Flores - Development of Porto das Lajes

The historic photos in this blog are also courtesy of Tiago, the Manager of the Porto das Flores Marina - thank you again Tiago.

They show the development of the port  in stages over the years from a small whaling station and fishing port with a quay for docking small boats to a port with a substantial breakwater for docking ferries and freighters and container ships to, as of  2010, port with a separate protected marina

 

not so calm

 construction/repair

waiting for the passenger ship

passenger ship almost anchored

 Ships had to anchor off at this stage of development and cargoes and passengers brought ashore by small boats

the passengers arrive by shuttle boat

 Work starts on the main breakwater

 enabling ships to dock alongside for the first time

 The new breakwater

 The breakwater at night

Stormy weather

 Portos das Lajes in 2012, complete with marina - and Dutch Link moored inside the protected marina breakwater.

the port has come a long, long way since the original whaling station/ fishing port in terms of safe mooring

Some of the islanders that we talked too, however, are not so enthousiastic about the progress. They prefered the prestine bay before all the harbour development

As a visiting sailors, however, we very much appreciated the safe feel of the snug marina.

Whaling from Flores

During the Festa for the Emigrants in Lajes , Flores, The Club Nautica showed several videos of old photos taken of the last whaling carried out from Lajes and Santa Cruz.
Tiago, the Marina Manager, kindly gave me copies of these old photos, many of which are displayed below - thank you very much Tiago.
All the photos date from the pre 1986 whaling moritorium.
Most of the whales caught off Flores were Sperm Whales.

Below are even older black and white photos

 Occassionally a whaling boat would capsize - this person has the reputation, I understand, of never getting wet !

 Meanwhile some youngsters seem to have found a whale to play with close inshore