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The Azores
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The Azores
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The Azores
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Nine emerald islands, ranging from the smallest- Corvo with 300 inhabitants
to San Miguel with 150.000 inhabitants, warmed by the Gulf Stream
and surrounded by an ocean teeming with life. All islands are within
easy reach from each other in a day’s trip. The Azores offer
some very interesting sightseeing too. The Unesco has declared the
beautiful town Angra do Heroismo on Terceira a cultural heritage.
On San Miguel are the Blue and Green Lagoons in a huge extinct volcano
cone. There are several hot spots on the island, in some of them
food is cooked traditionally, one of them is in a small cove and
warms the sea, it’s like swimming in a huge bathtub. Santa
Maria with its dazzling exotic flora is another Madeira- one huge
flowery garden. On Faial is Peter Café Sport, one of the most
famous sailors’ bar anywhere on the planet. The beauty of the
Azores is endless. No mass tourism spoils any of the islands. Due
to the Gulf Stream the weather is always just right- nice and warm
but not too hot. From June onwards you can expect air temperatures
between 24° and 28°, water temperatures 22° - 25°.
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Islandhopping
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Yacht
Charter
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Islandhopping
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You can chose between going into the ports or
marinas and exploring the islands or staying
out for a beautiful night sail under the
bright stars in a fluorescent sea, caused
by bioluminescent algae. Every movement of
the boat leaves a glittering trail of small
stars in the water, Dolphins coming up to
the boat seem to be swimming in long shining
pipes. Island hopping on the Azores is very
pleasant sailing. You can see the next island
when you take off in the morning. However,
just a few miles off the islands you are
in the deep sea, 2000-4000m depths are normal.
After a beautiful days cruise you arrive
on a new island to explore. For those who
would like a longer trip or need mileage for their Yacht Master License there
is the option of a cruise from San Miguel
to Madeira (4-5 days), back to Santa Maria
(4-5 days) and then San Miguel, altogether
1000 sea miles of mainly Bluewater Sailing.
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Sea Watch
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Yacht Charter
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Sea Watch
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Yes,
there are whales there, but the right expression should be sea
watching; whales, birds, dolphins, turtles, bonitos and sunfish. Whale
hunting from small wooden sailing boats has a long tradition on the
Azores due to the great variety of whales around the islands.
Commercial whale hunting ended in 1966, however, you can still find the
traditional whaling boats around the islands, now used for leisure.
Normally you can every day expect dolphins coming up to the boat
for a visit. Tuna and Bonitos sometimes follow the boat for days on
end. In calm conditions you can go for a swim from the boat. A strange
feeling, swimming in the ocean, knowing there are several thousand
meters of water below you. The water temperatures rise to about
23°C in July and 24°-25° in August, the air remains a
constant 25°-27° due to the Gulf Stream. There is no better and
leisurely way to get to know sailing and the sea.
For legal reasons, I must here clearly state that we do not do so
called "Whale Watching Tours". There are several licensed companies on the Azores
which do land based whale watching daytrips.
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Sail Charter
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The Catamaran
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Sail Charter
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"MOBY DICK "
Catamaran: Casenove 46' Size: Length 14,6m x Width 7,4m x Draft 0,75m
Displacement: 10t.Sail area: 90m2
Design and construction: Roland de Casenove,
Architect Navale, Paris
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Equipment:
EPIRB,
Radar, AIS, VHF with automatic emergency signal, two life rafts,
chartplotter, GPS, fishfinder/sonar, autopilot, solar
panels (2 x 100W), 220v generator, inflatable dinghy with
outboard, electric anchor winch, , towed water generator, just to
mention some of the gear. Two 40 hp heavy duty Mariner outboard engines which are raised into the hulls while under sail.
There are altogether 16 waterproof bulkheads
on the boat. Moby Dick is an extremely safe vessel.
The
yacht has an ununsual colour, for a good reason: white, blue,
green etc. might look nice in the marina, but the bright yellow is for
safety, making sure you are seen out at see in all conditions.
You can see
the Catamaran on the marina's webcam. Go to "Webcam /Weathercams/Vila do Porto/ and there she is!
(out of order at this moment).
DOCUMENTS: click here:
Charter License:
Licença
Annual
Survey:
Vistoria
Insurance:
Seguro
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The Skipper
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Mikael- or Mike to everybody on board. Born in Sweden, is 65 years old
and has been boat building, sailing and surfing all his life. He has
logged more than 35.000 offshore sea miles sailing all over Europe.He
speaks six languages fluently (English, German, French, Portuguese,
Czech- and of course Swedish). And most important: he can cook!
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How to Get On Board
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Air Azores (former SATA), TAP, Easy Jet and Ryan air offer flights to
the Azores, Porto and Lisbon. All airlines also offer flights out
from Lisbon to Ponta Delgada (São Miguel, the main island),
Jetairfly flies from Brussels to Ponta Delgada.
There are several alternatives to get to Santa Maria:
1. via Lisbon and then directly to Santa Maria, air Azores operates flights
from Lisbon to Santa Maria on Thursdays and Sundays.
2. Fly directly to Ponta Delgada and then on to Santa Maria (daily flights,
15 min) or take the ferry.
3. Via Lisbon and Ponta Delgada (several flights per day) and then on
to Santa Maria (
the connecting flight to Santa Maria is free!). Alternatively
via Porto to Ponta Delgada.
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Prices - Yacht Charter
Four cabins, eight persons.
Low season
November – March: € 2.600,-/Week.
Mid season
April+May+June & September+October: € 3.550,-/Week.
High season
July+August: € 4.490,-/Week.
PAYMENT: at booking, another 30% two months before the charter, final payment two weeks
before the charter. Refund: full refund if we cancel the charter (has never
happened), no refund if you cancel the charter (has also never happened).
Prices include skipper, harbour duties and fuel for standard harbour or mooring maneuvers.
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Contact
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Phone 00351 916039582
Email mike.azores@sapo.pt
We live in dire times of spam and viruses, please always use
“Blue Azores” as subject.
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Mikael Bahner
Calheta
Santo Espirito
9580-209 Vila do Porto
Santa Maria
Azores/Portugal
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