Passage to the Azores
Our weather routers urged us to get moving out of the USVI, otherwise the high pressure to the east would continue to build and we would have little to no wind for the foreseeable future. On the morning of April 29, already prepped and ready, we pulled up the anchor in Brewers Bay, made a pit stop for some fuel and set off on an 18-20 day, 2500 mile adventure to the archipelago dos Azores, 800 miles west of Portugal.
The seas north of St. Thomas were confused and choppy and the wind brisk as we pointed the bow north. Winds around 20 kept us moving smartly, but the boat motion was irregular and we needed to regain our sea legs. By the third day the wind was dying. We sailed briefly with the Code Zero, but at 1400 the breeze failed and the engine came on. Drifting was not really an option as the high we had entered was predicting to expand northward, so we needed to escape the doldrums. Historically this area is referred to as the Horse Latitudes and the Sargasso Sea. The sailing ships of old had no engine and sometimes were becalmed in this area for so long that the water supply ran low. Horribly, the horses carried onboard were sometimes sacrificed overboard to conserve drinking water for the crew. Floating yellowish sargassum weed abounds here as well with apocryphal tales of ships being entrapped by vast mats of the stuff. We found plenty of sargassum, but never enough to slow us down. It did tend to foul the prop, so before engaging forward gear we learned to reverse briefly to spin it off.
For 4 days we motored. Swell came and went. Our speed rose and fell as Helacious encountered random currents. The sea became glassy smooth. The high pressure center produced the most intense blue sky dotted with petite fluffy white clouds.The rays of the sun refracted from deep within the water, striking a thermocline of cold water 120’ down. We theorized this because our depth sounder kept showing 120-150’, even though we knew the water was thousands of feet deep. Or perhaps that was a huge fish? We stopped briefly for a swim, engine off, just drifting slowly with a half knot current. One at a time we jumped into the azure pool. I found a length of rope wrapped around the prop shaft. Six feet under the boat the water shimmered eerily in the strong sunlight. Here be dragons! We got out rather quickly, pleased with our bravery and giggling nervously, refreshed and renewed by our mid Atlantic baptism.
At 1020 on day 7, the wind gently filled enough to sail with the Code Zero. Oh silence, blessed relief! We are pleased to have the engine when it is needed but shutting it down is always welcome. Somewhere in that 92 hours of motoring I discovered the second alternator which feeds the house bank had stopped charging due to a broken battery terminal. Fortunately we had purchased a spare alternator just prior to leaving in October, so an hour of sweaty work had it swapped and good as new. I determined that the metal of the terminal had fatigued due to the vibration caused by the heavy battery cable not being clamped to the engine, an oversight I have since corrected.
We varied our course between N and E to keep the shifting breeze in the sails. The wind increased as did the seas and by day 11 we were seeing 25-30, mostly from the SW. The night was pitch black as the moon had waned. Just before midnight the predicted cold front arrived with a wind shift, some welcome rain and one very bright lightning bolt and a terrifically loud thunderclap. We had gybed just before the front hit and were soon on a new course. In the morning the wind had steadied and we poled out the genoa and ran wing and wing. The swell from the SW was 10-12’ and quite amazing to watch, but Helacious took it on her quarter and the trusty autopilot kept us on course.
At 1612 on day 12 we spotted our very first whale spouts. The beasts are expertly shy of my camera. At midnight we gybed to the east and were now sailing directly toward the Azores at last, making good miles. Day 13 saw 191 nautical miles pass the keel in 24 hours, a record for a current- unassisted distance. On day 14 a large grey whale, species unknown, arced across just in front of us, not 25 meters ahead. We also saw dolphins, and several more whale spouts and a breaching in the distance. I think the Azores current must carry some rich nutrients in this area and these great creatures are at Mother’s buffet!
171 miles, 166 miles and we hadn’t touched the sheets in several days. 176 miles, distance to Azores 195. Heralded the previous day by a wicked looking line of black clouds about 30 miles north a weak nearly stationary cold front arrived and with 145 miles to go, just killed our wind. Despite efforts to steer a few miles further south the wind plummeted from 26 knots to 5 in 3 minutes. Fortunately the seas also abated and Iron Genny came to our rescue once again. 16 hours of motoring brought us to within 30 miles of Horta. The skies were heavy overcast and it was spitting with rain, but we were sailing again. At 0720 on Day 18, May 16, we spotted the white cliffs of Ponta da Castelo Branco on the SW corner of Faial, about 7 miles away. We were able to sail right to the harbor entrance at Horta, douse the sails and by 1030 had dropped anchor in the magical green isles of the Azores. A unique mix of joy, relief, satisfaction and gratitude settled over us. All is well, time now to explore these exotic islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
The passage data: 2540nm in 17 days 10 hours for an average of 6.2 knots. 138 engine hours, 120 gallons of diesel. Admiral and Captain still on speaking terms. A unique mix of joy, relief, satisfaction and gratitude settled over us is well. Time now to explore these special islands.
