Azores - Facts
- The Portuguese Islands of the Azores are a volcanic archipelago of 9 islands located in the North Atlantic, 870 miles west of Lisbon.
- The Islands form three major groups: Flores and Corvo, to the west; Graciosa, Terceira, São Jorge, Pico, and Faial in the centre; and São Miguel, Santa Maria, and the Formigas Reef to the east.
- Each island is unique, from the tiny crater island of Corvo, the ruggedness of Flores, to the volcanos on Horta and the brown sandy beaches of Santa Maria.
- Portuguese is spoken here, with an accent that varies from island to island. Most Azoreans speak either English or French as well and Spanish is generally understood. Approximately 240,000 people live in the Azores.
- The currency is the Euro.
- Time zone is UTC-1.
- The climate of the archipelago is largely determined by the seasonal variations of the Azores High. In winter, the Azores anticyclone is positioned further south, and allows for a descent of the Polar front bringing generally wet and stormy weather. In summer, on the other hand, the anticyclone’s movement further north, leads to the departure of the polar front and prolonged periods of calm weather with temperatures rarely reaching above 30 °C (86 °F).
- Most yachts stop in the Azores on their way east across the Atlantic, although some call on their way west or when sailing from the South Atlantic towards Northern Europe. Although hundreds of yachts call every year, very few of them cruise around the islands and the majority stop only in Horta, on the island of Faial, one of the perennially favorite places of long-distance sailors. Busy transit season is May, June and early July.
- With their secluded bays, uncrowded anchorages and protected harbors, the nine islands of the Azores are still waiting to be discovered as a cruising destination in their own right.
- Whaling is a large part of Azorean history and had a profound influence on the way of life in the Islands. Tourist offices can provide detailed information about the whaling heritage and a visit would not be complete without going to have a drink at Peter Cafe Sport and a visit to the scrimshaw museum upstairs.
- Yachting facilities are concentrated in different ports: Horta, Ponta Delgada, Angra do Heroismo, Praia da Vitoria and Santa Maria. For details of services for cruising boats see Yachting Essentials.
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Any suggestions for best charts, cruising chart books for crossing from US east coast to Azores
Hi Stacy, take a look at https://www.noonsite.com/place/azores/view/related-books/. The Atlantic Pilot Atlas by James Clark, Imray 100 North Atlantic Passage Chart, Atlantic Crossing Guide, Atlantic Islands and Atlantic Spain & Portugal are all worth considering.
You can only clear immigration at Horta(Faial), Praia Da Vittoria(Terceira) and Ponta Delgada(Sao Miguel)
Source: immigration officer at Horta 29/04/2024
In the Azores, Horta is welcoming yachts already from across the Atlantic and their busy season is in full swing. Duncan Sweet of MAYS, a company dedicated to ocean cruising sailors, reports “the main waterfront thoroughfare in Horta has been given a serious rebuild over the winter with on-going work to complete a new laundry and showers complex to the south of the Yacht Club (Club Naval da Horta). Until these are completed, the original laundry, toilets and showers by the marina bar, are still operational.
The Island of Sao Jorge is having a seismic episode at the moment – some 20,000 tremors in the last two weeks. No-one really knows what, if anything, this portends – earthquake or lava effusion – however visiting yachts should be aware. The tremors are mostly in the Velas area where the main town and marina are.
You can come directly to Santa Maria – Vila do Porto !
We arrived in Horta June 17th. The COVID test is free and results back in 24 hours. All very organized and the marina, maritime police, and Peter Cafe Sport all doing an amazing job to support boats. With a negative test result document we went to Velas, São Jorge and Angra de Heroismo, Terceira; cleared in through the local marinas and anchored in both places free of charge. Ponta Delgada is not requiring COVID test for entry.
Please note – the above comment is not true. Horta and Ponta Delgada remain the only open ports of entry and at BOTH PORTS a SARS-Cov-2 test will be required on arrival, unless the regional health authority waives it in view of the non-stop travel time and the absence of symptoms. A passage time of more than 14 days is seen as voluntary quarantine. If test results are negative you will be given permission to go ashore.
s/v DellaMyra departs today, 22nd June, 2020, for Horta and Falmouth,UK
lone sailor . MMSI235102055
Hurricane Lorenzo struck the western Azores in October, destroying the breakwater at Lajes, Flores. Until repairs are complete, this port is unusable.
Ponta Delgada is a convenient place to enter the Azores : nice city, facilities for provisioning, skilled professionals if repairs are needed. But there are some issues :
– the local police considered me as highly suspect because I stopped in Ponta Delgada and not Horta like everybody ! So I had a complete police search, including drug search with dog.
– the professionals like the famous Thomas and JB Electronica don’t accept payment with credit cards, only cash or bank transfer. Cash is not possible beyond a small amount, so bank transfer is the only solution, which implies delays and possible errors on the bank apps. It is what happened to me and at my next stop in Gibraltar my mail box was full of complaining and threatening e-mails, saying I would be designed to all ports as a robber ! Visitors should make a strong pressure on these people for accepting credit cards like anywhere in the world (and in Sao Miguel by all shops and restaurants) to avoid such problems.
Just spent a fortnight here in ponta delgada marina in unsettled weather,in my opinion it is untenable in any strong south,south east or southwest winds.We had so many boats break lines and fenders.I bought a pump from Thomas through bank transfer,he put it on ferry to Santa Maria(€4.80) and the total time took 2 days.
I just watched a you tube video of a couple who were charged an engine tax based upon the weight and power of their engine. They had an electric engine which should have been exempt but were forced to pay upon threat of their boat being impounded. They were also charred a lighthouse tax. Neither are mentioned in the formalities section. Report here:-
https://youtu.be/PSm5SbcBHUQ
The old page was perfect, This is useless
couln not agree more
Must do’s if you have time on Terceira:
1. Go to the local town where there is a “running of the bulls” that particular evening (they move them from town to town). The reason to go is more to observe the way the locals commune around this event than to see the bulls themselves, who are given stimulants and then downers when they are still in their bright red boxes before being released to put on their show.
2. Terceira has several interesting caves that are worth visiting, donning the requisite hard hats, and exploring on a guided tour.
3. Lastly, driving across the island and enjoying the miles of hydrangeas lining the roads is another not-to-miss experience on Terceira in the spring/summer.