Horta Recap
Well, it has been eight days since we arrived in the Azores. And they are stunning!
The Azores are a series of 9 islands, formed by volcanoes rising from the ocean floor. They were discovered and settled by Portuguese navigators in the 15th century. During the Age of Exploration, the islands served as a key stop for ships traveling between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Today, the Azores are an autonomous region of Portugal, known for their volcanic landscapes and strategic Atlantic location. The economy is driven mainly by tourism, agriculture, dairy farming, fishing, and related food processing industries. Their main exports are milk, cheese, and other dairy products, as well as fish—especially tuna.
Our week in Horta was full. We had laundry to do. The boat had to be cleaned top to bottom to remove the seawater stains and dried-up salt deposits from all the seawater that had come into the boat. And we also had to make repairs. We replaced our headsail furling line, which snapped while we were underway to the Azores. We also removed the gooseneck that attached our boom to our mast. We noticed, again, while underway, that some of the bolts were backing out. Ken was able to remove the gooseneck fairly easily, and we had a local marine shop drill and tap larger holes in both the gooseneck and the mast so we could reinstall it with beefier bolts. Mid-Atlantic Marine Yacht Services, locally known as Mays, was incredible! They were able to quickly turn us over so that we could get back to the business of sailing!
Ken removing the gooseneck.
The gooseneck reinstalled with bigger bolts
Horta is on the island of Faial. It is a popular midway point for sailors on a transatlantic route to Europe, North America, or the Caribbean. The harbor was full of vessels from all over the world: Germany, France, Sweden, the USA, and the UK were some of the countries we’ve seen most frequently represented. It is nothing to walk down the street or sit in a restaurant and hear five different languages being spoken. I have loved being among so many from different cultures, and we all have an instant camaraderie—we all crossed the Atlantic and lived to tell about it.
A time-honored tradition in Horta calls for each sailor to paint their boat's name, logo, or insignia and crew on the breakwater walls, sidewalks, and walls. Legend has it that skipping the ritual invites serious misfortune on the passage ahead — not a risk we want to take! So we happily added Remedy's fingerprint to the island's colorful history. The variety of contributions and the artistry were often incredible. Some brought stencils and their own paints. Some, like us, sourced paint from a local hardware store and freehanded it as best we could. And we, of course, had to include our sweet Simah as honorary crew. She served as our boat mascot for several years before getting too old to continue with us. But she will always be with us in spirit!
We also spent time exploring all the island has to offer—local foods, architecture, volcanic sites, and more. We may have partaken in gelato a few times. And I definitely enjoyed local pastries and espresso! I love the city's aged feel and its crisp white buildings with terra cotta roofs.
We met new friends from Ipswich, UK, where we are currently planning to spend the winter, as well as new friends from Ireland, our next destination. Both have already given us wonderful tips and have offered to be a resource to us when we get there. Plus, one of them was a rock climber, so Ken is very excited to perhaps have a climbing connection when we get there.
All in all, our time in Horta was wonderful, but we were ready to explore some more of the islands, so this past Monday, we set off for São Jorge, an island around 20 nm away from Faial. It was a glorious, peaceful downwind sail. It was predicted we would not have any wind and might have to motor, but we had just enough to use our asymmetrical spinnaker. It was a beautiful day!
All is well!
On our way to São Jorge.
Here is a gallery of pictures from our time in Horta. If you are viewing this email from your phone, you will need to click this link to view the original post from the website!
