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 AZORES                   
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Sailing&Island Hopping                                           Sail Charter            

   
         
                
                                    

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                                         Sailing and hiking in the Azores with the Catamaran "Moby Dick."

Welcome to the Azores in the heart of the Atlantic Ocean. Cruising on board a luxurious sailing Catamaran is a wonderful way to discover these nine jewels in the sea. Sailing experience is not necessary, "Moby Dick" comes with an experienced skipper who also can be your guide on the islands.
Islandhopping on a Catamaran is also  a very leisurely way to sail around these emerald islands. Contrary to monohulls where you tend to be confined to sitting in the cockpit, a catamaran is always upright and steady and has plenty of space, allowing everyone a spot of privacy for sunbathing, reading a book or just enjoying the sea. "Moby Dick" is also ideal for families with children, always stable, a solid rail all around the boat, lots of spaces where the children are absolutely safe.
In any kind of nice breeze this type of boat immediately picks up speed and does for some exciting sailing. Contrary to small racing catamarans and the like, large catamarans do not capsize.
"Moby Dick" has a luxuriuos traditional handcrafted interior. There are for spacious double cabins  on board. Two double cabins amidships with double berths and two double cabins in the foreship with single berths. The galley is outfitted with a four-flame stove, standard oven, double sink and two fridges as in any kitchen on land giving for excellent cooking.

The Azores

                   The Azores

                      The Azores


Nine emerald islands, ranging from the smallest- Corvo with 421 inhabitants to San Miguel with 140.000 inhabitants, warmed by the Gulf Stream and surrounded by an ocean teeming with life. All islands are within easy reach from each other in a day’s trip. The Azores offer some very interesting sightseeing too. The Unesco has declared the beautiful town Angra do Heroismo on Terceira a cultural heritage. On San Miguel are the Blue and Green Lagoons in a huge extinct volcano cone. There are several hot spots on the island, in some of them food is cooked traditionally, one of them is in a small cove and warms the sea, it’s like swimming in a huge bathtub. Santa Maria with its dazzling exotic flora is another Madeira- one huge flowery garden. On Faial is Peter Café Sport, one of the most famous sailors’ bar anywhere on the planet. The beauty of the Azores is endless. No mass tourism spoils any of the islands. Due to the Gulf Stream the weather is always just right- nice and warm but not too hot. From June onwards you can expect air temperatures between 24° and 28°, water temperatures 22° - 25°.

Hiking in the Azores

All nine islands have a variety of excellent trails, pure nature and fantastic views over the ocean. They also offer many other
activities, see the official Website Visitazores: Visitazores  
 

 

 



             Yachtcharter

                     Islandhopping


You can chose between going into the ports or marinas and exploring the islands or staying out for a beautiful night sail under the bright stars in a fluorescent sea, caused by bioluminescent algae. Every movement of the boat leaves a glittering trail of small stars in the water, Dolphins coming up to the boat seem to be swimming in long shining pipes. Island hopping on the Azores is very pleasant sailing. You can see the next island when you take off in the morning. However, just a few miles off the islands you are in the deep sea, 2000-4000m depths are normal. After a beautiful days cruise you arrive on a new island to explore. For those who would like a longer trip or need mileage for their Yacht Master License there is the option of a cruise from San Miguel to Madeira (4-5 days), back to Santa Maria (4-5 days) and then San Miguel, altogether 1000 sea miles of mainly Bluewater Sailing.

 

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        Sea Watch

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Yes, there are whales to be seen, and the right expression for what we offer is sea watching; whales, birds, dolphins, turtles, bonitos and sunfish. Whale hunting from small wooden sailing boats has a long tradition on the Azores due to the great variety of whales around the islands. Commercial whale hunting ended in 1966, however, you can still find the traditional whaling boats around the islands, now used for leisure. You can often say hello to dolphins coming up to the boat for a visit. Tuna and bonitos sometimes follow the boat for days on end. In calm conditions you can go for a swim from the boat. A strange feeling, swimming in the ocean, knowing there are several thousand meters of water below you. The water temperatures rise to about 23°C in July and 24°-25° in August, with air temperatures around 25°-27° thanks to the Gulf Stream. There is no better and relaxed way to get to know a bit about sailing and the sea.

 
   
   
   
   
 

Sail Charter

The Catamaran

Sail Charter


 


"MOBY DICK " 

Catamaran: Casenove 46'

Size: Length 14,6m x Width 7,4m x Draft 0,75m
Displacement: 10t. Sail area: 90m2
Design and construction: Roland de Casenove, Architect Navale, Paris


 

Equipment:
EPIRB, Radar, AIS, VHF with automatic emergency signal, two life rafts, chartplotter,  Navtex, GPS(5x), fishfinder/sonar,  autopilot, solar panels (2 x 100W), 220v generator, inflatable dinghy with outboard, electric anchor winch,  towed water generator, just to mention some of the gear. Two 40 hp heavy duty Mariner outboard engines which are raised into the hulls while under sail.
There are altogether 16 waterproof bulkheads on the boat. Moby Dick is an extremely  safe vessel. 
The yacht has  an unusual colour, for a good reason: white, blue, green etc. might look nice in the marina, but the bright yellow is for safety, making sure you are seen out at sea in all conditions.


DOCUMENTS: click here:
Charter License: Licença
Annual  Survey:   Vistoria
Insurance: Seguro

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



The Skipper

Mikael- or Mike to everybody on board. Born in Sweden and has been boat building, sailing and surfing all his life. He has logged more than 35.000 offshore sea miles sailing all over Europe. He speaks five languages fluently (English, German, French, Portuguese- and of course Swedish).

 
 
 
Videos
All videos were made by guests

    


Logging Seamiles
If  you need to log seamiles for your Yachtmaster Certificate there are the options Santa Maria-Flores (320 sm), Santa Maria - Madeira (500 sm) or Santa Maria - Canary Islands (730 sm). Ask for a quotiation.

   

 
How to Get On Board


"Moby Dick" is stationed on the island Santa Maria, perhaps the most beautiful of the azorean islands,  it is also called "Ilha do Sol" because of the good weather.
Air Azores (former SATA), TAP, Easy Jet and Ryan air offer flights to the Azores, Porto and Lisbon. All airlines also offer flights out from Lisbon to Ponta Delgada (São Miguel, the main island).
There are several alternatives to get to Santa Maria:
 - Via Lisbon and then directly to Santa Maria, Azores Airlines operates flights from Lisbon to Santa Maria on Thursdays and Sundays.
 -  Fly directly to Ponta Delgada and then on to Santa Maria (daily flights, 15 min) or take the ferry.
 -  Via Lisbon or Porto to Ponta Delgada (several flights per day) and then on to Santa Maria ( the connecting flight to Santa Maria is free. Please Contact me for more info before you book your flight)

 - There are direct flights from several cities in Canada and the US to Ponta Delgada (main island).  From there it is a 15 min flight to Santa Maria. See  Azores Airlines

 


Terms and Conditions

Four cabins, eight persons.
Low season
November – March: € 2.600.-/Week.
High season
April - October: € 3.290.-/Week.
Prices include skipper, harbour fees and fuel for standard harbour or mooring manoeuvers.
No security  deposit
No costs for check-out cleaning
PAYMENT:  35% deposit at booking, another 35% two months before the charter, final payment two weeks before navigation day.  Cancellation&Rescheduling: full refund if we cancel the charter, no refund if you cancel the agreed charter, however the deposits remain intact and we can discuss another date.

A standard one-week cruise should normally give you the oportunity to see and explore five islands: Santa Maria, Pico, São Jorge, Faial and Terceira. Last but not least: wind&weather permitting!

 


Contact


Phone 00351 916039582
Email mike.azores@sapo.pt

We live in dire times of spam and viruses, please always use “Blue Azores” as subject.
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Mikael Bahner
Calheta
9580-209  Santo Espirito VdP
Portugal
Azores//Santa Maria



 

Useful Links

General  information Azores: Visitazores
Sightseeing: Santa Maria   
Partner: www.boatsailservice.com
Excellent Bed&Breakfast on Santa Maria: www.azorean-spirit.com
Santa Maria it also a very popular diving spot: Wahoo Diving