Departed

31 March 2023

News

After our trips in Cape Verde, we are returning to Europe for the summer season. This return journey is split into two legs and the first part goes from Palmeira on Sal to Horta on Faial, Azores. About 1350 nM in a straight line, but a straight line is usually not an option.

First we sail to the northwest, to slowly turn to the north and finally to the northeast. Since the wind around Cape Verde has been much more northerly than usual for a while now and this area of northerly winds seemed to slowly move further west, we wanted to leave as soon as possible. But before departure we have to have all the paperwork in order and all passports need to have a stamp. That’s why Jenny started a few days before departure to convince the ‘stamp man’ to keep his stamp at hand for us in the evening. And, you will hardly believe it, it worked!

This allowed us to hoist the anchor immediately after dinner and start the journey to the Azores. After the anchor the first sails went up and we motor-sailed into the night. Due to the deck light many flying fish came to follow us, which the dolphins also noticed. So, in between hoisting the sails, we could enjoy the hunting dolphins around the ship.

In the morning there was a good sailable wind and we turned off the engine to continue sailing. It’s always a nice moment when the engine can be turned off! We have made quite a bit of progress and as expected the wind is slowly turning. We can therefore steer higher and higher (north). Unfortunately, the wind is slowly decreasing, so the question is how long we can keep the rig full and continue without flapping sails.