Ponta Delgada
We were warned ahead of our trip from Faial that the ARC Europe was on São Miguel and had booked out the whole marina at Ponta Delgada. As anchoring is prohibited there, we had planned on clearing in and then continuing east to another marina. Friends of ours, Louise and Uwe, were at the marina and came to help us dock at the fuel + reception dock. While I remained aboard, Lincoln went inside to clear in. Miika, Lincoln’s son, was scheduled to fly in that day, and I was surprised when he came to the boat while Lincoln was gone. I’d assumed that he wouldn’t make it to Ponta Delgada that quickly. Upon Lincoln’s return, he informed us that we had a space at the dock, just a couple of yards away.
Island Tour
Lincoln rented a car and we set off the next morning on our exploration of São Miguel. The morning started in the rain and was an inauspicious beginning. Once we left town on our way to Sete Cidades, the rain stopped but was replaced with thick fog. This opaque blanket surrounded us for the next couple of hours. Sete Cidades, despite the poor visibility, was interesting to visit, and we continued through the old caldera and made our way along the coastal road on the northern part of the island.
Ribeira Grande
Our road led us to Ribeira Grande, and for the first time, we saw some serious surf as the big Atlantic waves rose, curled, and then crashed on the beaches and cliffs. The offshore weather had a 2+ meter swell, but once those waves reach shallow bottoms, they grow and become behemoths.