Leaving the Mediterranean

After returning from a two week trip back to the UK, it was time to make tracks out of the Mediterranean. The plan was to move the boat as quickly as possible to Lagos, near the western tip of Portugal, and once there prepare for the big jump out to the Azores.

We sped through the Straits of Gibraltar without stopping on our first passage out of Estepona as we had great wind behind us to carry us through. This meant our final exit was much swifter than we anticipated. It felt sad to be leaving the Med, after enjoying two seasons there, but it was time to move on. However, as Greece and Turkey remain our favourite cruising areas I’m sure we will be back at some point.

The Mediterranean did gift us a last beautiful experience as we encountered a pod of pilot whales who swam around the boat for around half an hour. There were calves present and you could hear them calling and communicating with each other. It was just magical.

In Lagos we completed our long list of boat jobs to ensure we were ready to sail 800nm out into the Atlantic. There were around fifty jobs on the list, but the two critical ones were to complete a rig check and to fit our new Jordan Series Drogue. This is a piece of safety equipment that slows the boat down in heavy weather. It is a line with around 140 cones attached to it that you launch and drag behind the boat. We obviously hope to never have to use it. Once the jobs were complete it was time to leave.

It was a six day passage of easy sailing in warm sunshine. As we got close to São Miguel island we were welcomed by a large pod of dolphins, which seemed to set the tone for our visit. The Azores are volcanic islands which are extremely lush and green – a paradise for walking and hiking. We lost no time in engaging in this activity walking 15km up 500m to the nearest caldera. The views were stunning and well worth the aching legs.

We stayed a week in the town of Ponta Delgarda regrouping after our mad dash to get out to the Azores. The town is very pretty and has everything that you need, including a gym with spinning classes, a special treat for me. I did two excellent classes that week, which made me very happy and very determined to find a decent classes in Penarth this winter.

It was an overnight passage to Terceira, the only other island we would visit in the Azores this time around. We only stayed here four days and our main excursion was a Sunday lunch out in the main town of Angra do Heroismo. The random choice restaurant was excellent, great seafood, great wine and with a view over the harbour.

We are very aware that we have only scratched the surface of these beautiful islands and we will definitely be back to explore them more fully in the future. However, the seasons are turning and the weather was beginning to change. We could feel the pressure of the 1400nm trip that we still had to make back to the UK for winter. As is often the case for us, it is the wrong time of year to be making this passage, as the low pressures beginning to roll in across the Atlantic with less space between each one. Phil was checking the weather frequently and planning different options for the trip, but which ever option we took it was likely to include some very strong winds, rain and a clear downturn in the temperature. Time to dig out the thermals and the wet weather gear, and move the swimming costumes and shorts into deep storage. We will return to sunshine sailing at some point in the future, but next on the list for 2025 is Norway.