It's smiles all round as the crews from ARC Europe start to arrive at the customs dock here in Horta. All the crews have reported a good crossing with strong winds but have enjoyed the ride setting boat speed records along the way. The crew from Ballytrim likened one night charging along in the dark to being on the Space Mountain rollercoaster at Disney! Even more fun when you are hand steering the whole way.
Ballytrim, Swan 46
Tosca, Moxie 61
Aurora (NL) Grand Soleil 45
The yellowshirts are down on the dock to give some guidance into the marina, greet the boats and crack open the cold Sagres welcome beers to celebrate the crossing! There are also tickets for welcome drinks at the infamous Peter Cafe Sport and the Azores Tourist Board provides a great welcome pack with lots of local info and a taste of the Azorean tea, only tea grown in Europe, and liquer form nearby Pico island. There's always lots of questions as we are new faces appearing onboard and crews get to chat to 'someone else'. It's great to talk story about the crossing, find out the banter onboard and point out the good wifi spots, bakeries, ATMs and the showers!
Arriving later this evening will be Sparta III and Malisi.