Angra had been by far our most pleasant stop in the Azores.  Flores is more beautiful and rugged, Horta the most exotic and had the best facilities, but Angra combined beauty and comfort to top them both.

We had no illusions that Ponta Delgada would make the top of the list.  It is the primary tourist destination in the islands, and we expected to find high-rise hotels and high prices.  We were not disappointed in that regard, but discovered that Sao Miguel also had its attractions.

The trip from Angra to Ponta Delgada is a straight line of about 90 nm.  We departed around 15:00 in a light NE breeze.  We were able to sail for less than hour before the breeze died and the motor came on.  We motored the remainder of the distance in almost calm conditions with a slight ocean swell.

The most interesting part of the trip was passing close by the Banc D. Joao de Castro, a sea mount that rises from the sea bed over 2,000 meters to a depth of only 7 meters at mean low tide.  We were told that local divers sometime anchor their boats on the mount and spear fish the bank.  We passed within 2 nm of the bank in the middle of the night and could see one fishing boat on the bank.  You can see the depth contours of this sea mount by double clicking on the chart above to view it at full resolution.

Photo by Mike Repass 

We stopped for lunch in Furnas and were tempted to try the Cozida.  We asked the waiter if he would recommend their Cozida das Furnas.  He was less than enthusiastic.  Some of the tourist guides for Sao Miguel describe this dish as an acquired taste.  Apparently it takes on more than a little of a sulfur-taste and aroma from the geysers.  Our waiter had lived all his life in Sao Miguel and did not appear to have acquired the taste.  It was unlikely we would acquire one that afternoon, we ordered steak.