Category: Portugal Page 12 of 24
It was a late night, or better early morning, when I left the Ponta Delgada Live (PDL) White Ocean Festival 2022. Fantastic event for the local community, some great bands playing until 5am in the morning in a magnificent decorated scenery. I need a white trouser! 
The next festival will start in less than a week’s time: Festival das Marés 2022 scheduled from 11-13 August.
Apart from some swell leftovers the sea is calm as the wind dropped to 5kts as predicted. Slow-going we followed our track passing a number of fishing vessels, some needed incredible attention and others just a glance. One trawler drove me nuts and finally I passed with a minimum distance of 0.5nm. AIS and Radar is a great help for these occasions.
Stars and waxing moon had to give way after some hours and grey sky seem to have taken over again. Sunrise is 6:48am today, not sure it will be visible.
The approach into Porto Delgada is very straight forward and the engine will take us on the last few miles now to a secured berth.
Good to be back especially with the prospect of Susan’s arrival shortly to share some time in the Azores together.
Fair winds…
We have slowed down to 2-3kts now going into the night. The lady is still providing comfort at this speed without shaking and banging. The shoreline has come closer but I will maintain a distance of at least 3nm until the day brakes.
Had a delicious dinner sponsored by Petra and Jan from SY Sutje. I was fortunate and got a boiled down glas each of green cabbage and bread dumpling the other day and together with a spicy Chorizo it gave a very yummy combo and easy to prepare. Thank you!
Took a shower, enjoyed the sunset and now ready to drift along while staying on watch…
Good night.
Pleasant and uneventful sail so far. We are 20nm towards the western tip of São Miguel and have already visibilty to the land. The latest weather data predict that the wind will cease further over the next 12 hours. We have plenty of time and will slow down again to enjoy the lights coming from São Miguel island while passing along in darkness. Sailing mate Rene, skipper of SY Momentum of Fal, will receive our lines in the marina at 7am in the morning. What a service. Thank you!
I will now prepare for dinner.
Fair winds…
The arrival of the race boats gets delayed and I was allowed to stay for another night in the marina. This suits me very well as the racing fleet is sailing exactly opposite to my planned direction and we would have met sometime in the night. Asking the harbour master, if all participating boats have AIS I got shaking shoulders with a “probably not”. Asking, if they at least keep position lights on the answer was “well, it is a race, perhaps not”! My departure is now planned for 7am tomorrow morning following a narrow SW wind band moving from Terceira to São Miguel and meeting the racing fleet during daylight, hopefully.
I have decided to go back to São Miguel at bit earlier as the wind predictions over the next week or so are not very stable and I have a hard stop to be in Ponta Delgada latest by 14th August, the day Susan will arrive.
One more time, I hope the wind will stay until my arrival in Ponta Delgada but some engine hours on the final approach might be unavoidable again.
I look forward to another relaxed passage.
Good night.