Ahoy, dear readers, from SailingSymi,
It’s been a while since I last posted on my blog. Unfortunately, the reason for this is my shoulder injury, which is healing slowly but steadily. Using a computer with my right arm has been too painful so far. While a good dose of painkillers and rest have helped reduce the pain, it still hurts to move my arm overhead or even just lift a glass off the table. Since we’ve booked our berth until July 7 and sailing wasn’t possible at the moment, we decided to visit another Azores island as tourists. In the Azores archipelago, which consists of nine islands, there are no ferry connections—only flights operated by two Dash 8 aircraft. So we booked a flight to Faial, the island that most Atlantic crossers make their first stop at. The port there, Horta, is the meeting place for all sailors, who can finally rest after their grueling journey. After a 150-nm, 40-minute flight, we arrived at the small airport—which had been completely modernized three years ago with EU funding—rented a small car, and drove to our hotel, located in the heart of the city with a view of the harbor. In the sunshine, we strolled along the piers and watched the arriving boats as well as crews cleaning their salt-encrusted boats or carrying out major repairs on broken masts or other significant damage. The harbor basin doesn’t offer much space, which is why many yachts anchor off the harbor. The pier walls and floors are famous for the hundreds of hand-painted images of boats that have arrived here, through which the crews immortalize themselves. Since they fade over time in the sun, the old paintings are painted over with new masterpieces. We found a total of three paintings by friends who had passed through here in recent years, and sent you the photos to show that their works are still visible. We didn’t have any paint, and with my arm in a sling, I didn’t feel like immortalizing us there anyway. We’ll keep our adventure in our minds, not on the pier.
Probably the most famous spot in the harbor is the “Peters Sport Café,” a sailors’ pub that’s been around since 1918—a place where new arrivals treat themselves to their first beer and share their experiences. In front of the café, we ran into our friends Evelin and Michi, along with their crew member Andreas from the “Ocean Fantasy,” who had left Bermuda five days after us and were also overjoyed to have arrived. It was a wonderful reunion and picked right up where our shared Caribbean adventures in 2024 had left off. We decided to spend the next few days together and explore the island in our rented Fiat 500. Also just arriving were our French friends from Bermuda with their dog Roxy—who had more or less survived the 16-day trip—and our Swedish friend David, whom we’d met the previous year in Savanna. So even after traveling thousands of kilometers, you always end up running into old acquaintances.
Faial, like all the other Azores islands, is of volcanic origin and rose from the ocean about 300 million years ago. They belong to Portugal and the EU, and to me they seem to be the last enclave in the EU where life hasn’t had to follow the path we’ve been familiar with throughout the rest of the EU since 2015.
The people are extremely friendly. The typical Azorean is rather small and wiry in build. Many work in agriculture, and so the main export products are cheese, dairy products, meat, and fish. The islands are self-sufficient, and I find it fascinating that only locals work in the fields and markets—you won’t find any refugees here. In the restaurants and the tourism industry, the staff consists of locals and, strangely enough, Asians as well. The Azores are a peaceful place. The tranquility is also fascinating. Butterflies flutter, birds sing, and plump cows graze on lush green meadows. A thoroughly healthy natural environment. Another striking feature here is the low cost of living. A large beer costs 3.5–4 €, and a good dinner for two costs between 40 and 60 €. Compared to the United States or Bermuda (and even Austria), it’s a paradise.
Thanks to the volcanic fertility of the soil, all the islands are covered in lush green meadows and an incredible variety of flowers. Hydrangeas, in particular, grow everywhere here like dandelions do back home.
Climatically, the Azores are influenced by the Gulf Stream and therefore have an oceanic-subtropical climate that remains mild year-round. Temperatures are balanced, with mild winters (11 to 17 °C) and pleasantly warm summers (19 to 26 °C). Due to their volcanic origin, each island is crowned by its own volcano.
The highest (2,000 m) is located on the island of Pico, bears the same name, and is usually shrouded in thick clouds. For sailors, the nine islands are not necessarily the ideal sailing area, as their steep cliffs—rising from a depth of 2,000 m—do not offer safe anchorages. There are marinas on four of the islands, but they are usually very crowded.
The five of us drove around Faial in our Fiat 500. At the summit of the 800-meter-high volcano, we wanted to catch a glimpse of the vegetation-covered caldera, but unfortunately the entire summit was shrouded in fog, and it felt like being at the top station of a ski lift. I couldn’t go on a hike around the crater because of my injury, so instead we visited the small peninsula west of Faial—formed by a volcanic eruption in 1958—and its interesting museum.
As the grand finale, the five of us booked a whale-watching tour, during which we spent more than an hour traveling by speedboat to the coast of Pico Island. In addition to seeing many dolphins, we were treated to the sight of a young female humpback whale at the end of the tour. From a distance of 100 meters, she was doing somersaults and slapping her fin against the water. It was an unforgettable experience.
After four days, we flew back to Symi on the main island of SĂŁo Miguel. This is the main island of the Azores. It measures 65Ă—16 km. In terms of infrastructure, the city has everything you need. A modern airport is just 4 km from the center, and the industrial port not only accommodates large cargo ships but also smaller cruise ships a few times a month.
Like Faial, São Miguel is a lush, green island offering countless hiking trails and a diverse landscape. We’ve only seen a small part of it so far, but we’re looking forward to exploring more.
Our friends will also be sailing here on their boat in a few days.
Since the condition of my shoulder is improving but professional help would be beneficial, I looked for a physical therapist in town. I found Louis, a young sports physical therapist who is also the president of the Azorean Therapists’ Association. He’s a man who inspires confidence. During the first session, after an examination, he helped me move around and confirmed my suspicion that nothing serious had happened, but that my tendons and muscles had been strained. I was sent home with a home exercise program, but I have another appointment scheduled for Friday.
The costs are out-of-pocket and amounted to 40 euros—prices like those from the 1980s in Vienna. I’m optimistic that I’ll be halfway back in shape by the time I leave in 2.5 weeks.
We then rented a car for 14 days and can conveniently park it right near our pier. Today we waited out a heavy rain shower and then set off for the volcanic spa 40 km east of San Miguel. There, we found 39-degree-Celsius sulfur- and iron-rich volcanic springs flowing into small pools. Just like in a bathtub, we sat in the warm thermal water with 20 other guests and enjoyed it. The road up this ancient volcano is lined on both sides with man-high blue and white blooming hydrangeas and dense jungle, which was very reminiscent of the island of Dominica in the Antilles.
Repairs on Symi are never quite finished. Unfortunately, two days ago the electronics technician discovered that my Raymarine radar—which is only three years “old”—apparently has a hardware defect and would have to be sent to England. However, that would take at least six weeks, so it’s not feasible. So I’ll probably have to visit the nearest service center in Almerimar, Spain, where I’ll likely have to buy a new radar dome right away. He said the cost of a repair is almost the same as the price of a new unit. The new generation of devices, regardless of the manufacturer, is becoming increasingly prone to failure, and the company’s new policy is to no longer supply spare parts to local mechanics so they can keep everything under control in just two locations: either in London or in the U.S. That’s really lousy customer service. Thanks, Raymarine.
The quintessential throwaway society. It's just sad.
So what’s next for us?
We’ll stock up on provisions here in Ponta Delgada until July 7, then sail the 50 sm to Santa Maria, the southeasternmost island of the Azores. My daughter Anna will fly there on July 12 and join us for the next leg of 1,000 nautical miles (1,820 km) to Gibraltar. We’re looking forward to it. This seven-day trip should be much easier to sail; the only potential problem might be the last part of the route, “Orca Alley.” Well, maybe the whales will be on vacation somewhere else by then and let us pass.
All that remains is for me to send you my best regards and wish you a cool head during your first heat wave of the year. Yours, Capt. Pavlos