Lat: 37:44.5. N : Long: 025:39.5 W. - Friday, 11th July, 2014 in Punta Delgada East Marina, Sao Miguel.
Sulana's Voyage
Alan and Sue Brook
Sat 19 Jul 2014 13:13
|
Lat:
37:44.5. N : Long: 025:39.5 W.
Friday,
11th July, 2014 in Punta Delgada East Marina, Sao
Miguel.
Having
just recalled the Spanish invasion of centuries ago, it was somewhat surreal to
see the sight of "PNR Sagres" sailing by to windward of us, under a full spread
of square sails, as we headed across the channel to the next island in the chain
to the East of us. We assumed she was a Tall Ship and, by her name,
a Portuguese Sail Training Vessel. A lovely sight and obviously a great way
for the local Sagres brewery to show their national pride! All visiting
yachtsmen should keep on supporting them by drinking their good
beer!
Having
got into the Reception Berth in the early hours, we awaited dawn to get cleared
in, which was easy, swift and very pleasant, with all four officials in the
same building, next door to each other.
What joy
after Indonesia and the Caribbean!
Then
we moved to an inside marina berth. There we found all the usual superb
facilities in a very large and modern marina. How nice it is tio get free water
and electricity and still pay juast a very reasonable berting rate! Only extra
costs are for the use of the washing machines in their spotless laundry
facility.
To get a
decent run to the shorepower box, we moored up in the berth next
to a little French yacht, a 32+ year-old Gib'Sea Evasion Motor-Sailor,
called "Anacaona". On its coachroof was pasted a sticky
label proclaiming its association with 'GREC', a French non-profit Cetacean
Research Charity.
Its owner
and skipper, Dr. Alexandre Gannier, not only commented on our 'lovely yacht' in
good English, but proved to be very friendly indeed. So we invited him and
his research assistant, Sandra Fuchs, over for drinks, to join our other
guests, the Dutch family, Peter, Myriam and Volker Huurman, who
were from the old Oyster Holman & Pye 53, "Enjoyster", which I had
previously known as "Carelbi".
Later,
when invited to 'prendre un pot' on board "Anacaona", we quizzed the
two French on exactly what they did. We were told they studied and tracked
all the marina cetaceans around the Azores, taking out other research
visitors and recording all the animals with which they had acoustic and
visual contact. They were using trailed sonar on up to 400m lengths of
cable. Sandra was just visiting whilst on holiday, but
she specialised in underwater sea-mount life (!) and had also worked
with Bernard Stamm, one of the Vendee Globe Sailors. Whilst we were
there they took out three Spanish students, who returned somewhat despondent
with the results of their day, which I found surprising. They had tracked a
pod of False Killer Whales about 10-15 miles offshore, which I would have
thought to have been rare enough to have been of considerable
interest!
Having
helped Alan identify all the species seen in his photos of previously
encountered Dolphins & Whales, Alexandre
realised Sulana was
headed to Turkey, across the Med on a potentially little-researched
whale-watching route and that I was seriously interested in Sea Life, too.
So, he very kindly gave me a copy of his superb little booklet,
"Connaitre les Cetaces de Mediterranee", and I am looking forward to using
it to help him with records of any sightings we have en route across that
Sea. This
book (in French & English) would be a great on-board companion for anybody
else cruising the Med and interested in what life they are seeing, by the
way.
We later
toasted Alexandre's birthday (on July 14th, of course!). A lovely character and
the type of self-effacing sailor it makes one proud to know still exist, as he
apparently makes no profit at all from his extensive studies, but does it just
for the love of the sea and all its life.
Sao
Miguel was just as lovely as all the previous Azorean islands, and, having done
all our laundry, and preparatory servicing and boat checks, we enjoyed
seeing the fumaroles and eating a lunch of 'cozido', cooked over the boiling
surface waters of one of the volcanic vents arising in the town of Furnas. The
whole area reminded one a lot of Rotorua, in New Zealand. 'Cozido',
although certainly cheap and generous in its portions, was not as tasty as
their other famous stewpot dish, 'alcatra', but the huge doggy-bag of
leftovers went down well with Nelius on the first night watch after
departure!
Having
watched Germany win a very well-deserved World Cup in Brazil, we prepared to
depart the Azores, leaving just the two smallest islands of Corvo and Santa
Maria still to visit out of the 9 islands in the group. So something is
left for another time.....
|