Azores Sail By

Yesterday, we saw land for the first time in days as we sailed by Santa Maria, the southernmost island of the Azores. The Azores is an archipelago and experiences earth quakes. I understand that three of the earth’s plates come together here.



The town runs up the hillside.



There is an airport on this island, several nice beaches we were told, pasture lands, and a lighthouse



Several dolphins followed the ship as we sailed by. These are not the first. We have also had a couple of whale sightings, but I didn’t catch a glimpse of them.

While hanging out in the library/internet café, I chat with interesting people everyday. Today I met Jacqueline, Joe the Navigator’s wife.



She told me that she is a WOB—a Wife on Board. She lives with him on the ship. She used to be a dancer on board where she met him. Since she doesn’t have to cook, or clean, or even make her bed, she spends time knitting.

The wind has picked up a bit, and it is noticeably cooler. It is now 57 degrees. The Captain just announced that these higher winds and waves are more typical of the Atlantic this time of year. Other passengers have said that this is still relatively smooth noting that they have been on ships where the dishes were literally sliding off the tables. I am glad that I have been initiated to extensive sailing this way.

Tomorrow we reach our first port, Lisbon. We will be in a different port every day for the next week until we reach Rome. I hope you are following along with the map on the right.