General information

Three months from Saint Malo to Saint Malo via Lisbon, Madeira and the Azores
Glimpses of a summer cruise during the summer of 2005 with Ovento, RM 1050 No. 21

A departure at the end of May 2005 from Saint Malo, the return just before mid-September, and in between, a few tacks towards Lisbon, Madeira and the Desertas Islands, the Azores, La Coruña and Sainte Marine.

Nearly 4300 miles covered over ground, 340 hours of engine use (and yes, there was quite a bit of flat calm, or almost flat calm), 31 nights spent sailing, 381 crew days at sea, 24 successive crew members, a top speed of 11.2 knots and winds up to 46 knots at the peak.

Behind the dry figures, a very beautiful cruise, alternating between long crossings of 3 to 9 days (several crew members were discovering the open sea), coastal cruising, anchorages in open areas or sometimes stops in marinas not yet too full, hikes in the islands to find peace and quiet, …

The most beautiful moments

Even when it wasn't a new discovery for me:

• Lisbon with the arrival of force 4 or 5 winds on a broad reach under the suspension bridge on April 24th and the atmosphere of this very endearing city.
• The Lisbon-Madeira crossing downwind, starting in beautiful weather with no wind, then within an hour force 6 to 7, then 4 to 7, but often overcast, some of the crew were a bit shaken, but they held on despite seasickness
• Arriving at night on the southeast coast of Madeira after passing Porto Santo at nightfall, sumptuous, and a strengthening wind downwind of the island leading us to make square tacks along the coast in force 7 to 8 to wait for the arrival of day before entering the narrow passage of the Quinta do Lorde marina.
• Walks in the mountains of Madeira and along the cliffs of the north coast, vertigo-inducing paths with magnificent views, or at the eastern end of the island, you almost feel like you're in Africa.
• We spent an afternoon and a night at the Desertas Islands, about twenty miles southeast of Madeira (the first recreational boat visitors in a year; you need permission from the environmental department, and the site was undergoing renovations to rebuild the buildings housing the wardens and scientists). It was one of the most beautiful sites we visited during those three months (the RM 1050 Voiles-Magazine sailed there a month after us!).

The Azores

• Santa Maria Island, the first stop in the Azores after a 4-day crossing from Madeira, also encountered a Force 1 gale (sheltered by Madeira) that swelled to Force 6 in just a few minutes, which turned some stomachs… A very tranquil island, a day trip to anchor at the foot of cliffs covered with ancient terraces with abandoned vineyards, in the southeast of the island, and also hikes, including to the Baía de Saõ Lourenço, with breathtaking views.
• São Miguel , where Ponta Delgada, the capital of the Azores, is located, is very Europeanized, despite some very beautiful places in the mountains, in particular the lagoa de sete cidades, in the west, and the lagoa de Furnas in the center, with the famous fumaroles which allow the cooking of simmered dishes for at least 5 hours.
• São Jorge is probably my favorite island (along with Flores, which we couldn't go to this year due to lack of time): shaped like a knife blade, about fifty kilometers long, with cliffs often covered in forests and greenery, where you can still see the landslides caused by the 1998 earthquake. Then there are the fajãs, flat areas at the foot of the cliffs where small villages have sprung up, cultivating crops like coffee, bananas, corn, squash, and beans, most of them quite isolated until recently. In particular, we were able to anchor and spend a night at the fajã de João Dias, in the northwest of the island, accessible only by land via a steep path with a 400-meter drop. Supplies are brought in by mule, and there are about twenty houses inhabited in the summer and only a few in the winter. Anchoring is only possible in very good weather, and landing on a rather treacherous pebble beach is a bit of a challenge! Another hike not to be missed is the fajá de la caldeira de Santo Cristo, where you descend from 700 meters above sea level to the sea through hydrangeas, pastures, and forests.
• Pico , this year, no crew member climbed the summit of Portugal's volcano (2352 m high), as the weather conditions weren't suitable when we could have attempted it, but we were able to admire it from every angle, often with clear skies. We also discovered three anchorages I hadn't yet explored, in addition to the port of Madalena, including Lajes do Pico. There, you'll find the first whale-watching company established in the Azores by a Frenchman I met eight years ago, who seems to be doing excellent work protecting and studying Azorean cetaceans. Taking advantage of calm and beautiful weather, we were able to circumnavigate the island, anchoring for nearly 24 hours at the foot of wooded cliffs on the north coast, enjoying crystal-clear water and fish to supplement our meals.
• Faial, with its large port of Horta, which remains the most popular destination and stopover in the archipelago, is as usual: a pleasant, busy marina (though slightly less so than last year, one of the managers told us), having almost doubled its capacity two or three years ago. Peter's Café Sport remains very (too) crowded for my taste, and there are nicer places to have a drink, in my opinion. Two walks not to be missed (I do them every time I'm there): the Capelinhos volcano, which appeared in 1956 in the sea off the western tip of the island (the eruption lasted a year and caused a lot of damage). Despite collapses and erosion, it added a significant area to the island by connecting with it and burying the old lighthouse under several meters of ash and lava. The site is very spectacular; in some places, you can see vegetation taking root again, but in others, it remains completely lunar. The other place not to be missed is the central Caldera (or cauldron, i.e. the crater) at 1000 m altitude, whose rim can be walked along (but it is now forbidden to go down to the bottom of the crater, 400 m lower) and return either by hitchhiking (this allowed me to be taken back to Horta by a former whaling captain who showed us the museums he has installed on the first floor of his brand new house, offered us a drink at his home, and told us a little about his life as a whaler), or by taxi, or by mountain bike (rented from Peter, he takes you up there in a truck with the mountain bikes) or even for the most courageous on foot (2 crew members did it and returned to the boat at 11 p.m.!). Finally, if you are in the Azores the first week of August, it would be a shame to miss Semana do Mar, where lots of events take place around the sea (sailing regattas, converted whaleboats, concerts, exhibitions, dance festival, etc.).
• Graciosa, one of the smallest islands, is charming; the current port of Vila da Praia is not protected from south-east to east-northeast winds and is therefore quite rolly, but a small marina with a landing quay is under construction; the only problem, given its small size, is that I think there will be no way to spend the night there.
• Finally, Terceira , which I don't know very well apart from Angra do Heroísmo, is somewhat Americanized (a large US Air Force base has been located there since the last war) and seems wealthy. Angra do Heroísmo, on the other hand, is by far the most beautiful city in the Azores, with a wealth of palaces, churches, grand houses, gardens, and more in its old town, dating from the 16th to the 18th centuries. As a bonus, a marina has been operating for two or three years now—not very large, but pleasant and very convenient, right in the heart of the city. It's a welcome change from the rolly anchorage we were used to.

The return

The return crossing, with three of us, went smoothly, but with rather light winds, so we used the engine quite a bit (and also caught a 95cm tuna, difficult to finish with three of us despite trying various recipes!). Most importantly, 50 miles before arriving in La Coruña, the engine suddenly stopped due to a diesel pump failure. The diaphragm turned out to be cracked, causing the engine crankcase to gradually fill with diesel (we later drained 7.5 liters!), which brought the engine to a halt. Fortunately, after two hours of dead calm with a good cross swell, the wind finally picked up to force 2 or 3, and we were able to moor under genoa alone on a slipway early the next morning in the Sada marina at the far end of La Coruña bay. The repair took a week, the local mechanic didn't find the fault for several days, but after a change of crew forced by the delay, the return through the Bay of Biscay went well, again with too little wind (except at the departure from Cariño where we had to wait 2 days for a gale with torrential rain to calm down a bit), but tuna and also a magnificent pod of common dolphins (I hadn't seen them so playful and jumping for a long time).

The final legs, Sainte-Marine to Trébeurden, then Trébeurden to Saint-Malo, were quite windy, especially the last night passing the Sept-Îles archipelago and Bréhat. It feels strange to be back in our anchorage in the Rance after more than three months away…

And in conclusion, a boat perfectly suited to this kind of trip, which ultimately held few unpleasant surprises for us, even though we had a few minor issues and one major one: the engine failure.

We'll do another trip like this as soon as possible; it helps to be retired.