Horta, Faial, Azores islands – June 2009
We chose to stop in Horta as it is a popular stopping place and good for stocking up, with shops and a good supermarket within walking distance. Also it has a hospital, just in case! We anchored out but soon decided to splash out on the marina, which wasn’t that cheap but provided far easier access, and the chance to socialise with other boats, get wi-fi internet, get Lisa to a doctor, and so on.Â
In the Azores we met lots of friends, some who had come directly from St Helena or Ascension Island.
We also met many British boats, the most we had seen for years. It was funny to ask them about their trips (usually from England or the Med), and then they would ask about ours – “oh yes, we’ve been away for five years and are on our way back from sailing around the world -Â these two children were born on the way” – the looks on their faces!
Nigel painted a souvenir of our visit on one of the marina walls in Horta, as is customary.
We rented a car for a day to see around the island, visiting the large, ancient volcanic crater in the middle of the island, seeing the roadsides full of hydrangeas and wild pink roses, and some spectacular rock formations and lava flows at the west end of the island.
We saw a paediatrician who was great but he still could not solve Lisa’s problem, and we sadly decided that I would have to fly home, taking Lisa and the other children with me.