Horta, Azores

MILANO BLANCO
James Blackburn
Tue 14 Jul 2009 14:52
14 July 2009   38:31:.8N  028:37.4W
 
James:
 
We reached Horta at 16.30 our (Bermuda) time, 19.30 local time on the 13th, the afternoon was beautiful with a clear view of Pico, a 2500m Fuji-like volcano, on our starboard side as we came into port.  Marina staff had left for the day, but a security guard took our lines, and we spent the night at the customs/fuel dock. We took on water as we had run out the day before, apart from our 70 litre reserve of bottled water.
 
We tidied up and went straight to Peters Cafe Sport which I had been looking forward to - this has got to be the most famous ocean sailors' bar in the world, festooned with flags, pennants and burgees from yachts passing over the last 80-odd years.
 
Paul very kindly picked up the tab for a magnificent meal, including Peter's 850gm special rib steaks, and excellent Ribeirinha red wine from the Douro region, no doubt just down the river from Spain's flagship Ribera del Duero. We ended the evening at 4am after a time on Gracie, an american yacht with very hospitable owners, and rum on tap from a 14 gallon reservoir - needless to say I don't remember much apart from Douglas guiding me back to our boat! Gracie will be doing the Fastnet.
 
We found out that the last big, mainly white dolphins we had seen were Risso's Dolphins and that the whales were undoubtedly Sperm Whales.
 
We took just under 13 days from Bermuda to Horta, about 2000 nm. Good old Milano Blanco is proving to be a speedy bird!