Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel, Azores, June 6 2023

A lot has happened since we first arrived in Lagos Portugal after a successful transatlantic crossing as part of the Arc Europe 2023 aboard Sea Dog.  I am currently in Truckee Ca with a bit of downtime so I decided it was time to catch up the blog posts.  Since the dates on the posts are when I edit them, I am adding dates in the titles so it is easier to follow the progression.

As part of the Arc Europe rally, the fleet was to visit several of the islands in Azores archipelago. Unfortunately due to forecasted severe weather we decided to forego a visit to Terceira and head straight for the marina in Ponta Delgada on the island of Sao Miguel. We were told the marina in Terceira was small and not in a favorable location of the island for the approaching system. So far we had pretty good luck avoiding major wind events so why push our luck.

Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel is about 150 miles south west from Faial. The island of Pico is pretty much in the way. We chose to head north around Pico and then down the east coast of Pico towards Sao Miguel. It is about a 24 to 25 hour trip between the two islands so we left mid morning with plans to arrive mid morning the following day. We ended up motoring the entire way as the winds were calm (before the approaching storm??). The first few hours were a delightful cruise as we stayed close to the eastern shore of Pico. We had great views of the volcano and the varied country side of the island. Before long we were pass Pico and back into the open waters of the Atlantic. It was a relaxing and uneventful motor to Sao Miguel. 

A welcomed calm night and full moon on the way to Sao Miguel

Marina Ponta Delgada is located on the south west-ish side of Sao Miguel. It is a large marina with a large breakwater/seawall to protect boats from the Atlantic ocean. We were on an outside dock and with any wind, it was not the calmest marina that we have visited. Most of the boats around us (the locals) had all sorts of various secondary shock absorbing devices to protect their lines and boats. Since we would only be in the marina a few days we made do with our existing dock lines and added a couple extra for added protection. The storm that we were avoiding arrived the afternoon on the following day.

I spent the next morning searching about town for a computer repair shop and a phone store. Sadly, it turned out the computer was done for, it just would not charge. I did find a phone store  in a local mall about a mile (all uphill) from the boat. The mall had a cool whale tale sculpture in the entrance.

The mall was a bit of a culture shock after traveling on board Sea Dog since early April. I was able to replace my old Google Pixel 6 with a new Samsung S23 Plus. I wanted to purchase a new Google Pixel 7, but for some reason I was told they are not available Portugal, strange.  It turns out the Samsung S23 is a dual sim phone which proved to be a real bonus. I was able to purchase a local MEO (Portuguese phone company) sim card and retain my Verizon sim card. This would become even more important than I thought with events that would transpire.

Now armed with a new phone and a broken computer I headed back to the boat before the storm. The following are pictures of some of the pretty gardens I passed in my brief stroll through town. Notice the darkening skies.

While I was on my mission, Michele, Michelle and Keith decided to explore some of the local museums in town. They stayed out a bit longer than I and were caught out in the brunt of the storm. Michele's wet weather gear turned out to be completely worthless. Drenched to the bone, Michele ended up buying a new outfit in a local shop so she could go to dinner without having to return to Sea Dog. 

I see they found the local beer museum.

The storm had abated somewhat the following day and we join the postponed half day bus tour of the island sponsored by Arc Europe.  The tour started with a stop at a small pineapple plantation.

                                                   Inside one of the plantation's hot houses.

                                                        A very small and very new pineapple.

                                                       Outside were local bananas as well.

From the plantation, we headed up into the center of island to explore some of the lake filled caldera's. As the sun and clouds moved across the lakes various greens patches would appear on the waters below. Quite beautiful.

                                                          Ponta Delgada in the distance.

A view to the east, the Atlantic ocean in the distance.

We headed down to the village of Sete Cidades that sits on the shore of Lagoa Azul on the west end of the island surrounded by two volcanos, Caldeira Seca and Caldeira do Alferes.  In town is a pretty little Catholic Church, Igreja de São Nicolau. Behind the church were old farm buildings. I found them to be photogenic along with some bird of paradise plants.

I also came across an assortment of flowers I found worthy of remembering.

At the end of the bus tour we all met at the Forte Terrace restaurant for dinner and the awards ceremony hosted by Arc Europe 2023.  We enjoyed a wonderful meal and wine followed by the awards presentation.

                                             Sea Dog Crew (Michelle, Keith, Michele, John)

                                                                   

The next day, Michelle and Keith rented a car to explore more of the beauty Sao Miguel, I decided to tag along. Our first stop was Miradouro da Lagoa do Fogo, a hiking area near the mountain lake Lagoa do Fogo. It was similar to the lakes we visited on the previous day bus tour but we were able to spend more time hiking and enjoying the views.

                                           Keith taking a picture of me taking a picture of him.

                                  Clouds cause shadows over the lake change the color of the water

The Atlantic Ocean in the distance

Our next stop was Centro de Interpretação Ambiental da Caldeira Velha, a scenic nature preserve with huge lush ferns, waterfalls and hot springs. This place was like something out of Jurassic Park sans the dinosaurs (thankfully).

The were some of the largest ferns I have seen.

Hot springs were popular with locals.

Not all of the pools were suitable to enter.

Back in the car on the way to the beach town of Ribera Grande, we saw a sign for A Mulher de Capote, Fabrica de Licores. We all looked at each other and thought that seems like a worthy stop.  There was a showroom and tasting area. The (free) tour was a little underwhelming and as were the flavored rums and gins.

Michele and Keith trying out for a job.

One way to get rid of the old bottles.

The beach town of Ribera Grande, named after the river that flows through town, is located on the north coast of Sao Miguel in the center of the island.  They have built a square around the river as it flows thru town with a series of waterfalls and channels that route the river.

The town square is in the top of the picture.

Our last stop for the day was the town of Furnas, a resort town known for its hot springs and spas. We had brough bathing suits with hopes of enjoying a dip in the hot springs but the first ones we found looked a little too hot.

Along with the hot springs we found a bunch of dirt mounds and cement line holes in the ground. It was the strangest thing. 

After wondering around for a bit we came across this sign and asked one of the locals that were working among the mounds what they were for. He told us that they were cooking pits used by the local restaurants, Restaurante Banhos Ferreos, being one of them, to make the signature dish of the area, Cozido das Furnas. We called the restaurant for reservations but they were full. 

Luckily we found another restaurant in town that had an opening and we were able to order Cozido das Furnas.  Cozido is a traditional Portuguese dish comprised of various meats such as bacon, ribs, chicken, sausage and an assortment of vegetables such as cabbage, potatoes and carrots all boiled together. In Furnas the dish is special because it is cooked underground by the steam of the hot springs. It is slow cooked for about 5 hours and then delivered to the various restaurants in town.

We enjoyed our meal paired with a nice Portuguese red wine. It was a fine way to end a very full day of exploring Sao Miguel.

If you look at a map of Sao Miguel, it is quite a large island and we spent a full day exploring only the center of the island. We could have easily spend another couple of days exploring the west and east ends of the islands, but the ocean was calling (well the Arc Europe flotilla was scheduled to leave the next day, as were we).

Next stop, Lagos Portugal, our final destination and the completion of our transatlantic crossing.