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| Away from the cold green waters of the Grand Banks at last! |
The 15 day trip from St Pierre to Horta was uneventful thanks to a good break in the late season weather. The sea state crossing the Grand Banks was a bit rough with shallow water waves similar to the Gulf of Mexico with the added benefit of a 2-3 meter swell rolling down from the big storm to the north crossing the wind waves at a right angle. The windvane's water paddle hit something on the last bit of the Grand Banks and broke the safety tube. While I replaced it and the chafed line that keeps the paddle attached to the boat if the tube breaks, the boat continued on course as if nothing happened. She balances very well with the right sail combination. Five days out
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| Beating into a stiff headwind |
and just off the Grand Banks I met another sailboat from Boston also enroute to Horta. They tacked across ahead of me and I did not see them again until they arrived in Horta about 15 hours after me. Also talked with a longliner working in the area at the same time, three boats meeting in mid ocean seems a bit crowded. There was a fair bit of traffic along 41N with many ships south of the great circle route avoiding the large storm just to the north.
I spent two days beating into headwinds before the wind changed , could only go SW(wrong direction) or NE(towards the large storm). I had wanted to stop Flores, but the two conditions that the guidebook said to avoid
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| The famed seawall in Horta with sailor's artwork |
were both present, so I altered course for Faial. The forecast N wind veered to the NE, driving me S of Faial, so I motorbeat into it for the last 30 miles in order to make a daylight arrival. Cleared customs the next morning and was assigned a slip. I was told no anchoring in the harbor unless the marina was full. My mail was not to arrive for another four days, leaving me impressed that I could cross the Atlantic under sail faster than Express mail could! The swell from the storm up north caused quite a surge in the harbor for the first few days that I was here, breaking one dockline when the chafing gear slipped out of position overnight. That huge storm east of Greenland had been a feature on the weather fax for most of the trip and dwarfed the hurricanes that were coming north from the tropics. Ilda and Duncan at Mid Atlantic Yacht Service were a
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| Horta city center |
great help, receiving mail for me and getting replacement parts for the motor and windvane.
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| Horta streets |
After eight days in Horta, there was a slight break in the weather, giving me just enough time to sail to Terciera.
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| City park with good wifi for Skype calls |
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