A marina with a view. The above photo is from Bonny moored in the marina, of the mountain/volcano on the island of Pico.
We were off the harbour of Horta getting the sails down at 0800 on Friday morning and we eventually docked at reception at 0900. Initial communications were a little difficult because my out of date Pilot said to call the Marina on VHF channel 10, but in fact they now used 9. Anyway that was soon cleared up. After initially telling us we would all have to get tested the next morning and isolate at anchor until then, the Marina guy decided to accept our UK vaccination certificates and allocated us a berth in the marina to which we were able to proceed immediately. Vincent with only one jab would however need to get tested the following morning at 0830. I went with him and decided to get tested whilst there. We both received the all clear - him later that day and me on Saturday.
On Friday we went for a walk around the newest part of the island, formed in 1957 when the island experienced a major volcanic eruption.
Before setting off some light refreshment was required...
The views were gorgeous...
There are some slight difference between the last two - can you spot them?
Our plan had been to swim off the beach above after our walk, but most unfortunately the beach was closed due to some sort of biological contamination, so all we could do was walk along it and gaze longlingly at the crystal clear water and imagine what might have been.
That afternoon I heard from my Spanish friend, Agustin, Port Officer for the Ocean Cruising Club on Gran Canaria that he would be flying into Horta on Saturday. We had just arranged a whale watching trip and so ahreed to meet him at Café Sport aftewards.
So on Saturday morning, we went on our whale watching trip which was a great success. Quite by chance we had picked the perfect day weather wise. Calm with a flat sea, and the wales were about in numbers. We saw almost a dozen sperm Wales, including mothers with calfs..
...and a pod of Beaker whales which apparently are not easy to see because they do not stay on the surface for more than a few seconds at a time.
We then met Agustin in Cafe Sport after the trip. He and I are developing something of a habit of meeting up in far flung places. We first met in Gran Canaria in July 2015 when I arrived there in Arctic Smoke. Then we met again that October in Guilford when Agustin was over with his job (Aircraft Engineer). A further couple of meetings on Gran Canaria followed in 2016 when I returned to work on Arctic Smoke and then again when Mick and I departed for the Cape Verde in November 2016. Our next meeting was at the Hemingway Marina, Havana, Cuba in April 2017. Quite by chance Agustin had a holiday there when I was there on Arctic Smoke. He was able to bring two tablets to replace the two that I used for Navigation, both of them having recently failed!
On Saturday evening we were invited for 'Sundowners' on board another OCC boat - 'Viola' - a large Catermaran anchored in the harbour - owned by Steve and Dihane. OCC members Bill and Laurie were also there and also Mervyn and Penny. With many other sailors there as well, there was quite a gathering.
Mervyn is rather famous in the sailing world. An ex Royal Marine and veteran skipper of various round the world 'Clipper' races and the 'OSTAR' (Original Single Handed Translantic Race). In 2017 whilst competing in the OSTAR his boat was capsized and unbeknown to him at the time, his emergency distress beacon was automatically activated and a rescue operation was launched. Some hours later, mid Atlantic, with windows stoved in and in challenging, but probably survivable conditions; following the scrambling of a Helicopter from Canada and the diversion of two ships to his location, he was faced with the difficult decision to accept rescue or to continue on. Given the resources deployed and the risks already taken by others, he chose the former. To avoid any further risk to mariners, he also decided to scuttle his precious boat.
The one consolation of the whole episode was that he was rescued by the Liner, 'The Queen Mary'!
Unbeknown to me, round about the time all of this was going on, I was in Horta (or perhaps it was Angra do Heroismo) chatting to another competitor in the OSTAR who had diverted there having sustained damage to his boat!
During the party Agustin was asked about his plans and on hearing he was at a loose end for the rest of the summer I asked if he would like to sail back to the UK with us. He gladly accepted!
After the party we ate ashore and the following morning (Sunday) we departed at 1100 for Velas on Sao Jorge, only 20 or so miles away. There we would meet up with other old OCC friends, Linda and Andy, whom I first met there in 2015
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