The Azores, June and July, 2006.

Joe walked out to the cockpit after our last dinner on passage to see my fishing line heading straight up into the air.  The only thing we managed to catch on the entire trip was a seagull.  Luckily, it also managed to escape unscathed.

Approaching Horta, our first landfall in eleven days.

A view of Horta Harbour from the east.

We had the pleasure of all four girls for our island excursion.  Celine is in the front between Cassie and Juliana and Anouk in the rear.

Zia is tied up next to Cenou in front of the white customs and marina office building.

We found a nice restaurant with a view.  Actually, it is hard to go anywhere in the Azores without having a fantastic view of the sea.

The natural pools by the newest volcano in Faial.

The lighthouse stairs.....

We had quite a group together for the trek up the volcano.

Joe took a different path up the volcano.  Someone in the group likened his image outlined between the mountain and the sky to that of Moses.

Here you can see the older volcanoes in the distance.

One of the many pretty churches that dot the hillsides.

Another beautiful vista.....

On the crest of the oldest volcano on Faial.  The dense vegetation was in sharp contrast to the barren, rocky terrain of the newer volcano.

The girls playing in the market square in Horta.

Ice cream has become a daily treat for the girls.  Juliana sought a little privacy on the marina wall as she enjoyed her scoop for the day.

Napping on top of Cenou's boat logo (Sail the Blue) in the marina in Horta.

Andre and Claude decided to cook for us one night on Cenou.  The hungry hoard awaits.

Before becoming "Legaris," Georg and Nathalie's Catana 472 was known as "Hors D'Oeuvre." 

The "Zia" crew working hard in between the rain squalls to get our boat logo painted.

Sao Jorge and two of it's many waterfalls we saw on the way to Terceira.

You can see "Zia" in the background with Joe sitting on Cenou shortly after our arrival in Terceira.  Rike, the sweetheart, had dinner waiting for us.

There was a very popular moon bounce set up at the marina restaurant.

Matthew made friends with some locals who invited him to their annual party on the rock in the harbor.  He said it got pretty crowded at times but then someone would just jump in the water.  They grilled up fish and ate it on hunks of fresh baked bread with plenty of beer to wash it down.

The marina in Angra do Heroismo.  Zia is at the end of the row of boats on the right.

The city maintains a beautiful playground on the hillside of Monte Brasil, the old fort on the point, that was another favorite spot of the girls.

We got a tour of the still active military base at Monte Brasil from a local soldier.

The girls got a close up view of the old jail cells in the Fort.

The local beach was right next to the marina.  It was quite crowded on Sunday, one of the few sunny days we have seen in our time in the Azores.

A view of the city from the top of Monte Brasil.

This is my hydrangea picture that I was hoping to get in my first update.  Joe and I rented a scooter on Terceira and took a wonderful tour of the island. 

These are the natural pools that everyone goes to instead of the beach.  The water was quite chilly......

so we stopped for a glass of wine instead of a swim!

There is a great public pool right next door to the marina in Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel.  Kids under 15 are free at it is 40 cents per adult, all day long.

The birthday girl shares some presents with her sister.

Juliana is a little challenged when it comes to eating corn on the cob!

Furnas, with its many steaming vents and natural springs are heated by the volcano which last erupted in 1630.

A police officer directed us to the local swimming hole with the hot water pools for bathing and relaxation.

Little Juliana turned 7 on July 5th.  We had two other kid boats here to help celebrate.