Horta
Municipal building (WiFi)
I am not quite sure what the building was called, but you should be able to home in on it mid town. There were spots that we could pick up this free signal on the outer wall if you held the laptop over your head and walked around. Later at the marina, we were advised that the signal was strongest on the C-dock gangway.
After struggling like this for days, we were told that the signal comes from the lobby of the municipal building in the town. We went into the front lobby, between the two glass doors, and got a whopping 5 bars of signal and were able to communicate freely. This was a bit before Skype, but email and weather downloads were great.
Howard [ Just Imagine ] 24-Jun-2005
Porto Pim (Excursion)
We wandered over here for breakfast.
Howard and Jayne [ Just Imagine ] 06-Jun-2005
Horta Anchorage (Anchorage)
Many boats anchor in deep water in the middle of the harbour.
Howard [ Just Imagine ] 24-Jun-2005
The traditional Town wall (Town Dock)
Before the Marina there was just the town wall where boats would raft 10 deep. It is still a good place to go when you arrive, to sleep off the long passage and get ready for the marina.
The town wall still has some classic name paintings of fine yachts from days gone bye and is worth a tour. Nowadays the marina walls and paving are painted as well.
Howard [ Just Imagine ] 24-Feb-2007
Annual Norwegian Model Yacht Race (Fun)
Every year, Norwegian boats are issued with an equal amount of twigs, black garbage bags some duct tape and( I think, some string) by their fellow countrymen and they are expected to use their Viking imaginations to create model (.5m)sailboats capable of crossing the harbour from the Marina to the wall, through the wake of incoming boats. Some inovative designs come out of this effort including multihulls.
Some boats are destined to sink shortly after launching, but some are amazingly tenacious braving huge tender wakes and continuing on to their destination.
It is great fun to watch, even if you are not a Viking.
There are some bearded, horn hats running around in dinghies trying to give their boats an advantage. But only the tenacious few make it to the other wall.
Howard and Jayne [ Just Imagine ] 24-Feb-2007
Mid Atlantic Yacht Services (Services)
If my dear friend Clive Martin at Mid Atlantic yacht Services cannot sort out your problems he will certainly be able to point you in the right direction.
See
Mid Atlantic Yacht Services for further information.
Clive rebuilt our raw water pump while we were in Horta and gave us much other good advice.
Howard [ Just Imagine ] 24-Jun-2005
Traditional name paintings (Point of Interest)
It is considered bad luck to leave Horta without first painting the name of your boat on the wall and better luck to paint a fancy mural.
On the old outer wall you can see faded names of the classic yachts of the last century.
At the marina, you will see more and more elaborate paintings as the modern day seafarers try to out-do each other with paint.
Howard and Jayne [ Just Imagine ] 24-Feb-2007
Horta Marina (Marina)
In the 80s there was only the breakwater wall for dockage. Now there is a fancy, if somewhat overcrowded marina where there is a lot of rafting up.
Don't remember pricing but it was not bad.
www.marinasazores.com
Howard [ Just Imagine ] 24-Feb-2007
Peter Cafe Sport (Bar)
Peter's Cafe Sport is an icon for transatlantic sailors.
For about 70 years, old Peter (Jose Azevedo) welcomed visiting sailors at the cafe bar, once owned by his father.
The bar is a home from home and a place to eat, drink, be merry, collect your mail, change your money, meet people, find crew, lose crew, or find out anything you need to know about the island.
Sadly, old Peter passed away in 2006, but his son Jose Henrique Azevedo carries on the tradition.
There is an interesting scrimshaw museum above the bar, and a shop selling fine, "Peter" logo apparel.
Go to
www.petercafesport.com for further information.
Howard and Jayne [ Just Imagine ] 27-Jan-2008
Horta Yacht Center (Chandlery)
Marés & Marinheiros, Lda are a company of nautical trade, yacht services and sailmakers, complemented with trade boats and accessories for them, essentially geared to the area of sailing, installed in the middle of the atlantico ocean in Horta, Azores
HORTA YACHT CENTER (shop) have for you:
- Sail repair / Sailmaker / canvaswork
- Ropes & nautical hardware
- Sail Clothing & rescue equipment
- Gaz Service
- Hull maintenance & antifouling
- Electrical & electronic accessories and services
- General repair services
- Yacht care
And…
You can find a “crew” available to help You!!!
Contact us:
Phone: 0351 926 890 202
Email:
maresemarinheiros@hotmail.com
www.facebook.com/mares.marinheiros
www.hortayachtcenter.pt
N: 38º 31.837
W: 28º 37.653
sofia and luis [ generation A ] 24-Apr-2013
Rental Car tour of Faial (Excursion)
Jayne, David and I rented a small car and did a marvelous tour of the island.
Howard and Jayne [ Just Imagine ] 22-Jun-2005
The Volcano Light House (Excursion)
Several acres of ash were added to the island in 1957 with the Capelinhos volcano. It is no longer active, but is a magnificent landscape.
The bottom two floors of the lighthouse were buried in ash.
Howard and Jayne [ Just Imagine ] 24-Jun-2005
Caldera (Excursion)
Our first destination was the caldera(or crater). The countryside on the way there was almost as spectacular as the caldera itself.
Howard and Jayne [ Just Imagine ] 24-Jun-2005
Black Volcanic Beach (Beach)
A walk behind Horta (Hike)
The town of Horta is beautiful and quaint, and you don't have to walk very far up the hill to get into the original old countryside. A nice walk up mostly paved, or cobbled or stepped roads leads one up to hydrangea hedge rowed cow paddies. Beware the bulls.
Howard [ Just Imagine ] 24-Feb-2007
2005 Bull Fight (Excursion)
A splendid affair with much hero worship and adulation of the cavaleiro followed by the
forcados that stand in line and take a direct charge of the tormented bull. The poor guy elected to be at the front of the line needs to jump onto the bulls horns and hang on for dear life while some other sucker grabs the bull by the tail to slow him down. Finally the bull is towed out of the arena, alive, at least, by the herders with a long lasso rope.
Less brutal than the Spanish version (the bull does not die - not in the ring anyway) , but I could not help feeling sorry for the magnificent animal reduced by fatigue and frustration and a bit of blood letting. I think the crowd is cheering, hoping for the bull to prevail. Even though the bull lives through this, it was still not a sight for animal lovers.
I have mixed feelings about the whole thing confronting the pantomime and splendor, the bravery of bull and man, and the magnificent horsemanship with the cruelty and disrespect for a magnificent animal, the bull. One needs to see a bull fight for oneself before you can make a true assessment.
This was the first bullfight in the Azores for many years and met with some protest from the locals.
The horses and the bulls are the true heroes by my book, though I would not choose to change places with the gallant , underpaid forcados.
See www.travelnet.co.il for more information.
Howard and Jayne [ Just Imagine ] 24-Jun-2005