A traffic jam of large sailing boats in the middle of the Atlantic? While the 70nm passage to Angra do Heroismo was uneventful, with a gentle tail wind, abeit with a lumpy sea, during which we sailed past the spectacular waterfalls cascading into the sea from the island of Sao Jorge, the arrival was not…

Each island in the Azores group requires the skipper of each boat to check in with immigration and marina office. The ARC host was having his own calamity aboard a fast catamaran that was supposed to arrive first (something to do with shooting a halyard to the top of the mast, then having to climb the mast to recover it!) and so the normally smooth progression of the fleet through check in was solely in the hands of the local officials, and with over 30 boats arriving at the same time it was chaos! The line of boats strung out from the official arrival dock with space for just 2 boats, around the inner marina, and out into the sea beyond the breakwater. It was certainly a good job that the wind was light as we bobbed about on the lumpy sea waiting our turn to come in.
Eventually, I was standing in front of the marina dudes, learning that we were getting the final slip before they started doubling up on the sea wall. I accepted it despite a chance to see it first (it is small, they said!) arriving at the slip in a gusty breeze now, reversing into the space with an extremely short finger, we ended up with a spiders web of lines binding us to the short dock, and to the boats either side as the swells pushed the boat back and forward on the lines. It was going to be a fraught night as the wind turned around and meant we had to reset the web once more.

Each Azorean island has its own culture and vibe, and so while it was a shame we were not landing on Sao Jorge, it was an absolute delight to visit the island of Terceira. The morning after arriving, we turned up for the walking tour of the town. The history of the town is rooted in the merchant ships that arrived here in the 1500 and 1600s for armed escort to mainland Portugal. So as the guide said, “the city is bigger than the island needs”. The result is a beautiful grid of streets, formal buildings, 7 convents and churches and a beautiful formal garden and park.

All this culture in one go was just a little too long, so when we were offered a mini lecture on Jesuit Culture in one of the monasteries, as my Dad always said “is it time for coffee?”, was the cry when the Brits all headed off to a local bar for a ‘café con leite’, the nearest I found to a latte here in the islands.

Terceira is just an amazing location. Unspoilt by crowds of tourists, yet gentrified, lively and well kept, this is a location everyone should have on their vacation wish list.

A traffic jam of boats, but well worth the wait for the coffee break!