LOG DAY 24 : HORTA , FAIAL, The Azores,

A Lady
Stephen Hyde
Tue 29 May 2012 11:39
TUESDAY  29th  May 2012,
 
Its a fresh day here today and very cloudy to boot,
The harbour is very well sheltered and a great stopping off place for boats of all descriptions crossing
the Atlantic from west to east. The marina's cannot cope with all the boats at present, so all along the quay
walls the baots are rafted  4 to 5 deep .
There are still some boats yet to arrive and by all accounts are having a tough time with the wind
changing direction every few hours,
 
Voyageur arrived yesterday just as we were on the Ferry on our way over to PICO,
We got the 10,30pm ferry across to this Island a few miles to the east of HORTA where we are
rafted up with others to the quay wall ,
On the subject of quay walls, It is tradition here to paint something on the wall before leaving , it is
suppose to bring luck, the result is a fantastic collection of art work across all the quay walls, and we will
do one before leaving,
Many irish boats have paintings here already , including " Mary P "
 
PICO was terrific, our taxi man, " Carlos" spoke perfect english and took us to all the sights and places
that were open , as this was a holiday , and so is today,
We had lunch in a local family restaurant and had blood sausages plus french fries, all locally produced, 
On that, these Islands are self sufficient in all food matters,
Almost all holdings are like little farms and produce wine, rear their own pigs, chickens, and grow most of their
own fruit and veg, and the cost of everything is way below that of Europe,
 
We arrived back to " Horta" around 18.30hrs and met David & Susan ( Voyageur ) and had to celebrate the
news of our daughter " Sarah " who gave birth to  a bouncing 8lb 6oz baby Max on Sunday ,
 
SUNDAY  27th
   A miserable day, lots of rain and hangovers , Skipper & Aileen walked up to the church
to say a few prayers for Sarah, who was now in hospital waiting to give birth to her first child,
Of course as anxious granparents, we kept in touch by phone as much as possible,
then late on sunday night, she gave birth,  Well done Sarah,
We also paid a visit to the local supermarket and got some provisions, including " Belly Pork " and
all great value including the taxi ,,,,
 
 
SATURDAY  26th
We had a late start to the day,
The four of us went to " Pete's Sports Bar " for lunch / brunch  which started with a couple of beers
and was quickley followed by wine, this was a kind of Make Up for the 9 days at sea almost entirely
without alcohol of any discription. 
Later we all went in different directions , Aileen to Mass, D & V to the laundry, while skipper did a tour
of the town,
Later still, we all met again along with the crew of " Sookie"  ( who were now in a poor state ) in " Peters Cafe Sport "
where we had dinner and plenty of grrog.
Denis had to carry " Andy" back to Sookie at the end of the night as he was listing from the drink,   a real late night it was.. 
 
Thats it for now,
 
Signed :-    Stephen Hyde  ( Skipper )