Açores_Azores : Faial

Finalement nous apprécions notre situation de relatif isolement au mouillage de Horta qui nous permet de vaquer à nos occupations sans avoir à nous occuper des autres voiliers à couple qui manœuvrent très souvent et à toutes heures pour accueillir un nouvel arrivant ou laisser sortir le voisin avec parfois des conséquences fâcheuses pour le matériel... Malgré une fréquentation en nette augmentation, la ville reste toutefois très agréable et le contact entre équipages et Açoréens toujours aussi courtois et chaleureux. Nous redécouvrons les lieux et revisitons des souvenirs que depuis sept ans nous avions enfouis au fin fond des replis de nos mémoires et que la vue ressuscite: Porto Pim et son ancienne station baleinière, où le navigateur Genuino a maintenant ouvert un restaurant après deux tours du monde et le café Peter qui fête cette année ses 100 ans de tradition d'accueil des marins de passage. Toutes les routes semblent continuer à converger vers cet archipel et nous recroisons avec émotions quelques voiliers rencontrés en Patagonie en 2016 : Alea et Skoiern notamment (qui fête aussi ses 100 ans!).

Eventually we greatly appreciate being relatively isolated at our anchorage in Horta, without having to take into consideration the movements of other yachts which, whilst alongside (two, three or four yachts deep), yachts have to be moved every so often to either make place for a new arrival, or to let your neighbour out. Some of these tight-fitting manoeuvres, either in haste, carelessness or frustrations, may obviously have negative consequences such as scratches, bumps and raised temperaments. Despite the significant increase in numbers - of yachts as well as crew - Horta has retained its charm. The Azoreans, as it was 7 years ago, are welcoming, warm and super friendly. We rediscover and revisit places bringing back fond memories : the bay at Porto Pim, where the historical whale station still stands as a museum, and where Azorean navigator Genuino - the only Azorean who has single-handedly sailed twice around the world - has chosen to open an interesting restaurant. Not only are delicious local dishes sumptuously served accompanied by beautiful Fado music every Friday night, the restaurant serves as a 'museum' of Genuino's souvenirs, collections and documentation from his world tours. 2018 is also the 100th anniversary year of the famous Peter's Cafe, celebrating thus its long tradition of welcoming passing yachts who seem to converge from all corners of different oceans. Here, to our pleasant surprise, we cross the paths of yachties who we met in Patagonie in 2016 : S/Y Alea (Johans and Sylvie) and S/Y Skoiern (Patrick and Anne-Marie), the latter coincidently celebrating as well the 100th year of Skoiern's construction.