Horta, Azores
MILANO BLANCO
James Blackburn
Tue 14 Jul 2009 14:52
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14 July 2009 38:31:.8N
028:37.4W
James:
We reached Horta at 16.30 our (Bermuda) time, 19.30
local time on the 13th, the afternoon was beautiful with a clear view of Pico, a
2500m Fuji-like volcano, on our starboard side as we came into port.
Marina staff had left for the day, but a security guard took our lines,
and we spent the night at the customs/fuel dock. We took on water as we had run
out the day before, apart from our 70 litre reserve of bottled
water.
We tidied up and went straight to Peters Cafe Sport
which I had been looking forward to - this has got to be the most famous ocean
sailors' bar in the world, festooned with flags, pennants and burgees from
yachts passing over the last 80-odd years.
Paul very kindly picked up the tab for a
magnificent meal, including Peter's 850gm special rib steaks, and excellent
Ribeirinha red wine from the Douro region, no doubt just down the river
from Spain's flagship Ribera del Duero. We ended the evening at 4am after a time
on Gracie, an american yacht with very hospitable owners, and rum on tap from a
14 gallon reservoir - needless to say I don't remember much apart from Douglas
guiding me back to our boat! Gracie will be doing the Fastnet.
We found out that the last big, mainly white
dolphins we had seen were Risso's Dolphins and that the whales were undoubtedly
Sperm Whales.
We took just under 13 days from Bermuda to Horta,
about 2000 nm. Good old Milano Blanco is proving to be a speedy
bird!
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