Hike Sao Miguel Sete Cidades PR4SMI, PR3SMI & PR25SMI 7 October 2011

Caught the 0825hrs bus from Ponta Delgada to the western caldera of Sete Cidades on Friday 7 October. The weather forecast was for a warm sunny day. Around 0930hrs, got off the bus at the bend above the village where there is a link track to the PR 4 SMI walking trail which follows the farm track along the top of the northern crater rim

Please click on photos to enlarge

As we set off, the sky was a hazy blue - it looked as though the weather forecast was going to be correct.

The track went through an area where lumber jacks were busy felling part of the Cryptomeria Japonica forest. Later we saw several cleared areas, some of which had already been replanted. At an age of around 40 years, we understand that the roots of these superb quick growing trees start to rot, so the forestry management have a policy of felling  and replanting. The timber is good for building construction.

 By 0950hrs we started to get our first views of one of the caldera lakes.

 and shortly afterwards had good views of the sea to the north of the island

 The town of Sete Cidades came into view nestled in the west side of the caldera. In the foreground is a clump of the beautiful Amaryllis, Belladonna , which grow wild all over the island. As their flowering usually coincides with return to school after the summer holidays, they are also called "Meninas para a escola" literally translated as "Girls back to school".

A zoomed-in view of Sete Cidades

 The steep cliffs on the north side of the shimmering lake - our track stays on the narrow rim on top of the cliffs around the lake

 In the Azores, cows are everywhere

 The sides of the track are thickly grown with Ginger lilies, Hedychium Gardnerianum

 Most of the beautiful orange flowers have died but a few remain

 More views of the caldera

 The track climbs to the highest point, the 845 meter Pico de Cruz

From where we had hazy views of the east of the island

 After descending a steep concrete track we reached a field which we crossed in an endeavour to find a short cut to the track which follows the rim to the west of the caldera, route PR 3 SMI

 more wonderful views towards the caldera

 After exploring the far side of the field we found a track in the woods which led to a car park for a popular viewpoint. There we were very fortunate to meet a very friendly German couple who , when asked the way to the start of the second part of the hike, told us we had to follow a boring road for several kilometers and would we like a lift in their car. We accepted with alacrity as we were getting a bit concerned about the distance we had to walk to catch the last bus. So we joined them on the short walk to the viewpoint before being taken to the disused hotel at the start of the hike.

 Thanks to our kind new friends we were at the start of hike PR3SMI by 1330hrs

 At times along the rim we had glimpses through the trees of the caldera and the northern rim where we had been a couple of hours earlier

Took a panorama video of the magnificent hike we were on - very unusual to be able to see more or less the entire 15 or so km hike from one location.

Please click on arrow to watch video clip

 A few kilometers before the end of the caldera rim track, we came across the track down to the village of Ginetes, 3.8 km away on the southern side of the island - hike PR 25 SMI. As it was only 1450hrs and the bus did not leave Sete Cidades until 1625hrs, we decided to follow this track and catch the bus at Ginetes.

The track was bordered in places by enormous hedges of Hydrangers - which must have given a magnificent floral display a few weeks earlier

At times the track was so steep that, in order to save our knees , we walked backwards

Please click on arrow to watch video clip

 At 1600 hrs we arrived in Ginetes, at the start of the PR 25 SMI hike

 Treated ourselves to an icecream while waiting opposite the Ginetes Church for the 1700hrs bus back to Ponta Delgada.



Hike Sao Miguel PRC33SMI from Joao Bom 5 October 2011

Yesterday was a public holiday in Portugal and the Azores celebrating Republic Day. Between 4–5 October 1910, there was a coup d'état against the already weak constitutional monarchy. The young King Manuel II and his family escaped for exile to England. On the morning of 5 October 1910, the Republic was declared from the balcony of Lisbon City Hall, ending several centuries of monarchy in Portugal.

So we joined Ana & Joao from S/V Danny Boy, Luisa and friend Anna for hike PRC33SMI on the north west coast of Sao Miguel. The hike started in the village of Joao Bom.

Ana and Jeannette beautify themselves with Fushia earings

Joao introduces us to this wild edible berry - the Groselha or Red Currant

The route took us to the top of cliffs with magnificent views of the rugged coastline

A narrow path skirts the steep cliff face

which we negociate with caution

to a water collection facility

The remains of a Ginger Lily - most of the flowers have died. Jaoa showed us how to suck the sweet nectar from a flower stalk

Another glimpse of the coast

Clinbing up through the Laurasilva forest

Luisa pauses for a rest

In the evening, we have supper on Dutch Link - Alice brought us a bunch of the beautiful Bella Donnas (a type of Amaryllis) from their garden. These flowers bloom at this time of the year and can be seen growing wild all over the island. As their flowering usually coincides with return to school after the summer holidays, they are also called "Meninas para a escola" literally translated as "Girls back to school".

Ponta Delgada 30 Sept to 4 October 2011

Have had a very enjoyable stay so far in Ponta Delgada seeing sailing friends from Sao Miguel and Colette & Keith from S/V Alice Gull and Teresa & Luis from S/V Limay

Below are Agustinho & Anna from S/V Desafinado, Claudina from S/V 5 Estrelas and Luna & Herberto on Dutch Link

Sail from Terceira to Ponta Delgada 30 September 2011

Yes, after 2 months enjoying relaxing in Praia da Vitoria on the island of Terceira, we have finally left. When we arrive in Praia, our intention was to stay only one week. However, we found it so pleasant - very friendly fellow yachties, local people, good hiking, swimming from the marina most days, picturesque old fiesta loving town - that we gradually gave up the idea of revisiting the other islands and just stayed where we were.

However, the weather is now certainly showing signs of the approaching autumn/ winter , with more frequent strong southerly winds, more rain and slightly cooler air - all in all time to move south.

The grib files showed that early Friday morning, 30 September 2011 would be a good time to leave.




So at 1500hrs on Thursday 29 September, we reluctantly said farewell to our friends and motored out of the marina and anchored in the bay on the otherside of the marina breakwater.

View of the town and marina breakwater from the anchorage with menacing cloudbank:

 View of hill with statue of the Virgin Mary - our daily before breakfast hike for the previous two months

 Close up of the almost 300 stone steps which daily exercised our leg muscles and cardio

 At midnight on Thursday 29 September we raised anchor and hoisted the mainsail then motored in an almost dead calm under a clear moonless but brilliant starlit sky out of the bay heading 134 degrees, ie SE towards Sao Miguel, 90 Nautical Miles away. Amazingly two freighters decided to leave within minutes of our passage through the gap in the breakwaters and accompanied us for a while only a few hundred meters to port.

The light NWerly wind gradually increased as we left the island behind us, reaching force 4  at 00300hrs. So we turned off the motor and sailed downwind under just the mainsail. At 0645hrs, daybreak, we gybed to avoid the Banco D Joao de Castro, a patch of rocks just 12 meters under the water and unfurled and poled out  the Genny.

 First sight of Sao Miguel

 After a good but slow and rolly trip, often with painfully flogging sails, we moored next to our friends Keith and Collete on S/V Alice Gull at Ponta Delgada marina at 1930 hrs on Friday 30 September after a trip of 90 Nmiles.

 We look forward to meeting up again with all our sailing friends who live on Sao Miguel.