Bermuda to Azores | Days 15 & 16
First sight of land. The island of Faial.
We made it!!
Day 15 was another beautiful day of sailing. The winds were around 15 kts, the seas were mild, and Remedy happily sailed along. Several times throughout the day, we enjoyed watching the dolphins. I think we have seen at least three different kinds of dolphins since embarking on this leg of our journey. Last night, we watched a documentary on the Azores and learned there are around 29 species of dolphins and whales in the surrounding waters. What I thought were Common Dolphins last week were not. But yesterday, we had Common Dolphins with us throughout the day. Their coloring is distinct: dark gray/black on top and a white belly. They look like small orcas. Beautiful creatures! We also saw the Spotted Dolphin and the Bottlenose Dolphin.
We arrived in the Azores around 11:30 am on Monday, exactly 15 days after departing Bermuda. It was dramatic! The island of Pico, looming over us, with its summit peeking out of the clouds. The island of Faial, our final destination, has its lush green hills and Mediterranean-style buildings dotting the landscape. The beautiful blue waters. Just stunning!
We ran into a seasoned sailor who arrived the day before us. This was his second crossing, and he said this one was significantly more challenging weather-wise. We have nothing to compare it to, but sheesh, I agree that it was challenging.
Once we arrived, we had to inflate our dinghy, remove it from the foredeck of the boat, and launch it back in the water. Then we made our way to Immigration and Customs to check into the country. The process took us around an hour. After getting checked in, we spent the rest of the day getting our wiggles out. After fifteen days of sitting aboard with limited mobility, it felt good to stretch our legs. We spent most of the day just walking the streets to get our bearings: Where can we get groceries? Where can we do laundry? Where can we dispose of trash? And, most importantly, where can we get ice cream?! Though now that we are in Europe, it is gelato. I had pistachio and Stracciatella, and Ken had a classic peanut butter and chocolate.
First sighting of the famous tradition. All those who complete their crossing to the Azores paint their boat name, logo, and crew members somewhere along the walkways and stone walls. We can’t wait to add Remedy’s mark among them!
Celebratory gelato!
Remedy on anchor with Mt. Pico in the background.
Yesterday was a full day of chores. We had tons of laundry to do since many, many things were soaked with seawater during the gale. Laundry was a divide-and-conquer task since the laundry facilities here are small and incredibly crowded. One of us took two large loads to one facility, and one took the other two large loads to a second facility. Even still, we had to wait in long lines, and it took a large portion of the day. We also began cleaning the boat and starting repairs, which are thankfully small.
We plan to be here around 3-4 weeks before we depart on the final leg of our crossing to Ireland. The weather continues to look a bit unsettled in the Atlantic, so hopefully, by the time we are ready to depart, things will settle down, and we can have a more relaxing crossing! Until then, the focus will be on getting some WholeHearted Project work done, making repairs, enjoying time on land, and exploring all these beautiful islands have to offer.
All is well!
Overall Trip Stats
Total Miles Sailed 2154 nm
Average Boat Speed 5.9kts
Max Boat Speed 14.8kts
Total Hours Travel Time 362 hours
Number of Hours Motoring 87 hours
Highest wind we saw: 40.5 kts
Number of showers we got to take in 14 days: 3, maybe 4??
Number of Flying Fish Rescued 2
Number of Flying Fish Who Met Their Demise 2
Number of Weather Fronts We Ran From 2
Number of dolphins spotted: Too many to count
Whale sightings: 1
Things repaired underway:
Jammed mainsail
Watermaker
AC power (temporary workaround)
Things that met their demise:
1 jerry jug of diesel
1 board that secured our extra jugs of diesel
1 MacBook power cord
6-7 books
2 portlight screens
1 as of yet identified outlet
1 bolt on the gooseneck (connects our boom to our mast)
Here is a gallery of pictures from our first sights of land. If you are viewing this email from your phone, you will need to click this link to view the original post from the website!
