The northerlies filled in sooner than expected and gradually built in strength so we have had some great sailing over the past couple of days and have made good speed. I am appreciating more and more the value of the staysail. It is such a tiny sail in comparison with the genoa but since the apparent wind was forward of the beam, even in lighter winds we have been flying.. Read More
We have had mixed conditions over the last couple of days. The emphasis has been on maintaining a boat speed of at least 5 knots and keeping a little north of the rhumb line in anticipation of a current sweeping us south as we approach Portugal and northerly winds to fill in. Yesterday we had some periods of great sailing, including about 4 hours of flying the spinnaker, resulting in.. Read More
So, after close to 3000 miles and Mike diligently running the fishing lines out almost every morning, trying different lures, bringing the lines back in before dusk, we have caught our second fish! The only problem was that he was sleeping at the time so Benjy is the one who landed the very handsome big-eyed tuna on deck, getting all the glory with photos to prove it, much to Mike’s.. Read More
Our sail from Sao Miguel was very relaxed as we had a down wind sail in winds of around 10-16 knots so, once we had poled out the genoa, we could relax and enjoy the sunshine along the way, occasionally passing another ARC boat, which always feels good. We arrived in the early evening, just enough time to make the uphill trek to the town of Villa Do Porto, take.. Read More
Sao Miguel is the largest and most populated of the 9 Azorean islands; approximately half the population of the Azores lives on Sao Miguel and half the population of Sao Miguel lives in Ponta Delgada. The island was one of the first islands to be discovered and settled by the Portugese around 1440. Today it is known as the green island owing to the lush and varied vegetation throughout the.. Read More
Although the Sun was not much in evidence during our short stay on Terceira, we have none-the-less very much enjoyed the stop. Angra Do Herosimo has been a UNESCO world heritage site since 1983 by virtue of its importance during the maritime discoveries Renaissance period that allowed trade between the Orient, Americas and Europe. It was twice the capital of Portugal, would you believe! The architecture is quite curious, clearly.. Read More
It’s hard to believe we have been in Failal for over 3 days; it has been very nice not to have to spend too much of it fixing things, for a change. The focus seems to have been on getting to know a little bit about the island and the folks on the other boats, particularly those whom we have heard regularly on the SSB nets each day. The.. Read More
We are still pinching ourselves …. We made it over 1900 miles from Bermuda to Horta on Failal in the Azores! It feels very good to have our feet back on dry land again …. and surprisingly, it doesn’t seem to be rocking. We met up with folks from the other ARC Europe boats at Peters Cafe, a sailors must in Horta that is celebrating 100 years this year. Pete’s.. Read More
The anticipation onboard is rising…. Horta is now only 32 miles away … unfortunately almost directly into the rising Sun so we haven’t spotted land yet. We expect to make landfall this afternoon. A strange phenomenon is occurring with the AIS. Normally we only see other boats out to maybe 30 miles for large ships and around 4-5 miles for yachts as the signal is sent and received by VHF.. Read More
As dawn is breaking on Day 13, I just had to jot down yesterday’s highlights. Not only was it a great sailing day but we also spotted whales breaching about a quarter of a mile away and there seemed to be dolphins all over the place, some that seemed to be on a mission, ahead of the whales, and others who were in a more playful mood, especially around our.. Read More