Halfway To Madeira

Positions:
08/27/05 36 04.301N, 22 08.353W, 0600 UTC
08/27/05 35 26.927N, 21 07.656W, 1800 UTC

Going has been good. Just about halfway to Madeira. Don't expect the winds to hold though - we'll see.

Numerous Rain Squalls

Positions:
08/25/05, 37 25.467W, 24 56.963W, 1800 UTC
08/26/05, 37 03.028N, 24 12.883W, 0600 UTC0
08/26/05, 36 35.823N, 23 17.401W, 1800 UTC

Left Ponto Delgada yesterday at 11:00 am. Going good with winds out of the NNE 10-15K. Had numerous rain squalls throughout the night but has been clear throughout the day today.

Sao Miguel - Last Stop In The Azores

Ponto Delgada, Ilha Sao Miguel, Azores
Position: 37 44.41N, 25 39.49W

We are now on the island of Sao Miguel and in a marina in the big city of Ponto Dalgada, the largest city in the islands. You know you’re in the big city when it has a big mall and movie theaters, something we haven't seen since leaving Maine. The city has lots of small, winding, interesting streets and lots shops to explore. But we like to get out of town and experience the more simple life.


Yesterday we took the bus to one of the calderas (volcanic crater) that has several lakes inside and a very pleasant community of dairy farms. After walking around the lake and having lunch at a small restaurant we walked to a town on the coast via a 1 kilometer long viaduct tunnel. You could see the end of the tunnel but nothing else as you passed through. We met a German couple exiting as we entered who gave us their bamboo walking sticks that we used to feel the wall on one side and for low spots in the tunnel. So instead of a 20 km walk we did it in 7 km. Once through the tunnel we had to drop almost a 1,000 feet into the coastal community where we got a bus back to the big city.

Our time in the Azores has come to an end. We've really enjoyed our stay in the islands and would not hesitate to return. We leave tomorrow for the island of Porto Santo in the Madeira, a sail of 500 miles, and should take 5 to 7 days.

Cruising Labrador by Andy O'Grady

In the August 2005 issue of Cruising World there is an article about sailing off the coast of Labrador. The article, written by Andy O’Grady, includes stories of other intrepid sailors’ he has met while sailing off the coast of Labrador. Two prominent couples in the article are Chris and Annie Law who have been in the area for since the 60’s. Nancy and Mark met up with the Laws’ in 2000 while sailing off Labrador. Another couple mentioned by Andy is our own duo of Nancy and Mark.

There are photos of both the Laws and Nancy and Mark in the article. The article is a must see just for the photos.

Editor John Krill

Sao Miguel Saturday Morning

We arrived on the island of Sao Miguel Saturday morning. We hope to only be here until maybe Thursday - getting tired of paying for marinas. Will send an update before we leave.