Sailing Solo Across the Atlantic Ocean – Part 3

Continues from Part 1 and Part 2

When I notified the Marina da Horta of my arrival I learned that I wasn’t allowed ashore until I took a Covid-19 test the next day and waited 24hrs for the result. This was hardly unexpected. Sara thoroughly researched the matter and kept me informed through our texting device.

The worst case scenario I was prepared for consisted in receiving a resupply of water and food from a launch service and continuing without even putting a foot on land. After watching the green and fertile south shore of Faial passing on Tranquility’s port side the desire to visit the island grew very strong and the idea of waiting 24hrs to go ashore became intriguing.

The free Wi-Fi signal made it at times to the anchorage. I started to notify friends and family of my arrival, sending selfies and making video calls to the closest people. After 34 days of no internet I was back to day 0. It was definitely refreshing not to have to deal with the internet for more than a month. Even if I was communicating with people through the InReach device, it only allowed the pre-smartphone SMS type of communication.

The first night at anchor was uneventful. I woke up many times to check the holding of my anchor. The wind whistled in the rig as strong SW gusts were finding their way into Horta‘s basin. Feeling the pressure of the wind on the rig while at anchor was unfamiliar after more than a month using the same force to move forward. But my preoccupation were light and I fully enjoyed the pleasure of a long night of sleep.

The next morning I asked the harbor master for a pick up at the boat to go for the Covid test. I assumed they had a launch and I was trying to avoid deploying my own dinghy for….well… for being lazy. They told me there was a space for me to move to the quarantine dock, on the inner side of the quay.This was very fortunate because it was protected from the swell of the basi, and I could wait there for the result of my test.

I droned the electric powered Tranquility to the mooring assigned in the quarantine dock. I was then met by a Policia Maritima who was tasked to escort me and another Dutch solo sailor coming from Aruba to a public Gym where a line of people was waiting for their test.

THE FIRST EVER COVID TEST

Talking with the policeman I learned that he spent time in Italy serving in the Portuguese army during the war in the Balcans. He had then moved to Faial to work in the police force with the plan to retire and possibly remain to live in the island. Few signals here and there where suggesting that his decision could be a very good one.

Even if I can’t really picture the financial reality of my own retirement I could still use my powerful imagination and see myself retired in the green and quiet Azores. But maybe this was too early of an assessment. This sleepy, not so socially entertaining place looked brimming with life after 34 days by myself in the ocean, but that can become a bit bleak over time. It was also probably unfair to base my impressions on the summer months, the time of the year when tourists come to the Azores.

A public gym was the location of the massive Covid-19 testing. Tourists and locals alike where required to take the test at intervals of 7days. After the second negative test there was no requirement for further testing, unless there were symptoms.

The line was long but the test was surprisingly quick and after being stabbed in the nose and the throat with an earbud I was escorted back to the boat. I had to spend another day onboard attending to few cleaning tasks but mostly chatting with friends and family as I could connect to free WiFi reaching anywhere in the bay.

When I came in the anchorage and doused my mainsail I noticed a small tear on the leech. It was a concerning discovery as there were at least 1000 miles still to sail. My first reaction was to deploy my sewing machine and attempt a repair to the damaged portion of the sail. However, while in line for the Covid test another sailor praised the sail repair service on the island for being quick and inexpensive.

Sara was putting an extraordinary pressure trying to convince me to keep my stay in the Azores as short as possible. That request was very uncommon as she is usually very patient and compassionate. What a couple of days more would change in an Atlantic crossing? My birthday was also coming up in a couple of days, I had the VHF antenna to replace, grocery to do and propane to refill. Giving the mainsail repair to the sailmaker would help keeping the stop in Faial, quick and efficient so I called and agreed for them to pick up the main sail.

Things looked well, and I was excited to have put together a plan for the next days, despite the uncertainty of this all pandemic. The philosophy of What If everything was going to be OK? is a mental discipline that I try to practice despite the dire times we are in. Imagination can really take you places and help build a meaningful life. And maybe a bubble of OKEITY could burst and infect other people or areas. Maybe.

The Covid-19 result came as expected: negative. The opposite result would be utterly incredible as I had just spent 34 days alone on a boat in the Atlantic Ocean. Solo sailors are one of the most uncommon typology of human beings and for this such an insignificant part of the world population no special treatment or rules are to be expected.

BEM-VINDO AO FAIAL

After docking Tranquility to the floating pontoons of the marina I got finally access to all the facilities and to the entire island. I went to check the bathroom showers and laundry, which were at the opposite side of the marina and discovered they had very bizarre opening hours. They opened at 10, closed for lunch time and closed terminally at 4pm each summer day. This strange hours coupled with an active scheduled made me miss many showers, and I ended up using taking cold shower from the hose on the dock. The last thing I was expecting from this stop was this inability to enjoy hot showers…

I found a replacement for the VHF antenna I lost during the crossing at the local chandlery. The problem was fixed with a quick travel up my mast to put the new antenna in place. I also brought my propane tank to get filled, just in case.

The trip to the first fully assorted European supermarket in the last 6 months was mind blowing. I was glad to find all the delicious products I wasn’t able to get at WalMart or WinnDixie in St.Marys. The rule ”don’t go grocery shopping while hungry” should have the addendum: “particularly after a long ocean crossing”. Two big full size grocery bags filled to the brim with fresh vegetables, shelf stable goods for the rest of the trip, and a bottle of red Portuguese wine, bread, cheese and jamon serrano that became my dream dinner came in result of disregarding the rule.

I also stopped at Peter’s Cafe for lunch on my way back. Peter’s Cafe is an institution for sailors coming to Horta. They have very good advertisement campaign and offer different services. They also claimed that the first beer after reaching port is on them, but the waiter who served me at the table didn’t seem to agree with this information. I did’t want to argue. After all the food was nothing special and quite pricey too. I think Peter Cafe’s won’t hold the institution tag in my memory of this visit, and not only for the missed free beer.

Horta is sailors oriented as it is the main port of call for people crossing the Atlantic during the summer months. The reason is the good harbor, the ample marina and the services available. But if I come in the archipelago again I would love to see other places, as each island seem to have its own character: They all share look green, wild and beautiful.

I enjoyed being able to solve the few problem I had in little time. Even having to cope with the Southern European concept of time was not a too big of a deal. It is interesting how soon we get used to the type of service from the place we live. I feel naturally inclined to island time even if I grew up in a big city in the part of the Italy which is obsessed with time, punctuality and long hours of service.

The Azores gently reminded me that problems can wait and that not everything is an emergency all the time. In my traveling and sailing career I kept moving into different time-space continuums, learning to appreciate the cultural differences in regards to the concept of time. After Honk Kong and the USA I was reminded I needed to re-adapt yet to another conception of time. The showers of the marina were the first reminder that I was entering a strange territory in the space-time continuum.

MY BIRTHDAY PRESENT

Saturday 1st of August was my birthday. I rented a scooter to Be able to roam the roads of the island and celebrate my 39th year on this planet. Completing my errands helped me enjoy a time that was only for myself. I headed up toward the Caldeira (cauldron), the crater of a spent volcano that harbor a very peculiar ecosystem of plants, and perhaps small insects and other animals. The mere ride towards the top was an experience in itself as during the 1000meters climb I passed many differente ecosystems: From cactuses, to cow pastures, to beautiful forests. For the first time in a while my nose was stimulated by several pleasant smells coming from plants and flowers, a symphony of olfactory stimulation that made me appreciate this underrated (art least for me) sense.

I hiked the rim of the volcano about 7km on a narrow track that passes through reeds, flowers, shrubs, and oleanders. My body memory of walking in mountainous landscapes brought me back to my youth. The excitement and gratitude were so strong that my muscles didn’t protest for this extra effort after long days on the ocean where they were underutilized.

If my daemon took me to live a life of work and pleasure on the ocean, my brightest moments and memories are when I walk in the mountains. Growing up in the outskirts of Milan put me in close reach to the Italian Alps, with their incredibly beautiful and steep valleys and peaks. This paradox is at the very core of my soul. Is this why I am heading towards an island with a 3700m high peak like Tenerife?

The hike around the volcano took time. I realized I would not be able to complete the ambitious tour of the small island I was set out to accomplish in one day. Sometimes I am still possessed by the desire to see as much as possible and to check all the landmarks and attractions. This picture-snapping tourist mentality is the heritage of a culture that I learned to leave behind. It is still active but it easily surrender to the mindless stroll of the saunterer who navigates by random cues.

This attitude guided me while buzzing around the beautiful landscape. The Azores are nice, green and fertile specks of volcanic land that creates ideal ground for cow grazing. The blue Atlantic is always on sight and the juxtaposition of the green and blue is a balm for the mind.

On the way back to the marina I stopped in the cafeteria of a supermarket for my birthday lunch. The place looked like a regular and clean European restaurant, nothing fancy at all.

I didin’t see many alternatives on my route, so I gave it a try. I ordered a plate of local goat cheese with pepper sauce and honey, a mixed salad and a generous grilled tuna steak served with sautéed onions and roasted potatoes, all washed by a pint of Super Bock and capped by dessert and coffee. The bill was 18 euros. The picturesque supermarket cafeteria was an experience in itself after months of grabbing lunch in strip mall America.

I returned to the boat just in time to receive the mainsail with a couple of extra fixes and reinforcement. I was feeling alright despite not having seen much of the Azores. I would have to go back for another pass. I quickly hoisted the mainsail back on its mast tracks and prepared Tranquility for sailing before my last night at the docks.

BACK IN THE MINDSET

A little wind forecasted for Sunday, the insistence of Sara that I would resume my trip, and a promising full moon conjured to set departure to the next day. After just 4 days in the island I was ready to face the last 1000miles of the trip. This quick stop barely affected the sailing rhythm of the past weeks, and Tranquility was still in sailing configuration.

It was nothing compared to what I had just passed, especially with the possibility to have a more consistent wind forecast, but still it was no joke, another portion of the North Atlantic Ocean to cover for me and Tranquility. A good dose of fear and expectations was resting on my chest as it often happens when I prepare to set sail.

Departure was set in the afternoon, when the winds would pick up more consistently, and I could point Tranquility’s bow toward the final destination of this ocean crossing.

TO BE CONTINUED…