trip to Pico by ferry which only took 30 minutes from Horta, and we enjoyed a visit to a small whale museum before we headed for lunch followed by the wine tasting and then a short tour along the northern coast. It was here that we saw the Herculean task that the farmers undertook in clearing the land of black rocks and piling them into walls to cultivate a tiny area of substrate, we even saw cart tracks worn into the basalt rock.

Our first week after finishing the 15 day passage from Antigua was spent in the busy harbour at Horta, on the island of Faial, where yachts arrive from every direction having sailed across an ocean to get here. The Azores are a crossroads for yachts leaving the Caribbean before the hurricane season in June and heading to Northern Europe or the Mediterranean Sea. The tradition is to write your boat name on the dock and walls, which we did in 1990 in Funchal, Madeira and in 2007 in Gran Canaria and here in Horta in 2008. Back then the children loved being given permission to graffiti their designs on walls and paving stones with spray paints but without our artistic section on board we weren’t motivated this time round, though many people put a lot of time and effort into some interesting pictures.

Our crew, Laurence, flew out two days after we arrived so we hired a car and drove around Faial the day after we docked. Our first stop was the green and lush Caldera in the centre of the island. It was swathed in clouds and though atmospheric we were unable to see much but Richard and I were delighted that we spotted many of the plants and birds that we recognised from home including Robins, Buzzards, heathers and ferns. A reminder that we are definitely back in temperate climes.

This small island is very rural with small farms, small roads and many old fashioned windmills previously used for grinding corn. There are no vines on Faial, the main industry being whaling and our next stop was at one of many lookouts posted along the coast. Once upon a time the whales were spotted from these lookouts by men using large telescopes, then a system of flags and flares were used to alert the whaling boats and tell them where to head to.

I was amazed to see how small these clinker built rowing boats were and what a dangerous occupation it was as they harpooned the whale and hung on. If they got tipped over by a thrashing whale some men might drown but if they were successful it was a lucrative business. I expect probably more so for the processing plant owners where the meat and oils were produced, than the small men in small boats pitched against the Leviathans of the sea. We also learnt about Ambergris which is a very rare substance found floating or washed up on beaches. It is used in expensive perfumes because it holds the scent for longer and apparently has it’s own pleasant scent, despite being composed of giant squid beaks macerated in whale stomach juices and vomited up in lumps! Honestly, I didn’t make this up; fact is definitely stranger than fiction! Our final visit was to the newest part of the island, the peninsular of Capelinhos, which sounds like a place in Wales not Portugal!

This new piece of land was formed by an underwater volcanic eruption which took place over a period during 1957 and 1958. We had visited the area in 2008 but since then a new interpretation centre has been built underground which was very informative and interesting.

Pictures and films of the eruption and the people being evacuated were fascinating, plus there was lots of educational information about volcanoes worldwide, some that we have also visited. I have never grown out of the thrill of live geology and saying “been there”.

There were a lot of steps up the spiral staircase to the top of the lighthouse, but the effort was rewarded by an excellent view and I loved being able to look through the lenticular window where the powerful light had flashed it’s warning message.

Once we were back down on new “terra firma”, we climbed a path in the lava dust which followed the ridge dividing new and old ground. Early colonising plants were thriving and making headway towards the genesis of the green and fertile land it will become in a few thousand years like the rest of the island. Looking at the rock layers of this stunning volcanic landscape and knowing they were only as old as us, not hundreds or thousands of years old, felt odd and strangely inspiring.

Walking down and seeing the ruined houses in the village of Capelinhos balanced that feeling of elation like Yin and Yang, life and death, old and new. The evacuation was well managed and I don’t think anyone died the at the time, but many of the displaced islanders emigrated to the US and Canada in the early 60’s, and that is another story. The remainder of our week in Faial was very mellow, spent exploring the town and rather sweet botanical gardens and impressive Orchidarium. We also attended the town festival with its oompah band, bric a brac and tombola stalls, it was just like any small town event. Peter’s Sports Bar is a well known yachties hangout and we managed to get past the bar to visit the extensive Scrimshaw museum upstairs. This is a collection of Sperm Whale teeth and bone carved and stained in intricate designs and lifelike pictures.

After a week alongside we set off eastwards to Sao Miguel, the biggest island in the group. Sailing along the south coast of Pico we were lucky enough to see a group of 8 Risso’s dolphins which came close to the boat plus a playful group of Atlantic Dolphins further away. The weather pattern on Faial had been sunny in the day then cool and showery at night but as we left the shelter of Pico the showers became squalls and we had a busy night reefing and releasing sails, which was also a wet and bumpy passage. It took us 26 hours to get to Punta Delgada on the south of Sao Miguel, (SM)and thankfully the sun came out to greet us and warmed us up when we went ashore to check in and have lunch.

Sao Miguel is the largest island at 62 km long by 14 km wide and Punta Deldada is a much bigger and busier port than Horta. The airport, though hardly Heathrow, was closer to our berth. It is hard to believe that we have rarely seen airplanes on our adventures, so being under the flight path of the few that were going in and out was something new and our “big metal bird in the sky” mentality was quickly ditched! The following day was grey and showery and we dug out dusty duvets that we had put away 4 years ago in Porto. Strange to think that was further north but warmer due to the continental mass, whilst the Azores are tiny islands in an large ocean. Or perhaps we have become acclimatised to tropical latitudes! Eventually, the sun broke through and we headed into town to explore the streets and visit the gardens. We booked a walking tour for Monday and a hire car for later in the week, so feeling satisfied we returned to the boat for dinner and TV. Our plans to walk to a different set of gardens were completely thwarted the next day by heavy rain, cold grey skies, and we stayed onboard cleaning, doing maintenance, writing, reading, and watching the forecast for our 1200nm passage to the UK. Richard made a Sunday roast with the remains of our dwindling stores. Yorkshire pudding made with coconut milk was tasty and my idea of horseradish sauce made from Wasabi mixed with coconut cream was an absolute stroke of genius! On Monday we joined a guided hike to a few volcanic lagoons in the west of the island. It was green and lush and apparently we were lucky that the views were not obscured by clouds. Japanese Cyprus trees dominated the landscape and hydrangeas lined the roads. As with quite a few mid ocean island groups, biological diversity is minimal and most species are introduced by mankind, on SM the land is lush and they farm cattle, Mainly Friesians for milk and dairy products but some for beef. it is known as the “green island”.

The following day we hired a car and set off to explore the east end of SM. We climbed a steep road with hairpin bends which successfully tested my ability to change gear frequently with my right hand and we stopped to admire the view so I could then practice hill starts before getting back to Wales! On the way down we discovered a set of thermal pools and as we had come prepared with swimsuits we enjoyed a warm water soak in the rain. Back on the winding road we came to junction sporting a large sign for a distillery which invoked an unplanned diversion into Grande Rivière.

This was a charming town which we explored as we tried to escape the one way system back to the main road after visiting Capote Liquor. Passion fruit liquor is a speciality here and they also made a delicious cream liquor akin to Baileys which Richard enjoyed tasting. It made a change from Rum, but I didn’t drink any as I was finding it challenging enough driving sober! We eventually arrived out our planned destination, a tea plantation called Gorreana which was established in 1883.

Here we enjoyed the tour and both of us enjoyed the tasting of black and green teas. We learnt about the tea process and the difference between green and black teas and admired the very old British machinery that was still being employed . All in all it was a brilliant morning, we purchased a selection of alcoholic beverages and teas, our two favourite tipples, and a good haul of practical mementos for home!

Sao Miguel is very green and hilly with over 250 volcanic fumaroles, so despite the rain and clouds we stopped at various view points and calderas on the drive to our next destination. The town of Furnas is situated inside one of the larger calderas and we were there for lunch and the botanical gardens.

It was pouring down with rain so the garden terrace at the Terra Nostra Hotel wasn’t as appealing as we had imagined. Instead, we admired the view through large glass windows from the comfort of a deep cushioned sofa. The rainy day lunch with warm soup in a nice hotel situated in a temperate forest made Furnas feel rather like Betws Y Coed! Once the rain had abated we enjoyed wandering through the Botanical Gardens just next door. We walked past a very large thermal bathing pool which steamed in the rain, and followed the paths around the formal and informal gardens.

Sadly, hundreds of Camellia bushes had just finished flowering but the Bromeliads and Cycids were impressive and we spent the remainder of the afternoon there, We arrived back at Celtic Star at 1900 hours after a wonderful day out.

The following two days were spent preparing for our final passage which had the potential to be tricky. The weather is very changeable in the North Atlantic and we still had over 1200 miles to sail across the Atlantic Ocean, the Bay of Biscay and finally the Western Approaches of the English Channel. These are infamous pieces of water to tackle at the very end of our voyage, so we had to get it right. The Last Ocean! Our new crew, Andrew, arrived on the 1st June and was given a safety brief, deck walk, standing orders, crew handbook and our passage plan explained before we cleared out of the Azores ready for the final voyage back to the UK. At 0800 hours 2nd June we cast off from SM and headed west along the south side of Sao Miguel, it was shorter distance to clear the island and we could avoid motoring upwind eastwards for 4 hours. We sailed downwind for 3 hours flying the “Big Blue” spinnaker.

We were also lucky to see more Risso and Bottlenose dolphins as we rounded the west end of Sao Miguel and set a course towards Cape Finisterre 800 miles away, on the north west corner of Spain. We sailed upwind for most of this passage, sometimes it was bumpy which was tough going, sometimes smooth but we made good progress, avoided some strong winds and learnt to live leaning over, which is tedious and difficult. A cheery visit from Common Atlantic Dolphins was a daily occurrence as if they were checking on our progress. continued to see Portuguese Man of War and even a couple of turtles until the water temperatures dropped too low as our Latitude steadily increased and our Longitude decreased. Shearwaters and gulls also kept us company and once again we started the voyage with a full moon to light our way for the first few days. Jupiter was rising and Aquarius sat secretly in Aquarius at dawn early in the passage and I re acquainted myself with Cygnus and Cassiopeia. Star-watching became limited by overcast skies plus the increasingly earlier sunrise as we travelled ever northwards. It also got colder

At about our half way point on Tuesday 6th June our mainsail clew tapes blew out and our main sail flapped noisily and ineffectually above the boom. We were able to replace it with our old mainsail which we have carried as a spare for the entire voyage. It wasn’t very windy and it was daylight so the whole process took about an hour with no drama or disasters. Those came a few hours later during the dark and rainy night when I was roused from my sleep by Richard calling for all hands on deck. After struggling into several layers of clothing, coat, hat and my life jacket I went into the cockpit to hear that our forestay chain plate had sheared through separating the forestay from the bow completely. The forestay, furler and sail were now flogging, crashing and banging on the leeward side of the boat. This was a disaster, the risk of the mast coming down was high and the sail needed rolling away, the forestaystay needed securing and the mast needed bracing. Emergency measures were taken and we managed to limp onwards slowly with rattling and shaking of stays and rig until the morning when a better job could be done. Richard tightened the forestay to the anchor fitting and used the windlass to exert sufficient tension to tighten the backstays. Two spare halyards were also taken to forward cleats and we employed our emergency Dyneema forestay to brace the mast. We reduced the mainsail size and turned the engine on so we could motor onwards slowly until the wind changed direction and maybe get more drive from the wind if it came behind us as forecast. This would put most of the pressure on the back stays and relieve the strain on our temporary attachment. Our closest port of refuge was La Coruna 250 miles away on the NW corner of Spain but it was upwind so even though we were under engine power, we were bashing through waves making no progress at all, plus we were shaking the mast and rigging too much. After discussion we changed direction back to our original course and our second port of refuge Brest, 490 miles away. Meanwhile, calculations on food and fuel supplies were being processed as well as a contingency plan if the jury rig failed and the mast did break. At the same time our crew’s cabin had developed a new leak and we were trying to sort out a dry berth for Andrew!

The following day it was Richard’s turn to make lunch and the major rig failure didn’t put him off preparing and cooking delicious home made lentil burgers with salad. This was the first lunch at sea that we have all eaten below decks due to rain and general greyness. By my dawn watch on Wednesday 7th the wind had increased and veered (come round to the side of the boat) and we were sailing and making good progress with just the mainsail, there was sufficient break in the clouds to see the moon was now almost at the last quarter, but once again the rain and greyness returned for the rest of the day. On Thursday 8th June Richard spent all day fashioning a stronger repair for the forestay by splicing ropes to join the bottom of the forestay to the deck fitting.

His project was successful and once again Celtic Star raced across the waves under full sail, apparently as eager as us to get home. On Friday 9th our universe shrunk even smaller as we entered a “twilight zone” of fog. It was damp and cold with with no visible horizon, only the small grey, green patch of waves surrounding the boat and lasted for 24 hours. We had a couple of visitors during all the excitement, a very large moth and a very tiny bird.

The moth flew away but despite best efforts sadly the little birdie croaked! Small stories that fill the endless hours of life on the ocean wave.

Eventually we emerged from the gloom into a brighter world with clear skies and continued our progress across the planet Earth. From my point of view it really should be called Water as there is an awful lot of water in the world we have visited! We made landfall on Sunday 11th June, suddenly we had two traffic separation schemes and a whole lot of shipping to avoid. We anchored in the bay thinking we would go into Newlyn harbour in the morning, but our friends Peter and Nicky from our World Rally had come to welcome into the harbour and arranged a berth for us with the harbour master. So we upped anchor and entered Newlyn harbour in the dark and foggy night. It was wonderful to celebrate our arrival back in the UK with our round the world friends, even though it was 0400 in the morning and the weather was s..t!

Peter and Nicky live near Falmouth and had organised a rigger ready for us if required. Richard ‘s repair was holding and deemed good enough to get us home to Conwy without diverting to Brest or Falmouth. We felt exhilarated and overwhelmed by an unexpected sense of achievement and homecoming and pretty damned pleased to have made it be back. In 2019 on 26th July we left Newlyn for Falmouth and France and now our Odyssey is almost over. Next week we will round Land’s End, cross the Irish Sea, traverse Bardsey Sound, cruise through the Menai Straits, navigate the notorious Swellies, then sail into the Conwy River past our house to bring Celtic Star “safe and sound and home again”.