Passage Log: AZORES → PORTUGAL
Introduction
Embarking on a sailing journey is always an adventure filled with challenges and breathtaking moments. Recently, I had the opportunity to set sail from Horta to Lagos on 59 North Sailing’s Farr 65 FALKEN, experiencing the highs and lows of life at sea. In this blog post, I’ll be sharing two detailed logs from our passage, capturing the essence of our journey and the ups and downs that make sailing such a unique experience.
DAY 1, OCT 19 // HORTA AND DEPARTURE FOR LAGOS
Aaaaaaahoy there everybody! I am writing to you from Horta, in the middle of the Atlantic. FALKEN has spent a whopping four days here, during which we said goodbye to a freshly-salted and fairly-weathered leg 13 crew and welcomed a brand new crew of sailors.
The turn-over was quick, and was complicated by a sweeping cold front that blew 45 knots directly into Horta Harbor. The jetty that FALKEN had been assigned to was nearly underwater. Skipper Erik and I spent about 10 minutes in the gale kicking fenders in-between the boat and the pier until we decided that anchoring out would be the safest option. We anchored safely just before nightfall. The wind kept up, bringing with it larger swell and a surface chop. We let loose all our chain and hunkered down for a grueling 2 hours-on, 2 hours-off anchor watch throughout the night. Never a dull moment! Come day, the water was as still as glass. We sailed back to the dock and launched straight into a full day of boat prep. Laundry, maintenance, inventory, deep-clean, debriefs, briefs… we were busy. But not too busy to notice how beautiful it is here.
Horta is truly breathtaking. The small harbor is surrounded by rolling green meadows situated on the sides of these huge cliffs. The tiny town is picturesque. The buildings are old and colorful, the roofs are mostly red. The marina stands off the battlements of an old fort, and there are several canons pointing right at FALKEN. The coffee and beer is 1 euro. We have been frequenting Peter’s Sport Café, a fabled establishment touted as the sailors' bar of the Azores. This is the first place where sailors flock after a long transatlantic passage. Lots of history, fun spot!
On Sunday, we were happy to welcome aboard Jonah, Michelle, and Willie, our 59 North Apprentices! These folks have joined us to both learn from and contribute towards 59 North. We didn’t have any apprentices with us on our last leg, so it will be great to have three on this one!
Monday: the day of crew arrival. Michelle and I hustled over to the largest supermarket in the area, the ‘Continente’. As far as island supermarkets go, this one was top-tier! It was huge, and I found everything we needed for a nutritious and delicious passage east. We filled up three carts and spent around 800 euros.
Back on the boat, we stowed the food and moved FALKEN to a fantastic floating slip in the Marina. The charcuterie board was ready by the time guests arrived.
So: quick-turn around? Yes. Tough job? Kind of! It was definitely hard, but working with a positive and supportive team makes it fun. Erik is a great leader on the boat and is a joy to work alongside. Our bosun Adam and the rest of the 59 North staff ashore are attentive, available, and care deeply about our success. So the hard work becomes a fun challenge, and the payoff is huge. We’re going offshore tomorrow! LET'S GO SAILING!
Leg 14 takes us from Horta back to where we started; Lagos, Portugal. The trip is an estimated seven days. Wx looks excellent, with a couple of stormy spots along the way. I expect us to be in reaching conditions for the majority of this passage. And I would bet a candy bar that we do it in 6 days!
Okay, more later! Thanks for reading.
Cheers, and until next time, HOLD-FAST! -- Ben Soofer
DAY 3, OCT 21 // SEALEGS AND RUNNING FROM THE STORM
It’s been an eventful 24 hours! We enjoyed a bluebird departure from the dock, only to be met with strong upwind conditions immediately as we turned the corner to head NE through the Azores. We have been sailing N and upwind aggressively to put as much distance as possible between us and an incoming low-pressure system. This system originally called for wind gusts up to 45 knots. The new grib files are showing stronger forces up to 70 knots. Hurricane speeds start at 65.
Our objective is to sail up to 42 N, out of the low-pressure system’s projected track. We are currently at 41 degrees and 31 minutes, so 29 miles to go until we are officially out of the woods! We have 6 hours to make this move before the first front. Plenty of time to get a move on.
In addition to avoiding hurricane-force winds, this northward beat is setting us up for a nice reaching angle after we make the turn.
After our passage to Madeira and the Azores, I had almost forgotten what it was like to sail upwind. Almost. The past two days have been spent at 15-20 degrees, rocking and rolling our new sailors until many of them turned green. The boat has been taking a bit of a pounding as well; electronic systems are shaking themselves loose here and there. The cooking scene, in which I take much pride, has taken a hit as well. It takes a lot longer to make a simple meal in rough conditions. Simple is what we need too, with over half the crew experiencing some form of seasickness. Folks should start to recover when we make our turn E and the boat flattens out. For now, it’s a watching game: making sure people drink water, take their seasick medication, and try to hold down some crackers or fruit.
Ciao for now! Until next time...
HOLD-FAST!
-- Ben Soofer
