Sailing to the Azores has been one of the highlights of our sailing adventure thus far. We have experienced the beauty of the American and British Virgin Islands, and while the Bahamas, Cuba, Bermuda, New England, were all spectacular in their own way, the Azores brought us to a new level of awe.
The Azores (which you will sometimes see spelled Acores) are a group of nine volcanic islands spread out over 370 miles in the North Atlantic Ocean. Although they are located about 850 miles west of continental Portugal, the Azores are an autonomous region of Portugal. The Azores were detailed on a The Catalan Atlas drawn and written in 1375, but the islands were officially “discovered” in 1431 by Gonçalo Velho Cabral. São Miguel was first settled in 1444, under the command of Cabral.
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ear-round temperatures in the Azores range between 57°F and 71°F. Tourism, government jobs, fishing, and agriculture are the major industries in the Azores. The fertile soil yields a variety of crops, and grazing for dairy cattle and other livestock. All the produce and meat on these islands is organic. The markets are filled with a variety of locally grown and produced food. Groceries here are very inexpensive, probably a third of US costs for fresh, organic food.
Azorean cuisine is a rich, hearty and peasant-based style of cooking. On the smaller islands, you usually need to make reservations to eat dinner as the family-run restaurants are so small that they only cook if they have guests. When you arrive, you are treated to family type dining, a huge quantity of food, appetizers, wine, port, and homemade Aguardente, an after-dinner drink. Our typical bill for eating out on these islands has been around $10 a person for dinner. This includes appetizers, main course, dessert, and alcohol. (Yeah, we really thought about never leaving here…)
Vineyards on the islands are planted directly into the crevices of the volcanic rock and produce Volcanic Wine. The original vines were brought over from the mainland of Portugal centuries ago. Azorean wines are traditionally made mainly from three grape varieties — Verdelho, Arinto, and Terrantez. Due to the high winds around the archipelago, small volcanic rock pens are built around the vines. The vines grow low to the ground and are protected by the walls. Imported wine can be bought at grocery stores starting at $2.50 a bottle for very decent wine and $7 – $10 for good boxed wine.
All the Azores islands were created by volcanos. The oldest island, over 8 million years, is the island of Santa Maria. It’s the only island of the archipelago where fossils are found because, for some time, the island was underwater. Pico Island is the youngest island, born around 250,000 years ago. Mount Pico, on the island of Pico, at 7,713 feet above sea level, is the highest point in the Azores and all of Portugal. When measured from their base at the bottom of the ocean to their peaks, the Azores are actually some of the tallest mountains on the planet.
For sailors, the steep drops from mountain to deep ocean makes these islands unique when it comes to navigation. One does not need to worry about running into reefs and the water can be a hundred feet deep right up to the shoreline. Conversely, this makes anchoring a bit trickier. There are not a plethora of places to anchor around each island. Many of the marinas are filled to the maximum during the summer season so you have to plan in advance to reserve a space. The anchorages fill up quickly in the smaller harbors and can be untenable if the wind is blowing directly into the harbor. Many of the marinas raft boats together, 2 and 3 deep, just to provide as many boats as possible a safe harbor. The best part about Azores marinas? They only charge $10 -$15 a night. We have paid anywhere from $50 to $450 a night in marinas thus far.
While they are not native to the Azores, colorful hydrangeas flowers were introduced to the islands and today are very common. Faial Island is known as the “blue island” with its vast number of blue hydrangeas as well as hundreds of other species flowers. If you are a flower enthusiast, there is no better island to visit than Faial with a decreasing population of only 7,000 people. The diverse landscape offers spectacular waterfalls, highlands, and spectacular and rugged shorelines. Faial does have an airport but also can be reached by ferry from one of the larger, neighboring islands.
We took tours and learned about the endemic and native (endemic is only found here, native – it is grown here but came from somewhere else originally). Whaling was an extensive part of these islands’ past, and there are whaling museums on most of the islands. Presently, whales are only watched but provide a source of income as there are whale and dolphin watching businesses in every port. Whale watchers are still utilized to spot the pods and direct boats to their location. You will find men perched atop hills with high powered lenses looking for water spouts on the ocean horizon.
Cultures and people differ vastly from island to island. Each is its own unique microcosm with its own thumbprint and feel. They are eager to help, friendly to chat with, and filled with stories of their island and culture. We met a man in Phaial as we were trying to find the waterfall hiking path. He was retired, but still using a hand scythe to cut the grass in one of his cow pastures. He told us the story of how as a youth, he had to hike up the nearby mountain twice a day to milk the cows. He carried 12 liters of milk in bags across his shoulders. He did this hike barefoot and didn’t get his first pair of shoes until he joined the military at 18 years old.
In Terceira, we walked to a local Mercado (market) to buy some veggies for dinner. The man there spoke very little English. He had a gigantic wheel of cheese in the shop. The cheese, made on Sao Jorge, is supposedly the best cheese in the Azores. We asked to buy some and he picked up the wheel, 2ft in diameter and cut us a slice of our choice from the virgin wheel. He then fed us the cheese, with fresh bananas – a combination we never thought possible, and it was magnificent. He also cut open cantaloupe, watermelon, more bananas, and fed them to us telling us in broken English how all the fruits and vegetables in his shop were grown on the island. Stuffed before we left, we ended up buying cheese, his favorite wine that goes with the cheese (4.99 euros), fruits, and veggies, from this kind and wonderful gentleman.
We only visited 4 of the islands, spending close to a month here. When we make the passage to Ireland in a couple of days, we will have sailed over 10,000 nautical miles and will have the opportunity to explore coastal Europe and the Mediterranean. It’s hard to imagine anywhere could be more beautiful than these islands. We explored volcanoes, hiked to waterfalls, tasted volcanic wine, delighted in the churches and monasteries built in the 1400 and 1500s, marveled at the scent of flowers that permeates the air, and dreaded leaving the incredible culinary delights these islands offer.
Town streets in the Azores are decked with mosaic tiles and flowers adorn every inch of the buildings and squares. The cuisine and wine alone were worth the 1,800-mile sail to get here, but in addition, visiting these islands is an educational experience. Every island is a different experience. The temperatures are perfect, a chill in the air to sleep, warm sun rays during the day. The pace of life is quiet and relaxed. The people are happy and honest. There is no pollution, trash, or dilapidated buildings. Everything and everyone is cared for and valued. It is a place with so much to see and do that you can’t possibly spend enough time here to see it all – but you will leave with a heavy heart wishing you could. The good news is that its beauty will leave an indelible mark on your memory that will be with you forever.
Until the mainland – see you on the other side.
Dan and Alison
S/V Equus
