Pico

Pemandia
Peter Fabricius
Wed 13 Jul 2016 09:56
38:31.7N 28:19.1w

I am pleased that I brought my old British Admiralty charts as well as a new Imray one and of course the electronic charts. Imray charts are very clever and cover the whole of the Azores in a single sheet with multiple larger scale plans. This is certainly sufficient but there is more information to be had if one looks. The BA chart 1956 (last corrected 18 years ago!) shows several anchorages not mentioned on the other charts or in the RCC Pilotage Foundation 'Atlantic Islands'.

We had a brief stop at a reasonable anchorage not mentioned on any of the charts: about a mile W of S Amaro. There is a beach and a dry stream and shelter from NE through S to W but of course open to swell. I would guess there could be violent katana tic down gusts at night. It seemed to us a better anchorage that the one marked on the BA chart, E of Pta do Misterio. We spent the night anchored in the harbour at Cais do Pico. This is as described in the book. Quite noisy as a dredger was being loaded up until about 2000 but then quiet.

We have been looking out for wildlife. On passage from Sao Miguel we saw some sharks at a distance and also a lone turtle perhaps 18 inches diameter.

It has been sunny during the day but a lot of the time it is overcast and very humid.

Peter

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