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LOG ENTRY DATE: July 14, 2003 Picture this: you're on a motor scooter about 20 feet behind one of your best friends (in this case your oldest, too) doing what you've done many times before—zooming around an island either before or after yet another sailing trip. This time, it happens to be the Azores, and we're sightseeing 3 days before our planned departure to Portugal. But, unlike all the other times, the unthinkable finally happens: I watch Ted look left, drift right, and lose control of his scooter at about 30 mph. The bike is sucked onto the side of the road, and it goes down with Ted still on it. A few yards later, they part company, with the bike going alone down the curb like a bowling ball down a gutter, and Ted going sideways down the top of the street's embankment. And then, just like you see on one of those TV shows that are the hallmarks of the human need to rubberneck—i.e. the ones that air videos of car crashes, motorcycle collisions, sports injuries, etc.—Ted's body stops sliding when he hits a 4' wide plane tree, ricochets off of it, and disappears in mid air over the embankment. By the time I get to him, he is—much to my surprise—not only alive, but moving, so that's one major problem out of the way. Unfortunately, though, it's only the beginning of a whole set of other ones, as it's obvious he's broken his collarbone, has a brain that isn't functioning quite right, and other assorted odds and ends. By the time the ambulance comes, we deal with the bikes, and he's treated in Punta Delgada, the diagnosis of a broken collar bone is confirmed and Ted's made the (brain now unscrambled) decision to go home. However, Susan will press on with us, which is truly a good thing, and we may well add on another crew—a young American from Boulder who sailed here from Bermuda and wants to press on the the Continent. It's still our plan to leave on Monday (the 14th). Prior to "the incident", though, life had been pretty good. Tom and I worked on the boat for several days after arriving on the 6th, and Ted and Sue arrived on Wednesday the 9th. On Monday, Tom and I joined a barbecue on Jan Steen, the boat owned by our friends Hidde and Annebeth, from Holland. Also on board ere Bob and Kate (also from Holland), and Neil and Lynn who hail from the UK. Great fun and comradarie, especially since this group has known each other during their entire 1 year sojourn in the Atlantic. My birthday—the 8th—however, was not quite as much fun: I came down with a 48 hour flu and was berth-ridden for the most part, dashing the same group's hopes for an easy excuse for a second night in a row of slugging down cheap Portuguese wine. Nonetheless, the same group reappeared on the 9th and this time—with Ted and Sue on board—we had the requisite birthday party. Great fun, and great to be on the boat with friends. The 9th and 10th was spent exploring the city of Punta Delgada with the four of us. One memorable scene: drinking beers at a sidewalk cafe that faced the Azores Conservatory of Music. Piano, violin, opera—all of it floated out the open second floor windows and settled down on our tables to provide as pleasant a backdrop for relaxing, talking, and drinking as can be had. Needless to say, the Day of The Accident was one that was shot, but on Saturday (the 12th of July), we left the invalid behind and rented a car to see the western side of the island. Like the other islands, Sao Miguel has it's own spectacular spots. In this case, it was the twin lakes of Sete Cidades. Viewed from above, they have two distinct colors: one blue, one green, and are separated by a very narrow strip of land. Moreover, they—and the town of Sete Cidades—are nestled into the bottom of a very large, very steep, and very green caldera. We spent the afternoon poking around the area, and seeing many of the other surrounding lakes and towns. Sunday was spent visiting the east side of the island, where thermal activity is the attraction. We saw thermal hot springs and lakes, and searched—unsuccessfully—for a place we'd heard you could take restorative thermal mud baths. Closest we came was a warm waterfall nestled into the side of a hill, frequented by lots of local folks. Today, Monday: we're off! We've departed Sao Miguel, and are currently underway on an easterly course for Lisbon. Since the island of Sao Miguel is 40 miles long, it's taking us awhile to clear it... should be in open water by early evening. Wind is northerly, which provides us with a beam reach. We'll sail east on this for as long as it lasts, and then make some nor thing when the inevitable westerlies come along. This will allow us to approach the coast of Portugal—5 to 6 days from now—on a tack on or above the latitude of Lisbon. This is necessary, as the winds along the coast often blow from the northeast. Now to settle into the offshore routine....! |
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