Waiting in Faial to leave for home by JoJo

Horta on the Island of Faial, Azores, June 2016

The weather in the Azores was not quite what we expected. It was cold, misty, damp and...well, not the Carribbean! But it was also exhilarating, and satisfying and we were very happy to arrive, not least because another frontal system was about to hit the islands. We were happy to have got into harbour in time to be anchored snugly when this wind arrived. Weather was not normal for this time of year, the harbour master told me: "We never get NE wind! It's almost always from the South." All the talk with other yachtsmen was about the weather - how everyone's passage had gone, and the outlook for the next passage onward and home.

Island Swift (left of picture) at anchor in Horta with Pico volcano behind.

Peter's Bar 46 years on by JoJo

Horta on the Island of Faial, Azores, June 2016

Arriving in Horta on the beautiful Azores island of Faial was very emotional for many different reasons. Twenty eight days at sea was our longest ocean passage and we arrived at the same port as my parents had done 46 years ago, on our family boat Mjojo. At that time, I was only 4 years old and sadly have no memories, but there are many family stories about our time here in 1970. Thanks to our new modern communication gadget (Delorme Inreach) my mother was following us at every stage of the journey and was as excited as we were on our arrival.

Atlantic Crossing Antigua to Horta in the Azores by JoJo

Passage Antigua to Horta on the Island of Faial, Azores, May 2016

After Antigua Classics it was time to focus on getting ready for crossing the Atlantic back to the UK. There was a long list of jobs to do.  First of all was the smelly task of fuel filtering.  We had already taken a sample of diesel and found a lot of dirt at the bottom of the tank and also dead ‘diesel bug’.  So with a 12 volt pump and a wonderful filter (thanks Tim) we spent a few hours pumping the diesel through the filter until it was clear and clean.  Now we could have faith in our engine in case we had to motor on the windless days across the Azores High. Mmm… it did not work out quite like that.

Island Swift all sails set