Pico

Pico was the quietest of the islands we visited. The people kept to themselves. There were few tourists. What Pico is known for, besides the volcano of course, is their wine.

The Pico wine is delicious and cheap! I can not describe the shouts of glee that came from Megan and Charles as they first looked upon a wall of wine at the store, the prices seeming to cry "buy us oh thirsty sailors, buy us!".

1.5 euro, 2 euro, 3.5 euro, oh my! Even with the dollar spiteing us at every turn this is some good value. We bought plenty, and returned and bought plenty more, and so on and so on. The restaruants don't mark up the price much either. I love Portugal!

So, with this in mind we had to visit the wine country of Pico. Beautiful. Charles was disapointed in the Wine Musuem however. It was beautifully done, but with no placards and no staff. I gave him a tour with flowering explanations of the different equipment and buildings. But he didn't seem to get the value he required from the 3 mile trek to the site.

Vineyards growing in Pico. The hills are so steep and the grapes are so heavy. They use the lava stone walls to help support the grapes so they do not crush. Or maybe I made that up at the musuem. Not sure.

I think Charles is thinking of what wine he wants to buy next.

Megan and Charles at the Wine Museum of Pico.

Charles´picture of Megan with a red door.

Horta

We have been enjoying the Azores immensly. The islands are beautiful, the people are friendly. Not many speak enough english to have indepth conversations, but the ones we have talked to have been cool.

In Horta we met this older couple (late 70s) who approached the boat becasue of our US flag. Their kids moved to the states and they have visited there a few times. They had been to Boston (seems like everyone we talk to has family in Boston), Provedence and Florida. The woman did the talking as I think the man was a little embarressed to use his english. He understood everything and when he did speak he was very sweet. He told me he was blowing me a sweet kiss as he was leaving. He told his wife to blow one to Charles too. They were sooo cute.

For the first couple of days we were confused as to why only older people were talking to us. Then we realized they know english due to the fact that many of their kids live in the states now. They see us and think of their children and want to reach out.

We also met a young couple in Sao Jorge who had just returned from Boston where they were visting family. They owned the coffee shop where we were sipping esspresso. They invited us to stay with them after a 20 minute conversation.

This openess always takes me by surprise. I was in Ireland 8 years ago and my purse was stolen. A young woman and her father over heard me talking to American Express (remember travelers checks!). They offered me money and a place to stay if I needed it. I immediatly responded that I was fine and had additional funds. I was almost embarressed by their offer. But I now I better understand that generousity satisfies the giver sometimes more than it does the receiver. So, Charles and I assured our new found Azoran friends we would be in touch the next time we visit the islands.

Painted walls of Horta Marina. Its good luck for sailors to paint a mural before they leave. Charles and I decided anything we painted would just be graffiti.

Charles and Megan with the Pico volcano. It is active, but was not errupting when we were there. We had grand plans to climb it, but were so out of breather after climbing this hill on Faial we decided our sea legs were not meant to be on the top of a mountain anytime soon.

Passage Update - Bermuda to Horta

June 5th
We were only in Bermuda for 48 hours so most of our time was spent resting and prepping for the next leg. We were there long enough for Charles to see his first crazy naked sailor. Apparently the guy was just walking around checking out his boat...naked. I was disappointed he didn't take a picture for the blog.

In the short time we were there we did manage to meet another couple sailing to The Azores. Herb (the legendary weather guru) told them to wait a few more days as the wind would be better. Our weather folks told us to leave asap as we would have 10 kts off the Gulf Stream if we headed north. I guess we will see who was right... They don´t see any storms coming so Charles are ready to go. I am a little surprised I am ok with us leaving so soon. I guess I just want a safe window and will give up burgers and mango daiquiris to get it.

We met a guy who works at a marina in town while we were waiting for customs. He told us about a couple he had met a few years back. They sold everything they had to sail around the world. They hit a storm on the way to Bermuda. The woman said that´s it. So they sold the boat in Bermuda (for 100k, 150k less than they paid) and flew back to the states. yikes. Everyone says the boat can take more than you can. I am going to trust Gertrude and say my prayers!!

One of the cruise ships in the harbor came from Charleston, SC. Of course! When people asked where we were from and we told them Charleston, they assumed we were on the cruise ship. So disheartening! Darn it, we sailed here!!!! On our own little boat!!! :) We also ran into Bill Dunleavy ( I think that was his first name) the owner of Dunleavy´s bar on Sullivan´s Island, SC. He sailed from the islands with a friend. He has a 40 foot Hans Christian; a beautiful boat! He chatted with us about our journey for a bit. Very nice guy.

While we were fueling up the boat Bernie (the older man who helped us at the customs office) rode his scooter by to wish us well on our journey. Such a sweet man. He thought today was a great day to be leaving based on the weather and confirmed what the weather guys told us.
Bermuda is now just a blob in the distance. Its crazy that we were just in civilization and now there is absolutely nothing around us. Nothing for another 17 days or so. This will be the longest leg of the passage.



1st.Charles enjoying wine and a cigar

2nd. Charles and Megan with the cruise ship from Charleston in the back ground.





3rd. Gertrude threading the needle. This is the entrance to the harbor. The only entrance, so that cruise ship came through here as well!














June 6th 3:40am
Back on the night watch.
We have been in the path of two container ships tonight. We didn´t see a single ship on the way to Bermuda and now we have seen two in 3 hours. Ugh We must be in a shipping lane right now. Both ships were with in 3 miles of us, which feels way too close when all you can see are lights coming at you. Its pretty scary. We have radar though so we can tell exactly what they are doing and can change course if we need to. They saw us and everything was fine. I think our experience in Charleston harbor made us more comfortable sailing around them. Goodness, we have been yards from them in the harbor. There is just no avoiding them unless you stay home.

Later that day...
Charles and I didn´t sleep well last night so we are sleeping in shifts today. The seas are pretty decent today. The biggest waves we have had yet. Every 10th wave is twice the size of the others. They are only 4-8feet. No problem for Gertrude! They sky is pretty hazyand it rained a little today. We have had great wind. We are moving 5-7 kts which is great!















June 7
The sun is shining on rolling waves this morning. This leg is showing me different sides of the ocean. Nothing scary, just different. The waves are still only 10-15 feet. But not breaking at all. Pretty low key. We slept much better last night! No ships. I think we are out of the traffic.

later that day....
I saw a whale today!!! It was about 200 feet off our bow. I didn´t get a picture as he was shy. I was so excited I woke Charles up. He only saw it spray. He asked that in the future I only wake him if its charging the hull. ha ha! It looked like a small sperm whale. I wanted to capture him and take him with us, but Charles thought we should stay on course. bummer.

June 13th
We have had great wind! When we are moving at 8 kts it feels like you are standing up on a roller coaster. The last couple of days we spend most of our time sitting down. We don´t hang out in the cockpit cause its more comfortable down below. We heel over at about 10-15 degrees, but when a wave hits us we move to 40. That puts our head sail in the water and me on my butt!
We ran into the outskirts of a squal this morning. Pretty crazy! We sailed right out of it in a matter of minutes, but the wind was pretty intense. Our headsail got caught on the radar and the UV cover got snagged. Something to fix in The Azores.
We came across another sailboat the other day. He was pretty far away, but he called us on the VHF. He asked that we get in touch with his friend in the Azores and let him know that Noah is on his way, just moving slow. He assumed we would beat him there. hmmm, we will see!
No more whales, no ships. We have seen birds the entire trip. They are our buddies. I talk to them like a crazy person. I guess birds are not a sign land is near, unless there is an uncharted island close.















June 14th
We saw a container ship today. It was only about a mile from us, but it was daylight so I wasn´t nervous. If it was dark I would have been pissed off! We also saw a twister in the sky. We were not in any danger. It was far away!






















June 18th
The seas are annoying this morning. The wave are about 8-10 feet and they are coming by every second. The wind and waves are at our stern which makes for a rocky ride. The sails hate it. Its hard to sleep because your body can´t relax. You just roll all night. I think I have an easier time sleeping than Charles. If it were the gentle rocking of a cradle we would be out. But we are rolling at 30 degrees and back. The autopilot doesn´t like it either, so we are manually steering more than normal. Not a big deal, just annoying. The good news is we are only 264 miles from Horta!!! We have plenty of food, water, diesel, and coffee. We are almost out of soda. Charles has resorted to drinking the grape soda I bought by accident. The cans are green and yellow. I assumed it was lemon lime. oops.
The sun as progessivly risen earlier and earlier, but we are not sure what time zone we are on. I am guessing we are 4 hours ahead of Charleston. We will see when we get to Horta!

June 19th
We finally saw life from the ocean! A pod of little dolphins. Not sure what they are called. I will have to google it. They were the size of tuna and fast little suckers!

Photos from the Passage

The Açores!!!!

We are here! We made it through the longest leg of our Atlantic passage and have found a comforting Portuguese oasis in Horta, Faial. I will update you on our adventures and return email as soon as I have more time. Charles and I have been extremely busy eating and sleeping. The last 48 hours of our trip consisted of an uninvited, unpredictable low pressure system. We were surrounded in storms, but never got much of the rain or lightening, thank goodness. However I am not sure the wind and waves appreciated us much. We were 100% safe and Gertrude won in the end. Our poor autopilot struggled to keep our course so we were manually steering a majority of the time. With only two of us were we pretty tired by the time we docked at customs yesterday. Our autopilot is our third crew member!

AND despite my internal compass experiencing magnetic anomalies since birth, our charts and tools we have aboard helped us find the islands. Gertrude surfed large breaking waves right into Horta harbor where we docked safely at the customs dock. Thanks to Captain Charles and some great boat wrangling ala First Mate Megan.

We have our boat in the marina as there is limited anchoring in Horta and we have a list of minor repairs. Our poor Genoa was beat to hell in the wind. She looks like a sail for a pirate ship now. At the customs dock an older couple from Virginia (the only Americans we have seen) approached us with questions about the storms we went through. They noticed the shredded UV cover on our sail, as well as the jerry rigged boomvang (Shock absorbant rope that holds the boom to the boat). We think it looks cool, but don´t want them permanent features of our boat.

The Azores are beautiful. The geography reminds me of Hawaii and the Aran islands of Ireland. Maybe the pictures will confirm this. Thanks for all your prayers. We love you all and can´t wait to share our stories as soon as we have had our fill of sleep, wine, bread, fruit, vegetables, fish, ice cream, milk, and exercise. After a month on a boat we lose our breath very easily on these hills!

































1st. Horta Harbor through Gertrude´s eyes
2nd. The entrance to the Harbor and farms on the hill
3rd.Charles after our first meal. Don´t fret. This was before sleep. He was inwardly extremely happy after a huge meal of fried mackerel, garlic potatoes, fish kabobs, local cheeses, bacon wrapped dates, chcolate crepe, ice cream crepe, and local wine from pico. 10 minutes later we were passed out!

Bermuda at last!

The customs offical was a woman, and she did not look like she wanted to be hugged. We went through a narrow Town Cut and into St. Georges Harbor around 7am Bermuda time(6amET). Docking at the customs dock was a little hairy. But we made it with the help of Bernie. Bernie has worked the customs dock for the last half century. He liked our boat as he had once sailed a Catlina and had even been to the factory where they custom built a new rudder for him (they purchased Morgan in the late 80's). He grew up in Bermuda and has seen it change a lot. He still reccomended we hang out in St. George though. Which to me appeared very touristy. We passed a huge cruise ship as we motored in. He left us at the dock as he said he needed to return to his wife. For some reason I wanted to go with him. He just seemed like someone you could learn a lot from.

Bernie returned 30 minutes later. Several other boats had arrived and he wanted to make sure the customs offical new we were first. Very kind man.

Later that day...

So after checking in, finding our anchorage and sleeping for a few hours (we were up all night long!!!) we wandered St. George. The pictures say it all!

I did find my cheeseburger. Probably not the best thing to order on an island with no living cows, but hell, it was the best darn burger I have EVER had in my life. mmmmmmmm I also had a Mango Daquiri. I don't think there are mangos here either. Bermuda is a place where you can get anything you want. They cater to American tourists who are not used to leaving their burgers and mango daquiri's behind!

Quiet sleepy day

Charles saw two ships during his night shift. We are getting closer! We are hearing regular transmissions from Bermuda Harbor Radio. Weather, navigational hazards. Each communication from the man with the english accent, I view as an outreach of pure love. Little does the poor customs dude know; I am going to hug him when I see him. Hey, I am SURE it has happened before!

We called Bermuda Radio to check in. We plan to be there by day break on 6/3/08. They told us to call back when we are 5 miles south of St. Georges Head Light House. There is a container ship planned to cut in at 7am and a cruse shop at 10:30. I am banking on getting there at 6am baby! F- the money makers. I want a cheeseburger!!!!!!!

In all seriousness Bermuda is a volcanic island. This means the land rises out of NO WHERE! You can sail along with 1000 feet and all of the sudden be grounded on a reef. Uh, no thank you! Charles and I went over and over our approach. When we called we also asked if our heading was ok. The gentlemen was very friendly and helpful. So we are hoping to get there by 5am, scratch and dent free!!!! They run the island like air traffic control. From what I have seen and read, the cut into the harbor is very narrow.

Later that night...
BERMUDA!!! The sun went down and we finally see signs of civilization! We are 17 miles from the western “corner” of the island and we can see lights. The comforting glow I referred to when we were leaving the east coast. Yeah!!!

Paradise days away

I am easing into this. At the beginngin of the trip we cared less about Bermuda. Now, I can’t f-ing wait!!!!!!! I am sure it is a paradise that will bestow cheeseburgers and french-fries upon us. As well as fresh fruit! Mango? Does mango grow in Bermuda. What grows in an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean? Seriously I did no research because I saw it simply as a means to an end. Now I am sooo curious! What is the history, is it just another Caribbean Island. I have been to The Islands. For the most part they are over priced, run by a set of corrupt “government officials” whose best interest is putting money in their own pocket. So I will give you a pure synopsis of Bermuda. Pure because despite my biases, I am so desparate for land that I am sure it will over compensate any biased impurities I may see. Can I just get a cheeseburger please?
Ahhhhh!!! We heard Bermuda Harbor Radio on our VHS for the first time. I know this will be paradise. Paradise I tell you!

So beautiful!!!