Once the Caribbean Regatta Season is over in early May The Racing Fleet starts making it’s way back across the Atlantic to various destinations. One of these is Horta in the Azores.
Antigua
Antigua and Barbuda is a twin-island country lying between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It consists of two major inhabited islands, Antigua and Barbuda, and a number of smaller offshore islands The permanent population numbers about 81,800 and the capital and largest port and city is St. John’s, on Antigua.
The country is nicknamed “Land of 365 Beaches” due to the many beaches surrounding the islands. Its governance, language, and culture have all been strongly influenced by the British Empire, of which the country was formerly a part. Nelson’s Dockyard is a cultural heritage site and marina in English Harbour, Antigua. Named after Admiral Horatio Nelson, who lived in the Dockyard from 1784 through 1787, Nelson’s Dockyard is home to some of the Caribbean’s primary sailing events, and is steeped in Nautical History.
The Route
Horta
Horta is a city in the western part of the Archipelago of the Azores, encompassing the island of Faial.
The city contains the Horta Regional Museum which has a permanent exhibit, Exhibition of Capelinhos Volcano, that details in photographs the recent (1957) volcanic eruption in the Azores. The museum also contains a large collection of scale models of buildings, ships, and people carved from fig kernels produced by Euclides Rosa, who was known as the Mestre do “Miolo de Figueira” (English: Master of Fig Tree Pith) he was acclaimed for his complex and elaborate sculptures of pith/wood.
The marina is a primary stop for yachts crossing the Atlantic, and its walls, and walkways are covered in paintings created by visitors who noted the names of their vessels, crews, and the years they visited. Peter’s Cafe Sport, which is located across from the marina and houses the island’s scrimshaw museum, a collection artifacts carved from whale tooth and jawbone, is a point of reference for trans-Atlantic yachtsmen and sailors.
