2017 Sail Vila do Porto, Santa Maria to Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel, Azores

Left our mooring in Vila do Porto on Santa Maria at 0700 hrs 14/06/2017

And headed round the SWestern tip of Santa Maria on a NNWerly course 

to Ponta Delgada on Sao Miguel, some 50 NMiles away. 

Our friends Stefan and Anna on S/V Zanzibar and Theo & Michelle on 

S/V Faja Lobi left at more or less the same time. 

The wind was a very pleasant SW 4 giving us a delightful beam reach. 

A pod of dolphins played alongside for a while. 

By 1500hrs, Sao Miguel came into view.  

Moored in Ponta Delgada on Sao Miguel in box 10 around 

1600hrs 14/6/2017 - total distance 56.5 NMiles in 9 hrs

2017 Hike Santa Maria PR 05 SMA Trilho da Costa Sul

At 11.15 hrs 8/6/17 Mike exited  Vila do Porto marina by its NE corner to join the Trilho da Costa Sul hike PR 05 SMA

Leaving the marina area

Crossing the small stream on the other side of the beach

Eventually joined the official trail, with views of Vila do Porto on the other side of the valley

View of Vila do Porto marina

The trail follows the walkway built at the site of the Pedreira Campo Figueral Prainha National monument 

This is an ancient quarry where building materials - Limestones and sandstones used to be extracted. Sedimentary rocks are rarely found in these volcanic islands. The rocks have abundant fossils

Shortly after the quarry, the trail enters some woods and goes past some old man-3made caves which were used to extract limestone

There are stunning coastal views along much of the trail

The coastal town of Praia comes into view - 1 1/2 hours from the marina. Here, I decided to retrace my steps and return to the marina.

On 12/6/17 I repeated the hike with Theo & Michelle from S/V Faja Lobi, but this time continued down to Praia and took a taxi back to Vila do Porto. This time we started the hike at 1200 hrs .

After steep undulating descents , the trail reaches the beach

The trail can be a bit tricky to follow at high water - low water would be advisable

Trying to avoid a drenching from breaking waves - makes for an amusing route if one is nimble enough and doesn't mind getting wet

Finally arrived in Praia at 1600 hrs (after 4 hrs) and called a taxi from a cafe there - €10 back to Vila do Porto. 

See blog of 28/6/2012 for the first time that we walked this trail.

Descriptions of this, and other trails in the Azores , can be found with the below link

http://trails.visitazores.com/sites/default/files/trails/santa-maria/pr5sma-3485.kml

2017 Sail La Palma, Canaries to Santa Maria, Azores

A favourable five day weather window for our planned trip to the Azores was forecast so at 0730hrs Tuesday 30th May 2017, we left Tazacorte Marina on the Canarian island of La Palma and headed NW for the 615 nautical mile trip to the Azores.

 

Leaving Tazacorte Marina

 

We motored for an hour in the lee of the west coast of La Palma. At 0840hrs we came out of the lee and were sailing at 60 degrees to the NE 3/4 Bft wind with 2 reefs in the main. 

By 0930 hrs we were in the acceleration zone with gusts of 35kts and lumpy seas still sailing at 60 degrees to the wind but with very little Genny. 

After an hour or so the wind settled down to a NNE 4 but the sea remained choppy. With the frequent changes in wind strength, we found the furling in and out of the Genny very demanding - until Jeannette had the bright idea of using our two electric winches which we had hardly used in all our cruising. We are now sold on the idea of electric winches - maybe a sign of old age!

 

 

 

Off watch

 

One the the several rain squalls

 

During the afternoon of 1st June we entered the Azores high, the wind dropped to a NE1 and the seas became very calm. At 1645hrs we were motoring

O 

Sunrise 3rd June

 

 

 

Afternoon 3rd June gliding along over a smooth sea sailing 60 degrees to a light ENE2/3 Bft breeze making 4 to 5 knots SOG - idyllic

 

Sailing into the sunset 2140 hrs 3rd June

 

 

Preparing to enter Portuguese waters - Spanish courtesy flag down, Portuguese courtesy flag up

 

Entered Santa Maria Marina at around 0600 hrs on the morning of 4th June - still dark but harbour lights make entrance relatively easy - and being in the lee of the island, sea was calm enough to prepare mooring lines and fenders before we entered.

 

Apart from the first 1 1/2 days when it was a bit rough, this was a very enjoyable trip - distance covered 648 nautical Miles in 4 days 22 hours of whic 34 hours motoring - maily through the Azores High.

During the trip we had set up an SSB net on 4021 and 8122 KHz at 1800 hrs each day with Theo & Michelle on S/V Faja Lobi ( who had left Tazacorte a day earlier), and Stefan & Anna on S/V Zanzibar who had left a day later - very enjoyable to be in contact with friends en passage.

Just missed Friends on S/V Danny Boy who were just leaving

 

Birthday boy !

 

2016 Sail Santa Maria to Gran Canaria 1 August 2016

The weather forecast looked good for our 730 NMile sail from Santa Maia  back to Las Palmas - wind direction mainy from the NE starting off light as the Azores High was centred over the Azores, increasing to a 4 Bft with the chance of a 5 Bft after a couple of days.

 

 

So we left Vila do Porto Marina, Santa Maria at 0845 hrs Monday 1st August 2016 in calm seas in a light ENE1 Bft wind. 

 

Shortly after leaving we noticed that reef nr 1 was not properly rigged so Mike corrected this

 

The wind remained very light but slowly increased as we motored at 5 to 6 knts out of the Azores High. 

At 1645 hrs the next day (2/8) the wind had increased to a NNE3/4 (around 10 knots) and we unfurled the Genny and started sailing on a beam reach on course 137 deg at 5 knots SOG.

 

 

The sunset around 2030hrs - beautiful sky just before dark at 2123 hrs

 

The wind strength steadily increased during the evening to 16 kts and at 2240 we furled the Genny to the first reefing point.

At 0530 hrs 3/8, dawn was breaking

 

By 1400hrs the wind was 16 to 18 kts from the ENE , sailing 60 degrees to wind at 6 knts 

 

 

 

Via our Satellite Iridium phone/redbox equipment, we downloaded the latest Grib Files from   Which indicated that the wind would increase further during the next couple of days

 

So we put 2 reefs in the mainsail and 2 reefs in Genny - had a mishap in lowering the Mainsail resulting in snapping the starboard Lazy Jack line - briefly motored into the wind to rerig it.

Sunset 2150 3/8/2016, Sailing in NE 4 BFt making 5 to 6 kts

almost cloudless. seas getting choppier

 

Wind steadily increased during the night gusting upper 20's with the sea becoming rough with waves breaking over deck and sometimes water coming over the sprayhood into the cockpit.
The wind increased further during the morning of 4/8 gusting 34 kts {7 Bft} on the beam so put in the3rd reef and furled the Genny to a very small sail. Waves 2 to 3 meters, sun & cloud. Speed 5 to 7 kts course 136 deg.

Had another rough night 4 to 5/8 with wind often over 32 knots from NE and 
at 0330 hrs wind suddenly dropped  and then headed us.

We finally got sailing again with autopilot on 50 deg app wind setting as Track setting would not handle it. We were sailing with 3 reefs main in  a 6/7 Bft 25 to 34 kt ENE wind and small genny making only 4 to 5 knots - any faster and Dutch Link behaved more like a submarine with waves 3 to 4 meters high and white 
horses everywhere. Waves occassionally breaking into the cockpit.

At 0415 hrs 5/8 reached for the Genny reefing winch and felt something slimy - turned out to be a squid that had come on board with one of the breaking waves!

 

The wind stay in the 6/7 Bft range until around 0420 hrs 6/8 when the world changed for us.

Mike gat a call from Jeannette who had the watch, to say that the mountainous waves had miraculously 
disappeared and the  wind was down to a pleasant 4 Bft.
So 3rd reef out (only 2 in now) and gradually unfurled Genny we were saiing 
at 55 degress to a nice NE 4 at 5 to 6 knots with hardly any water over the deck and could 
almost stand up in boat without holding on - wonderful.
Mike went to the forepeak to retie the anchor which had become a bit loose.

Time to relax

 

Ship ahoy

 

Las Palmas's La Isletta in view

 

Just about to enter Las Palmas harbour with an almost Full Moon to greet us

 

 

21.30 hrs moored in our berth at the Club Varadera , Las Palmas having covered 731 nautical miles in 5.5 days, average speed 5.5 knts , sailed 4 days, motored 1.5 days