One of the most noticeable islands the Azores have, for housing Portugal’s highest point, is also the one that gets nearly the fewest visitors by sailboat. Without many good harbors, we find another way to get to neighboring Pico.
Hopping the ferry for the four mile trip across from Horta, we set ourselves up with a rental car for 24 hours and meet up with our friends Bill and Grace to see how much of this island we can see within a 24 hour period.
Much love from the Azores!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie
There are so many things to love about Horta. Except when two boats crush you against a cement wall.
As we make landfall in in Faial, we can still not get over the beauty and charm of this island. Rugged cliffs sitting next to quaint European villages. There’s a a lot to get re-aquainted with upon arrival, but we also throw in a bit of boat work as well. Trips to the beach, outdoor concerts, a smashed toe rail and a trip to a world famous bar/cafe. What a way to be welcomed back to land!
Much love from the Azores!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie
We pick up this video on Day 18, after we get the news that our friends on s/v Calico Skies are arriving in Horta, while we still have 700 miles left and can expect winds on the nose for the next 72 hours.
After plugging through those, we go back to our sunny and calm days and while spending a little time outside get the opportunity to see some sea life in the water. Huge groups of sea salp are floating next to our boat, and we even put the GoPro in the water to get a better look.
While we’re stuck in what we hope is the last of our high pressure systems, we throw up our drifter to see how it works in place of a spinnaker. At over 40 years old we weren’t sure what to expect with this sail, but it did a great job of giving us a little extra oomph!
Then…there’s landfall! The day we had been waiting to see for such a long time! Even though we had a fantastic crossing and loved our time at sea, we were more than ready to dock in Horta and begin enjoying the wonderful Azores again.
Much love from the Atlantic Ocean!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie
Ever curious to what a full 24 hours on an ocean passage has in store? We’re going to show you!
We make sure to record ourselves at different parts of the day from 12am – 12 am and give an account of how much or how little tends to happen when you’re bobbing around in the great blue. From my daily coffee/email checks (yes, even thousands of miles from land!); to a 1,066 ft tanker passing in front of us; to what we cook when there’s little to no fresh food left on board.
No two days will be exactly alike, but settle in as we show you a common day in our lives.
Much love from the Atlantic Ocean!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie
Just because you’re in the middle of the ocean doesn’t mean you can’t have a little party!
As we continue along on our trans-Atlantic, we leave the doldrums behind and start making miles. We get the occasional squall and showers, but otherwise it’s all smooth sailing.
Featuring days 5-10 of our crossing, we get a few small boat projects done; Georgie receives a feathered visitor for a few hours; but most importantly, we celebrate Matt’s birthday. The 2nd time in 4 years he’s celebrated in the middle of the ocean! We don’t let location get in the way of commemorating the occasion as I decorate the boat and Matt even gets a fish on the line!
Much love from the Atlantic Ocean!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie
