Arrival to Ireland - We Made it!

We made our landfall at Kinsale in Southern Ireland two day ago. We had done it, crossed the Atlantic Ocean. We have no bruises, no broken bones and no blown out sails. We are here to tell the story!

11 days and nights it took us to do this last 1200 Nautical Miles.
We had quite a slow passage due to the High pressure which was stretching form the Azores to Britain at the time we left. We had fair winds from South and South West for several days and life was quite a doddle. The engine was on each night to start with as the wind died totally and the sea went calm glassy .

Here is what I wrote in my log book for Wednesday 19th of August 2009:
Ireland is now on the radar 14 miles away! We have had a couple of wild and accelerating days! The weather faxes which David picked up each afternoon on the SSB, gave us the strong impression that we were to have light S-SW winds all the way. But, there was a sting in the tail!
Two nights ago we had left the genoa and full main -sail flying. I had wanted to reef the main before nightfall, but, oh no, that wasn’t necessary, said Skipper. Then, when I was down for my sleep in the evening the wind increased to a constant 20 knots. I was told to get up. Now we had to dress I our oilskins and lifejackets, and David had to go forward on deck and put two reefs in the main, while I held the yacht into wind. Afterwards I felt like saying: ’I told you so’. I said nothing.
Yesterday was a lovely day, sunny and mild. The temperature has generally gone down to around 20 degrees C, and you needed a jumper when in the cockpit. We flew all sails during the day, but took the main down for the night. The wind was on our tail but we were still doing 6 - 7 knots on mizzan and genoa. At 03.00 in the morning the dial on the anometer (wind-reader) showed yet an increase in force. We had heard the Irish forecast , which talked about rainy showers and gusts of up to force 7 (=30 knots of wind). On the radar I saw a ship on the bow three miles away. The night was very dark. I saw that small light from the ship on our bow. I got David up and he took the helm. We took down the mizzan and flew a small reefed genoa. We were still doing 6 knots.
The daybreak came and it was gray and miserable, but we were both quite excited that we had managed the Atlantic so well.
Now, the boat is moving in all directions all the time! It is quite tiresome and we don’t get much sleep. You go and lie down just to chill out from the everlasting movements of the boat, but hardly manage to sleep.

Nobody, and I mean NO-BODY would be able to understand what it is like unless you have done it yourself.

We shall stay in Kinsale for a few days and then make our way back home to Scotland. We expect to get home in 10 -14 days.
1. photo: Church in Angra, Terceira, Azores.
2. photo: a whale (dubble click to enlarge!)
3. photo: Atlantic sunset.
4. photo: flying genoa, stay sail and main.
5. Kinsale marina

Around the island of Terceira. Leaving the Azores today!

We are now on our very last here, which is a great shame, but the forecast is right and we have still got 1000 Nautical Miles to Ireland and then up the Irish sea towards home.

We are having a wonderful time and the weather is lovely. The temperature is just right for us 22-28 degrees C, but the locals are unhappy the summer has never come!

Two days ago we hired a car toured all around the island of Terceira, which is circular with a volcano at the centre. We went to see the volcano and got right inside the crater as the actual volcano was long dead, but a few miles from the summit we visited some hot springs. The island is quite small, and the circular tour took a few hours only. Obviously we stopped several times for photo- sections. The country side is really pretty with hundreds of small pastures divided by stone dykes like an enormous tapestry of green, with dairy cows grazing. The villages are mainly along the coast and the houses are all well kept in bright and cheerful colours. We just missed a bull-fight in a town by the name of Santa Barbera. Bullfights are very common on the islands and take place through the main street of the village, which hosts the event at the time. Everybody in the street is game for the bull, which is let loose to run along the length of the town with all houses and gardens boarded up along the route. A pity we missed it!
Yesterday David went and I snorkeled above a wreck in the bay from 1858 outside the marina in the bay. It was very interesting. But, It did give me the shivers to think of that ship coming in to harbour in a storm, not being able to go to port and the anchor not holding. Well, food for thoughts!
Today we leave the Azores for Kinsail in Southern Ireland 1000 Nautical Miles away. The forecast is in our favour with a high pressure area stretching north from here, so if we stay outside the center we should get light SW winds.
We have really enjoyed these islands and I am sure we will be back.

, Angra do Heroismo , Azores

Island of Terceira , Azores.

This is the third of the islands we are visiting in the Azores archipelago, and it is getting better by the minute!
After Flores, which was really beautiful and tranquil, we sailed 138 miles of SW winds in record time of 22 hours to Horta, the capital of the Island of Faial. Horta is nice and small. It was a big whaling centre in times gone by. It has a large natural harbour with good protection. A big wind breaker of a mole and the dead volcano, Calera Inferno, makes it an obvious stop- over port for Atlantic crossings yachts. The facilities in the marina are brilliant. Electricity and water are on the quay side and diesel at the reception quay. Laundry is easily reached by walking and within the marina.
The whole area of the marina is like a huge artistic pallet crowded with colours and paintings done by the yachties who have stopped over here. Being a bit of an artist myself I had to do one as well, just to show coming generations and other fans that Yacht Aros More from the Clyde Cruising Club, skippered by David and crewed by Gitte were here in the year of 2009. (Sorry for sounding a bit pompous, but why not blow your own whistle!).
The first week in August the town of Horta hosts a festival to the seas. All visiting yachts were given an invitation from the Mayor of the town. The invite included a bunch of Hydrangeas, A large piece of local cheese and a jar of local honey. A very kind gesture from this remote community, we thought. A vast program of all sorts of different watersports was produced. Other activities including concerts, dances and typical gastronomic art.
We took part in some activities but left early on Sunday 1st August for the island of Terceira, and the main town of Angra do Heroismo. It is a distance of 70 Miles and we motored all the way, as there was absolutely no wind. As we started out before sunrise we saw the volcano of Pico on the island of Pico for the very first time. The volcano could be seen from the marina in Horta but was covered in clouds all the time. We sailed along this magnificent sugar cone of a mountain of 7000 feet up Canal do Sao Jorge. En route we had several visits from dolphins and saw a lot of seabirds.
The city of Angra do Heroismo was in 1983 declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site after a devastating earthquake in 1980. The city is an absolute jewel. All the houses are beautifully kept in many pastel colours all with terracotta roofs. Being the most important town in the Azores due to its superior natural anchorage many explorers called in here for centuries. A lot of history is connected to the town.
The city is buzzing with life and you will always find a nice breezy parasol and a cup of expresso.