Sailing to the Azores

We completed the 5 ½ day crossing from Florida to Ponta Delgada in the Azores islands without falling off the ship, hitting a rock or anything bad.  The weather is still great; partly cloudy with highs in the 60’s.  The Azores are a group of nine volcanic islands that belong to Portugal.  They are located about 800 miles off the coast of Portugal.

While at sea, there’s plenty of time to partake in whatever activity interests you; sleeping, eating, drinking and reading come to mind.  Tom took in a lecture about storms at sea, a phenomenon we hope not to experience.  There’s also time to learn such things as the origins of the words, port and starboard (the left and right sides of the ship).   Briefly, the terms go back to the days when ships were steered by a long, large bladed oar instead of a rudder.  This oar was referred to as the “steer board”.  Since most sailors were right handed they would stand on the right side of the ship facing forward.  Therefore, this side became known as the steer board side of the ship.  Over the years this was corrupted to become the starboard side.  Due to the location of the steering oar on the right side of the vessel, ships would always come alongside a berth with the left hand side to the dock, to avoid damage to the steering oar.  Therefore this was referred to as the “port” side of the ship.

On Tuesday evening, we decided to have dinner at one of the ship’s alternative restaurants, the Crown Grill, the ship’s steakhouse.  The food in our regular dining room has been great, but at the Crown Grill, which has a cover charge, serves exceptional beef, as well as seafood and other treats.  We both had steak, of course, and it was superb!  It came with a side of lobster tail as well as numerous other side dishes.  By the time dinner was over, we were totally stuffed, but happy.

Wednesday, May 2^nd, at around noon, we docked at Ponta Delgada and proceeded off the ship to explore the town.  Many of the ship’s passengers had booked land tours around the island, but we decided to just stroll the streets and find a café for lunch and a local beer.  The streets and sidewalks are cobblestone and the streets, for the most part, are quite narrow.  Although at many intersections there were traffic backups, drivers appeared to be both patient and courteous, as they were quite willing to let pedestrians have the right-of-way.  The general pace of life appears to be rather laid back.

Anyway, after strolling about and exploring a number of local stores, we found ourselves at a sidewalk café where we proceeded to enjoy sandwiches and local beer.  Good!  We then made our way back to the ship and found a deserted piece of deck from which to enjoy the view until sailing.

We now have two more days at sea, heading for the British Isles, where our first port-of-call will be Cobh (Cork), Ireland.   We’ll spend Saturday in Cobh, then an overnight sail to Cornwall.  Much more to follow about these ports after we’ve seen them.

Until then, Cheers!

Tom & Debbie