Trip to Azores

[truantagain]

Hi all

We were planning on spending some time in the med, but are now looking at some alternative options. We are considering the Azores - does anyone have any advice, tips etc. for spending some time cruising through the islands, especially regarding seasons an times to avoid. We will be setting aside 6 months to 1 year (leaving from the UK and then returning again) - hopefully that will be enough time. Who knows, it might even be enough time to convince my better half that we should spend longer. Thanks for you advice.
Cheers

 

[snowleopard]

obviously the summer months are the best time to be anywhere in the north atlantic outside the tropics. june-july is peak season for the azores as those returning from the other side clear out of the hurricane area for the summer. even then the place doesn't get too crowded though horta marina starts to bulge at the seams.

it that sort of thing turns you on, the islands look their best in the 1st half of june when the hydrangea come into flower (particularly faial and pico)

 

[TigaWave]

The Azores are worth spending some time in, lovely islands and people. Not big on anchoring but some nice marinas on most islands. There are anchorgaes but you have to keep an eye on swell developments, and I wouldn't want to be there in the winter. I've seen some photos of storms battering the islands!
I was only there for 5 weeks, but have friends who've wintered their boats there, at reasonable cost, and used them as Summer cruising grounds, there's plenty to explore.

 

[truantagain]

Thanks for the advice. I guess our trip is going to look something like this:

Leave UK next April, head down Northern Spain, Portugal and then Gibraltar. From there to Madeira Islands(June) and the the Azores. Aim to be in the Azores for July and August and then head back to the UK.

Any further pointers would be most welcome.

Cheers

Truantagain

 

[johnsmith]

I was in the Azores in June 2000 (Mindello). First evening I was visiting a neighboring yot. Someone broke into my yot and stole my shortwave radio. The next day in town children picked my pocket and stole about £40. The third day I had to hire a full time guard to stop anything else being stolen. On the fourth day I left for Brasil. I'll never go there again.

 

[TigaWave]

Which Island/harbour was that in? I'm just curious to know if there is a rough bit to be more cautious in, we heard of no problems at all over 5 weeks of meeting probably nearly 100 boats.
Thanks

 

[jerryat]

Yes, that's the first time I've heard of a problem like that in the Azores. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif We think they're beautiful islands and we'd love to go back there and spend a lot more time exploring. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif The people we met (2003) were, without a single exception, delightful -friendly and helpful - so I hope this was a rogue occurrence.

Anybody else had a bad experience there?

Cheers Jerry

 

[TigaWave]

Did you get any of the storms on the way there around the 10th June? 500 miles off the islands?

 

[snowleopard]

There's some confusion here - Mindelo is in the Cape Verdes, not the Azores. Two very different places, the former being very much more 3rd world. Stingo had a few harsh words to say about the inhabitants last year. I've never heard a bad word about the Azores, Stokey Woodall called it the world's best cruising ground.

 

[TigaWave]

Thats why I couldn't find it!! I thought my charts were a bit out of date
Sounds Like Johns lost....so is that Cornwall in Scotland?
/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[jerryat]

Hi Tigawave!!

Don't know about 'storms' around the 10th June, but we had quite windy weather as we approached Horta which had b**gered our intended visit to Flores. Our logbook records true winds of up to and around 30 knots for about a day and a bit, so not too bad, though the seastate was really horrible. We actually reached Horta (from Antigua) on the 10th June as it happens!!

Where we did get clobbered was a few days later after we, and a few other boats, left for the UK/Med. Herb's forecast was pretty good (hence the exodus) but we ran into horrendous weather after about 325 miles and turned back, dropping down to Sao Miquel.

The bad stuff started around the 24 June, when a whacking great low and it's associated fronts, dropped into a 'hole' formed by the Azores high being much further west than usual, and another high that was pretty well stationary over Holland. This left a gap and the obvious way for the low to go was SE towards Biscay, and that's what it did, totally ignoring the prognosis of the US Weather Centre at Boston which insisted the thing would swing NE!! By then we had stopped the boat for about 18 hours as our interpretation of our weatherfaxes suggested to us the low would do exactly what it did. Herb (blessings upon his head!) was puzzled by the Boston info too, and said he reckoned it would drop SE.

Several boats turned back, including some of the competitors in the AZAB, which was just as well, 'cos the wind where we WOULD have been had we kept going, reached a sustained 50 knots according to Herb!! Herb was very relieved for us when we told him we'd turned, because as he gently put it, "'you are a little boat!!" Anyway, several boats suffered some damage, none serious thank goodness, but we (he's says smugly) didn't even get any water below! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

The only 'casualties' we heard of was an AZAB tri that had been capsized about 200 miles off Ireland after she kept going, and some friends of ours who got hit by a big wave after turning back that wiped out the port dodger, lifebuoy etc and put loads of water below. Crew were all ok in both cases. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Turning back was something we did not have any problem with, especially as it gave us the opportunity of spending more time in the Azores.

Hope you didn't get clobbered! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Cheers Jerry

 

[jerryat]

Blimey Snowpeopard you're right, I've been to Mindelo in the Cape Verdes and did wonder, but just assumed there was another one in the Azores!! There's no doubt that the sort of problem johnsmith referred to is very likely in the 'real' Mindelo. We had relatively minor niggles with kids puncturing our dinghy with fish hooks down in Praia, but no more than that. Even then we weren't sure if it was deliberate as there were loads of people fishing off the quay and I suppose it might have been accidental - at least the first two or three times!! /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Still, we've been there twice and love the islands and the people. Just wish getting cash was much easier!! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Cheers Jerry

 

[TigaWave]

Interesting, we were a few days behind but had 45knots for 48 hours and the horrible seas, which also put us off anchoring at Flores, at one point we were heading for the Canaries. Managed to visit four of the islands in 5 weeks and cant wait to go back some day. We heard some stories of boats turning back. We also had a bloomin windy trip back to Spain, with Southerlies?? off the corner another low had gone into Biscay! You just cant trust the weather.
Must get back to work now!
Neil