Arrived
Moorglade's Voyage
Ted Wilson
Tue 2 Jul 2013 08:32
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Our Position is 39:22.755N 31:10.189W
Distance logged since noon yesterday
65Nm
Distance to Flores 0.0
Jim sighted Flores first. It looked more like a
cloud formation than an island, just a grey rounded outline rising high above
our horizon. As we approached the detail of the steep craggy west shore
became clearly defined in the now low sun, little hamlets and isolated dwellings
nestling in the green clefts. Even with binoculars we could not work out how
access was gained to most of them, no roads visible and the terrain looked
impossible to pass, unless you happen to be a goat or a rock
climber.
The harbour is tiny, just an inlet in the rocks and
open to the Easterly swell. We motored past a couple of anchored yachts rolling
wildly and headed for the narrow entrance to the marina between a stone
breakwater to starboard and the steep to rocks to port. Marina is a significant
overstatement, but there was an empty finger berth which we opted for despite
the shortness of the finger. Manoeuvring in the tight confines of this little
harbour as the swell surged Moorglade about seemed almost claustrophobic after
the wide spaces of the ocean.
It was 21:30 by the time the warps were set to my
satisfaction. the two crossed warps to the finger of the unoccupied berth to
starboard of us helped hold us off and stop the for and aft surge. The crew were
waiting on the dockside ready to go before the last line was secured, as they
had ascertained from another American were the bar was.
We stopped at the first one to toast our arrival
with a bottle of Sagres. Tasted good despite the seediness of the bar. We headed
up the hill to locate a better place and spent an hour or so relaxing in the
company of some rather drunk Frenchmen.
Back on board the crew slept well not noticing the
creaking warps.
We are told there is wifi somewhere here so maybe
some pictures later.
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