Nomad's Travels: Praia da Vitoria, Terciera, Azores

Praia streets

Nomad has been in the Azores for over a month now, most of the time in Praia da Vitoria on the Island of Terciera. I caught up on some much needed maintenance as this is the first time I have really stopped to work on the boat since leaving the Dominican Republic. I had sailed here with the intention of anchoring in the harbor, but the surge in the anchorage made launching the dinghy a hazardous operation. The marina transient rates here for 12 to 15 meter boats is about $10 USD per day including water, electric and wifi. Stay for a month and get 2 free days. This is a bit of a boat trap, as people stop in for a week or two and end up staying months or years! Walking around the marina one day, I noticed a familiar boat, it was a couple I had met in the Caribbean earlier this year and they are planning to settle here permanently. Everything in town is within walking distance and the is bus service all over the island including to Angra do Heroismo, on the south coast.

Old church in Praia

The Azores are an intriguing place with a lot of European history , having been settled since the early 1400's although is is thought that the islands were know of much earlier. The Azores has been a stopping place for sailors from the time of Columbus, Labrador and Cabot through Slocum and is still the stop of choice for cruisnig sailors crossing the Atlantic.
It is mid November and the weather is beginning to change into the winter pattern here so it is time to get back to sailing again and head a little further south.