Sitting in the dock of the bay - more Sao Miguel

andromeda of plymouth
Susan and Andrew Wilson
Thu 22 Jul 2010 13:54
After the festival we thought it would get a bit less lively in Ponta
Delgarda but we reckoned without the Sata Rally Portugal. So no sooner had
they taken down the stages, band stand and decorations for the fiesta,
than they were putting stuff up around the town and marina for the rally.
We had noticed the advance preparations in the previous week but these
were stepped up and even the esplanade down by the marina was cordoned off
for the rally cars as they came and went pass their checkpoints etc.

Meanwhile during the week we had a couple of trips out. We decided to go
to a pineapple plantation and met up with Lesley to catch a bus but ended
up getting a taxi up there. It was quite interesting wandering around the
huge white-washed greenhouses where the fruit is grown. It takes 18 months
from planting to harvesting and we were able to see all the various stages
including some of the plants flowering, their blossom a gorgeous magenta
colour. Azorian pineapples are the only ones in the world grown under
glass, a practise started in the 1860’s, and now an important trade
product because of their delicious taste, they also make a liqueur and we
were so taken with our sample that we purchased a bottle for later.

With a wait for a bus of over 2 hours we decided to walk back to the
shopping mall where we were thinking of catching a film. Again we saw
parts of Ponta Delgarda we hadn’t seen before and spotted another
supermarket to frequent for a change. After about 30 mins walking we got
to the Parque Atlantique and checked out the cinema, unfortunately no
films appealed so it was back to doing a little shopping and then back
down to the marina.
For our next adventure we caught a bus (managed it this time) to Vila
Franca do Compo further along the coast. This was the first capital of San
Miguel, but was largely destroyed by an earthquake so the capital was
moved to Ponto Delgado. We had a good view of a lovely traffic jam as we
came across road works and various trucks carrying bridge spans etc. Once
we had arrived we made our way down to the harbour and were just in time
to catch the little ferry to Ilheu do Vila, a small volcanic island and
nature reserve just off the coast. Our trip was a real laugh as the boat
rushed through the sea pounding the waves and frequently throwing up spray
and small showers of water –Susan hid behind Andrew and kept quite dry.

Once on the island we found ourselves in the caldera of a volcano with the
sea coming in through a small opening and creating a perfect swimming
pool. We followed the path round seeking somewhere to sit and watched the
other folk in the water and realised that in most places it was very
shallow and so we decided to walk across to a less crowded part of the
shore. Then came another surprise, the bottom was dark sand and we didn’t
need shoes on. The water was just the right temperature and once we had
put our things on a dry rock we wasted no time in getting in for a swim –
bliss.

We had a lovely afternoon looking around the place and watching the sea in
the caldera and the ocean outside, all in beautiful sunshine. Whilst
waiting for the ferry to return we spotted red legged crabs on the rocks,
a jellyfish swimming along and quite a few shoals of brightly coloured
fish. We have also swum in the outside sea water pool near the marina,
dodging small jellyfish, and in the swimming pool complex nearby, this
time without jellyfish!

Once back in the harbour we went for a wander around, Vila Franca is a
lovely place, very picturesque and we are glad we had our day out there.

Ponta Delgarda has a brilliant daily market where everything is so fresh
it’s hard not to buy too much. There are butchers and fishmongers in the
market hall as well as a baker with a really long queue outside for all
the lovely bread and cakes on sale. The shopping here is actually quite
fantastic with a good selection shops and really good prices. However
Susan has been trying to get some new sandals but can only find men’s
sizes to fit her feet, a real shame as the Portuguese seem to really love
shoes and the shops are full of all different styles and
colours.......maybe down one of the other little streets she will find some.

Along with the festivals Lesley discovered some other things we could do
for free and one of these was a film afternoon in the library. We all
trotted up there for 2.30 and were escorted to the little cinema (a dvd
player, overhead projector and wall screen), we were the only ones who had
turned up so we had our choice of the comfy seats and went for the back
row. The film started and despite of what Lesley had been told, it turned
out to be in Japanese with Portuguese subtitles. Andy and Andrew soon
tired of this but Lesley and Susan enjoyed the challenge of working out
what was going on.

During the last couple of days we have watched the coming and goings of
the rally cars as they drive down the marina to the various check points
and then go off on their different routes. Saturday saw the end of the
event and the afternoon was filled with cheering as various cars arrived
back and places could be established. Whilst we were having dinner the
strains of national anthems could be heard as they presented the prizes to
the winners and then it was time for the ’White Ocean Event’.

The inner marina had been festooned with huge effective white jelly fish
(very clever – clear plastic umbrellas with strips of white and net
material hung from them) nd at 10.30 the band began to play an eclectic
mix of music to boogie to. Lesley and Susan succumbed (there’s no
surprise there then) to the tunes and were soon bopping away suitably
dressed in white as requested on the posters – a great end to the week.

We have been trying to maintain an SSB radio sked (schedule) with Tamar
Swallow on their trip back to the UK but with limited success. After an
initial chat when they left last Monday we have only had intermittent
contact – however Friday night managed to speak to them – they are off the
west coast of northern Spain, near La Corunna. We decided to see where
they are on the Raymarine chart plotter, only to find it has a problem. We
need to get this sorted as this is where radar and AIS information is
displayed, something we need at night, in poor visibility and when
crossing shipping lanes. As a result we will need to delay our departure
from this fantastic island for a while until we can get things sorted; we
certainly wouldn’t have wanted to discover the problem when at sea!

Having delayed this blog to sort out some photos, we can now report that
the chart plotter now appears to be ok for the moment, but we still don’t
know what the real problem was, and we are now waiting for another weather
window for our trip back to Portugal - at the moment the wind has turned
to the east so we are going to chill for a few more days. We plan to go
to see the other end of the island now but want a clear day for the views
so maybe tomorrow, Friday.

Tamar Swallow is now in the western approaches to the channel and should
be making landfall in Falmouth in the next 12-15 hours. As noted earlier
we have kept in touch with them with varying degrees of success over their
trip and are now looking forward to hearing more of their adventures in
due course. (P.S. Happy birthday Ju)

Lesley and Andy on Kodiak have been lifted out and are now having their
new engine installed and hope to be back in the water in the next 3-4 days
or so. It’s been quite a stressful time for them so we are hoping once the
engine is commissioned they can look forward to cruising again.

The other reason for our longer stay here in Ponta Delgada is that Susan
took a tumble in the cockpit and severely sprained her wrist. We have been
waiting for her wrist to recover so she will be able to take her turn at
the winches and sheets etc. without causing any more discomfort or further
damage. We really need two reasonably (!?) fit folks to undertake trips
of over a day as Andromeda is not setup for single handed sailing, no pun
intended! Everything seems to be ok now so once the weather is right
(maybe on Sunday) we plan to head back to mainland Portugal, a trip of
about 6 or 7 days, weather permitting.

More in due course
Susan and Andrew
S/V Andromeda


1-3 pineapple plantation
4-8 Sata Rally (hope you watched on tv)
10-18 caldera trip
19- 30 Vila do Franco

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