After two days on board during strong winds and lots of rain we were ready for a nice walk ashore. But first we had to tend to Zoonie’s mooring. On a beautiful Sunday morning we were both below on our tasks when a French voice called “Allo, allo!” Zoonie was having a nice chat to another moored craft in rather close proximity. Having held us superbly in all the tugging and pulling of the ‘blow’ the shackle pin decided to exit the shackle and release Zoonie to the whims of wind and tide.

 

I started the engine and took the wheel while Rob hauled in the slippery mass from the water and kept it on deck as we moved to one of the last two buoys in the harbour, which is still holding us secure now as I type and hopefully will continue to do so until next week when we plan to leave.

 

Our walk took us up the steep and pretty path to the top of Monte Queimado with its array of colourful flowers, the pink multi headed flower is the West Indian Lantana Camara, and down the other side, across the peninsular, where the first underwater telecommunications cable between Europe and the US was laid in 1893, and onto the volcanic Monte de Guia.

 

There were once vineyards here and some vines still grow unattended within the walls of our lookout over the town.

 

The Azores were quite late in ending their whaling industry and whales were still being hauled up the slip by the whaling factory with its tall chimney in the 1980’s. More about that and Monte Guia later.

 

Our legs loved the exercise and we wandered back along the beach to the little cafe with the umbrellas for a refreshing beer.