Arrival in Horta

Talulah's Web Diary
Paul & Anette Morris
Tue 10 Jun 2008 17:55
Position "38:31.967N 028:37.491W"  

Noon, 8th June 2008

After just over thirteen and a half days we arrived in Horta early in the morning of Sunday the 8th of June 2008, having covered 1,811 sea miles from Bermuda. The last 24 hours found us crashing along, at times up to 9 knots, with both the mainsail and the genoa well reefed, in a sea that had a large swell and waves breaking. We didn't actually see the island of Faial (of which Horta is the main town), until we were about 10 miles distant, because of the increasing poor visibility. We rounded the south easterly corner of Faial and almost immediately dropped the sails as Horta was less than two miles distant and made our way past the harbour wall to the marina office wall - where we proceeded to 'hover' around for an hour waiting for a space along side so that we could clear in, take on board more fuel, and get allocated a birth in the marina.

Clearing in through customs and immigration was simple, although we had to visit three separate offices, and we were then directed to a berth along side the inner wall in the North Harbour. The sun was shining and it was great to be able to sort ourselves out, wash the boat down, do our laundry and have a couple of drinks before the biggest Hamburger and Fries we've had since Bermuda. We knew that we had just beaten the approaching storm system by about 24 hours when we arrived, and the rest of the day saw other boats racing to get in to Horta before the storm. We now have two boats rafted along side us, and in other places boats are rafted 5 deep. We are all now waiting for the worst of the storm to blow past. However looking at the 96 hour long term forecast this storm system is almost stationary and it may be some time, before us and many more yachts, can safely leave for destinations in the UK, Europe and the Mediterranean.

Meanwhile we are busy catching up on sleep and doing a little sight seeing.


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