It had been a tough passage… We were so close but still there was no time to lean back and enjoy the arrival. We knew that the wind would pick up again and were not sure what conditions to expect in the channel between Pico and Horta. Channels between islands are very often a wind acceleration zone and the real wind force is very often higher than the forecast. It was already dark and far away from ideal conditions but luckily we managed to dock at the welcoming pontoon just before the weather got even worse. What a great feeling to finally be in Horta, this legendary place! After 18 days passage we have arrived in Horta on April 12th late in the evening.
The following morning we cleared in and moved to a dock were we could stay as other boats were expected to arrive. Horta is a magical place… The whole breakwall is covered with drawings of all the yachts who made landfall there. We found many drawings of our friends who had crossed our path at some point… REDER BRO, MILANTO, MONFREID, MAXIM just to mention a few… In addition to the special atmosphere that all the Sailors yarn creates, Horta is a tidy beautiful little town on a stunning volcano island named Fajal, surrounded by the vast Atlantic ocean and… last but not least… it is Europe! After five years Mirabella was back in Europe. An unbelievable and undiscribable feeling… had it really been five years? Never have had a boring moment all this time… the only thing that makes you realize how much time had passed is the amazing difference when you look at your children… what a fantastic adventure we have had in the last five years!
Unsere Freunde kamen am Donnerstag, den 14. April, auf der Nachbarinsel Pico an und hatten eine Fähre gebucht, die mittags in Fajal ankam. Wir beschäftigten die Kinder am Morgen mit der Reinigung des Bootes und der Wäsche, die nach einer längeren Überfahrt immer auf der Liste der zu erledigenden Aufgaben steht. Wir verabredeten uns auf halber Strecke zwischen Yachthafen und Fähranleger. Was für ein Vergnügen, uns hier in Horta zu treffen und ein paar Tage zusammen zu verbringen, um diese schöne Insel zu erkunden.
We ate lunch in the Mercado Municipal of Horta. A delicious selection of local cheese and dried meat. After lunch we went for a beautiful walk along Praia do Porto Prim and then up to the Miradouro do Neptuno, a stunning viewpoint. The scenery was incredibly beautiful on that sunny and very windy day. We ended this fantastic day with a delicious dinner at the restaurant “Canto da Doca” where you can enjoy fresh squid and fish on a hot stone.
Am Freitag buchten wir ein Taxi, das uns zum Vulcão dos Capelinhos brachte, wo der letzte große Ausbruch 1957 stattgefunden und fast ein Jahr gedauert hatte. Wir wanderten zunächst auf den Hügel, um die absolut atemberaubende Aussicht zu genießen, und machten ein Picknick im warmen schwarzen Sand. Danach gingen wir hinunter zum Vulkaninterpretationszentrum von Capelinhos, wo wir viele interessante Informationen über den letzten Ausbruch fanden. Am Ende kann man sogar die Treppen des alten Leuchtturms hinaufgehen und die Aussicht genießen. Es war ein fantastischer Tag. Zurück in Horta aßen wir im Genuino restaurante zu Abend. Genuino war der erste Portugiese, der allein um die Welt segelte. Das Restaurant ist voll mit Souvenirs von all den exotischen Orten. Auch für uns sehr interessant, da wir das eine oder andere wiedererkannten.
On the last day together a hike around the Caldeira of the Cabeco Gordo was on our program. Another fabulous day in this beautiful nature. Fajal had really blown us away…. I would go there again without hesitation. The kids enjoyed kids dinner on Mirabella while the adults went for dinner in restaurant Atletico. Unfortunately we already had to say goodbye to Lisa, Chrigu, Jaromir and Nuria as they were heading back to Pico island to hike up the highest peak of the Azores. But maybe there would be a chance of meeting again for a dinner in Ponta Delgada before they would fly back to Switzerland and we would start our passage to Gibraltar….
But of course we were not ready to leave until the drawing on the breakwall was done… first of all, not easy to find a spot. There was hardly any empty space, every inch seemed to be occupied… but after a thorough search we found two good spots. One for Jael and one for Amina as she also wanted to make a drawing.
Am 20. April waren wir startklar. Jaël und Amina hatten am Wellenbrecher gute Arbeit geleistet. Wir waren mit Proviant versorgt und eine neue Ladung Bolognesesoße lag portionsweise vakuumverpackt im Kühlschrank. Der Plan war, in Ponta Delgada anzuhalten, um Lisa und ihre Familie am nächsten Tag dort zum Abendessen zu treffen. Auf Wiedersehen, Horta!
Our plan worked out perfectly well… when we arrived in Ponta Delgada, our friends were already waiting for us. It was very special as in 2009, when André delievered a boat for a friend from Antigua to Croatia he was sailing to Ponta Delgada together with Chrigu and I was waiting there for them to replace Chrigu on the last Atlantic leg from Azores to Gibraltar. So here we were again after 14 years.
Die Kinder genossen noch einmal die gemeinsame Spielzeit und wir aßen gemeinsam zu Abend, bevor wir uns verabschieden mussten. Sie flogen am nächsten Morgen zurück in die Schweiz und wir beschlossen, noch einen weiteren Tag in Ponta Delgada zu bleiben, da dort weniger Wellengang herrschen würde. Es gab einen netten lokalen Markt, auf dem wir uns mit saftigen Ananas und Gemüse eindeckten, und ich fand auch einen tollen lokalen Käse.
Am 23. April verließen wir die Azoren. Diese Inseln sind ein wahres Naturparadies. Hoffentlich können wir eines Tages zurückkommen und mehr von ihnen entdecken.