THURSDAY 23RD of June 2022,  12.00 Ships time = Gmt. 

Moored in the Harbour of Horta on the Commercial pier. 

On the Tuesday afternoon we decided to anchor on the South side of the Island of Faial because Horta (the main port of Faial) did not have a berth for us and anchoring outside the Harbour would be lot less comfortable then anchoring near the little village of Feteira about 3 Miles West from Horta. 

We rigged up a little BBQ and had a lovely and beautiful evening on the longest daylight day of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere) The late sun gave us some beautiful cloud formations which where caused by the mountains also we could slowly get used to other colours then blue. 

The Island showed us about a dozen different green colours. 

Yesterday morning we shifted from our night anchorage to the port of Horta which was quite busy with yachts anchoring through the whole harbour.  

We had to turn the EUROPA in between these anchored yachts and park her into a just long enough spot on the Pier. I think some of the crew on the yachts were a little scared that the swinging EUROPA would come to close but everything went according the plan. 

So yesterday evening another goodbye evening for our voyage crew that left us this morning.  

Most of them did some exercising on the long pier in walking in straight lines after so many days on a heeling and/or rolling ship is for some of them really new world. 

This morning the last coffee and the hugs and “thank you’s so much” took place and then off they went to home or spending a few more `days on the Islands. The Azores are not a place that you will visit often if you are not a sailor, so my suggestion was take some time to discover them when you are here, you won’t regret it, I am sure. 

For us, as permanent crew the big “cleaning, storing and bunkering party has already began. 

Get rid off all our different kinds of garbage is also part of the morning exercise. 

Being connected to the internet  means all kind of administration work is jumping at us but the good thing came after coffee when our new permanent crewmembers showed up on the quayside, some are new, some sailed already many voyages with us.  Only Covid is also back on the schedule so face-masks are on again for the coming days until it is clear that all our new guests and crew are also negative for Covid because our next part of the voyage to Harlingen is also seen as a long Ocean Crossing. 

The entrance of the English Channel is another 1200 Miles away from this point and I know compared to the distance we covered from Cape Town to Horta (6.375 Nautical Miles) this is peanuts. But still 

Position 

38-31,9N : 028-37.3W  Horta 

Partly cloudy, wind NE 3 Bfrt.   

Alles Wel  

Klaas