Azores Sea Week 1

SEA WEEK or "Semana do Mar" has been a part of Horta's summer fun for over 30 years. It ran this year from August 6 - 13 (but they also included two "extra" days prior to the "official" opening...) It is a VERY big deal for this area and all islands are included in one way or another.

Watching the preparations which took several weeks was fun in itself. This year was the first for an "exhibition hall" promoting other island areas and boating equipment.

The exhibition hall was erected at the end of our "C Pontoon" home pier. In the first photo you can also see the large tent that was set up on the street above for the food vendors (another first this year) - which was a huge success. Tania felt sorry for this mannequin who was without gear for over two days (a girl just shouldn't have to put up with that).

The Festival was constructed so that all parts of Horta were included in some way...

The expo hall is getting some finishing touches. The mayor personally came down to the docks and brought gifts (CD's, Posters, Flowers, Wine, etc.) as well as invitations (in four languages) to the visiting yachts to join in the fun and to fly any festive flags we might have on board (Bob and Tania went right out and bought the display of signal flags the local car dealer had on his showroom floor). Here I am in my stunning new flag arrangement.

Our location made for a great view of the festivities and ease at going back home to just "get away from it all" for a few minutes. The events would start at 10 a.m. and continue until 2 a.m. (sometimes 4 a.m.) or so everyday! Lots of racing out of the bay made it fun for spectators and contestants alike. Even the Ferry Boats were racing each other (here in the background) from Pico.

Bob has made lots of new friends in Horta. Here he is with Luis in front of our favorite Sea Week vendor "Tasquinha do Florival" (great "Frengo" - chicken - as well as Tania's Favorite "Lapas Grehaldes" - grilled limpets). Next is Emidio Gonçalves who not only is our dock neighbor but also owns a great restaurant in town named "Capitolio". Last is his friend the Mayor (João Fernando Brum de Azevedo e Castro) of Horta.

Here Tania is with her new friend "Mani" (who finally got her clothes on). Flags were flying everywhere. Here is the group (60 racers) from France who did a single-handed race from Les Sables D'Lonne to Horta in time for Sea Week and will race back on August 15. Bob and Tania got so inspired from all the racing they decided to take "me" out for some racing fun...So off we went to sign up at Clube Naval for my first race ever! We had a great start in the first race for "Cruisers". However, after 5 minutes the whole fleet had past us as I am not built for speed - just for cruising"!

Here is my mechanic "Jean-Pierre" on "Twisted" as they were passing us. Fortunately the great guys at Clube Naval left the finishing mark out and we were rewarded for our efforts that day with a beautiful rainbow off the stern as we crossed the finish line - our own special trophy...