Date: 06/18/2011
Location: Horta, Azores
Weather: Sunny and Warm
Title: Saturday, Arrival in Horta, Azores

I woke up for the 0200 to 0500 watch but we were just off the coast and Barry wanted to stay on the helm. So I prepared the fendors and mooring lines while Mirko slept.

We still had about 10 miles to go and didn't want to arrive before the marina opened. The first thing that struck me about the island was how agriculture based it looked. The hills are very green and look cultivated or grazed upon.

We pulled into the marina fuel dock and had to wait about 1/2 hour for the customs office to open.

I had my bags all packed and had "re-possessed" the EPIRB, charts, and motor cover while Barry was inside with immigration taking care of all the paper work. By the time he came out, I was on the dock with my bags. I told him I was off the boat and that I was hoping we could settle up later at Pete's, the local yacht bar. He said he didn't have all the receipts for groceries so I told him to come up with his best estimate.

I left the marina and looked for a taxi to take me to the Faial Hotel. The hotel is just a stones throw from the coast but higher up on the hillside. When I inquired about the room prices they said that they had a promotional going and for 60 euros, I could have a free breakfast thrown in. It sounded very reasonable and I was desperate to unload and lay on something that wasn't moving, so I booked for 3 nights.

The room was quite nice with a ground level patio on one side and a lovely view of the harbor on the other side.

The first thing I did was send all my laundry out to have it washed. Next I took a long hot shower and washed my hair. Then I crashed.

I woke up about 4 pm, got dressed, and went down to Pete's to settle up with Barry. We figured that after deducting the food costs, he owed me $207 or 128 pounds. He paid me in pounds, I gave him back the EPIRB and stuff and that was the end of that.

I spend the rest of the evening partying with a bunch of very nice Irish musician/sailors who entertained us. Sadly, they were leaving in the morning for Ireland on a classic wooden boat.

I feel so relieved that I am off the Carina of York, but I have covered almost 3000 miles over the last 5 weeks and feel quite satisfied with that.