Terceira. 38 39.164N 27 13.041W

Persephone... Cruiser/Racer
Nigel & Karen Goodhew...
Mon 31 Jul 2017 12:26
Well, dear reader, we have been here for 8 days now and jolly pleasant it is too! The sail here was a gentle affair, to windward in about 6 to 8 knots of wind and took about 10 hours.

The marina here at Angra has a reputation for suffering surge and we were bounced about a little during the first couple of nights but the marinero kindly found us a pontoon further in behind the wall after that and all has been well

Angra is a world heritage city and beautifully restored after it's damaging earthquake 37 years ago. The history oozes from the place. Brightly painted churches seem to compete in campanalogocal terms and the streets are beautifully maintained with their characteristic black and white cobbles. There has been a settlement here since about 1540 and the old part of the city remains a network of narrow streets, small cottages around the harbour, once an imperative stop over for any sea journey west or south from Europe. They have all been here; Columbus, Vasco deGama, Francis Drake, you name it!

The dastardly Spanish took over in the 17th century and all their silver passed through the port here on its way back from the new world.

We met up with Phillip and Anne from Golden Breeze and have enjoyed a couple of days sharing a hire car with them to explore the island. We were really fortunate with our timing and had two wonderfully clear days with no cloud. The view from the top of the highest volcano was fantastic, right across São Jorge with Pico clearly visible behind it, 70 plus miles away.

The greenery on this island is spectacular, as are the now familiar Hortensia (Hydrangea) blooms everywhere. We visited the caves, the wine region to he north with its museum near Biscoitos, the huge caldera and the lovely coast to the south and east with its coastal paths and finally the western port of Praia do Vittoria. Job done!

We had a lovely barbecue the other day with Anne and Philip up on Monte Brasil, the volcano overlooking and protecting the harbour at Angra and last night the four of us enjoyed a delicious curry on board Persephone courtesy of Karen, of course.

Tomorrow we will leave this island idyll and sail the 95 miles to São Miguel to the harbour at Ponta Delgada. More of the same, we expect, plus hot springs!