Ola from Viva!
After 17 days, 30 minutes, and 42 seconds at sea, Viva safely tied up at the marina reception/custom dock in the port of Horta on the island of Faial on Saturday, June 6. After completing the necessary immigration paperwork, refueling (having coasted in on basically diesel fumes), and most importantly, scrubbing away two plus weeks at sea in as long a hot shower that you wanted, the crew of Viva hit the town looking fresh and clean and wobbly on our forgotten land-legs. Like any self-respecting sailor, our first stop of course was Peters Cafe Sport. Peter´s has been a watering hole and meeting place for sailors for more years than anyone on Viva can remember. We ate our first meal on dry land at Canto da Doca. This lively restaurant featured an unusual gimmick, you have to cook your own food. Everything they serve - fillets, chicken, fish, prawns, even eggs - is brought to your table raw along with a very hot rock. It´s then up to you to cook your entree to your liking on this rock. I tried to return to the kitchen a piece of tuna that turned out like leather, but the server just told me that I should pay more attention to my rock. I guess it must really cut down on the restaurant´s overhead when they don´t have to pay any chefs.
On Monday ARC organized a minibus tour of Faial (Thanks Fionn!) for all of the fleet stragglers that missed the earlier coach tour. The highlight of any tour of Faial should be the dormant caldeira that lies at the highest peak of the island. According to the photos I have seen, the views are simply amazing. Unfortunately, on the day we arrived the fog was so thick that you could hardly see your feet let alone the lake at the bottom of the crater. However, the views we glimpsed on the rest of the tour proved Faial to be a beautiful little island. I never imagined any of the Azores to be so green. Very fertile land. I found it interesting that most of the fields used rows of tall bamboo as plot dividers. By far though, for me, the most fascinating part of the island was the westernmost tip, Ponta dos Capelinhos, where the most recent volcanic activity had taken place, sometime in the 1950´s. The eruption site, located some kilometers offshore, added new land to the island, about half of which has since been eroded by the sea in the past 50 years. The land that remains looks like it belongs on another planet compared to the rest of Faial. Nothing much green growing there yet. Just raw volcanic ash and rock that until very recently had never seen the light of day. In sharp contrast to the bleak landscape of Ponta dos Capelinhos is the marina wall in Horta. Thousands of sailors have left their colorful mark on any available surface and now Viva can be found as well. Josh and Giulia painted a lovely pink square that proves we were there. I hope to get back and add another one day.
Our most exciting news from Horta is without a doubt the resurrection of our beloved Hugo. Thanks to the amazingly quick and efficient efforts of Duncan Sweet, Nathan, and Clive from Mid-Atlantic Yacht Services, our Autohelm ST 7000 is back in business. We gave Hugo a solid test run on our easy 25 hour sail from Horta on Faial to Ponta Delgada on San Miguel and he performed wonderfully. Ponta Delgada is a thriving metropolis compared to quiet Horta. It is the largest city in the Azores on the largest island. I heard another ARC sailor call it "the Paris of the Azores." I´m sure Parisians are threatening a libel suit as you read this, but there are some very pale comparisons. Scenic peaceful parks, lots of squares and churches, and plenty of small cafes and bars. We were lucky to be visiting the Azores and Ponta Delgada in particular during the time of some major religious festivals. The seemingly continuous celebrations for the Festival of the Holy Ghost and festivals for various beloved saints offered us a glimpse into an important aspect of Portuguese culture. While I did not understand much of what was going on, I could appreciate the flower strewn paths winding along streets and sidewalks, leading eventually to a church entrance, the bands comprised of people ranging from 8 to 80, and the fireworks that rang out at all hours helping people to stay abreast of the festival progression. After witnessing one young man on the street, three quick loud bursts means you better get your butt to church ASAP.
Yesterday Ponta Delgada was witness to another fabulous race start by the ARC fleet. It was also a profitable start for me as I capitalized on a bet with Fionn and won one whole Euro. For some strange reason, Fionn did not have faith that Viva would make the start of the race. Not only did we make the start, but we were definitely one of the first 30 boats across. So after an exciting week on land, taking advantage of the friendliness and hospitality of the Azorean people, Viva and her crew are back at sea. Currently we are in our usual position of rearguard for the fleet, but we might yet have some tricks up our sleeves. Stay tuned to find out.
..Deep Thoughts from B