Atlantic Crossing Part 1: Maine to Azores

After 15 days at sea, we finally made it the town of Horta in the Azores, 1970 nautical miles from Falmouth, Maine. What to say? The trip had many highs, lows, and uneventful times in between. Thankfully, I had one of the best crews that I could have possibly assembled. Each crew member brought a specific strength that made such an arduous and exhausting experience manageable.

Megan is what I call a “sailor’s sailor.” Her vast sailboat racing experience was invaluable. I very much appreciated having another person onboard to discuss the best sail configurations for the ever-changing and challenging weather conditions and sea states. Peter brought a very calm and steady presence to the boat and his mechanical experience came in handy when our engine went out halfway across the ocean. With his ever-present happy-go-lucky nature, Matt lightened the vibe on the boat and was always more than willing to accomplish any task….that is, other than cooking. Let’s just say it’s pretty hard to screw up avocado and crackers, but I can now report it’s possible. As a result, Megan and I rotated cooking duties while Matt and Peter handled the clean-up. I must say, we had a pretty efficient system going until everything started tasting the same at around day 12. On Wednesday, June 21, around mid-afternoon, Megan yelled “land-ho” as she spotted the mountainous island of Faial in the Azores. After 15 days, we took the time to celebrate with the joyous consumptions of a bottle of fine champagne!!

Unfortunately, after our celebration, it took us another 5 hours to reach shore where the authorites informed us that we would have to anchor out for the night because there were too many boats in the marina – ughhhhh!!! This was not the most inviting news, but we didn’t let it dampen our spirits as we were determined to have dinner and a drink at one of the most iconic mariner bars in the world: Peter’s Cafe Sport. This place certainly didn’t disappoint: you immediately get a sense of the history and sea stories that must have been shared over the last century. Also, what a cultural melting pot; in the first 5 minutes I heard Portuguese, German, Swedish and French! To top off our arrival, I found out that sailing author, John Kretchmer, was going to still be in port before departing with his crew for Madeira, Brazil, Cape Horn and then on to the South Pacific. We decided to get our crews together for dinner with a charming local family from the Azores. Needless to say, it was a lively dinner with endless sea stories and laughter.

As for Midnight Voyageur, she performed flawlessly and she is now rafted up safely behind the sea wall with an amazing view of the volcanic island Pico in the background. I especially want to thank all of the people in Maine who made this trip possible: Matt and the gang at Cumberland Ironworks, Megan and Richard Hallett at Hallett Canvas and Sails, and Charlie, Andy and the amazing team at Handy Boat – THANK YOU all for making this voyage possible!!

And most of all, a huge thank you to my very understanding and endlessly patient partner in crime, Angelika!! As for me, I have two weeks off before the next crew begins to show up. When they arrive, we will explore a few more of the islands in the Azores before heading out for a week-long leg to our final destination, Lisbon. Before leaving Horta, I will need to enroll one of our crew members to paint a picture of Midnight Voyageur on the breakwall of the harbor. We certainly can’t leave town without honoring this fine tradition.

Feel free to reach me anytime, when not exploring the island, puttering around the boat, or sleeping, I’ll be right here at Peter’s Cafe. They say you can’t buy happiness; but spending time at a charming mariner bar in the middle of the ocean with fresh fish, cold beer, and good wifi comes pretty darn close for me!!

Cheers to all and thanks again for the good wishes,
Mike