Explore the Azores archipelago - £725 - Now Only £575 for 7 Days

Island Hopping in the Azores

Nine lush emerald islands, ranging from the smallest- Corvo with 300 inhabitants to San Miguel with 150.000 inhabitants, warmed by the Gulf Stream and surrounded by an ocean teeming with life.

If this island group was nearer mainland Europe it would be a very popular sailing ground, but the remoteness of this archipelago just East of the Mid Atlantic ridge means you have anchorages and the smaller ports virtually to yourselves and the local fishing boats. Most  islands are within easy reach from each other in a day’s trip.

Take a look at our mini brochure on the Azores

Bessie Ellen 2011 - 2012 Winter Voyages flight information

Voyage Notes Bessie Ellen winter programme 2011 - 2012 Voyage Notes 1.5MB pdf

Exotic Flora, Volcanic lava and lush green pastures

The Azores offer a great chance to explore ashore 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 volcanic 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. The beauty of the Azores is endless. No mass tourism spoils any of the islands.

Peter's Cafe Sport - The famous sailors bar 

The Azores are one of the few places on the planet where more foreign visitors arrive by yacht than by air, so most tourists you meet are fellow sailors. On Faial is Peter Café Sport, one of the most famous sailors’ bar anywhere on the planet. The Azores have been the main staging post for European vessels aiming for the Caribeean for centuries. You sail South until the butter melts, have a quick drink in Peters cafe, let your crew paint an image of your boat on the harbour wall to mark your passage and head off into the sunset west with the trade winds.

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°.

Abundant wildlife at Sea

Whale Hunters turned Whale Watchers 

Whale hunting from small wooden sailing boats has a long tradition on the Azores due to the great variety of whales around the islands. It was once the island's second money earner after agriculture (grains, fruit, tea, tobacco and vines as well as dairy farming and sheep)

Commercial whalehunting ended in 1966, however, you can still find the traditional whaling boats around the islands, now used for leisure and racing. There are a number of whale watching local businesse and cetacean scientific research vessels based in the islands. Sperm Whales, mighty 24m Fin Whales, bottlenosed whales, killer whales and short finned pilot whales all pass the islands regularly.

Many species of Dolphin

Spotted or Stenella dolphins, bottlenosed dolphins, common dolphins, striped dolphins and rissos dolphin's all frequent the islands so if you spend enough time at sea actually looking for them you are likely to see dophins several times during your week on Bessie Ellen.

Bonitos, Tuna, Turtles & Sunfish

The Azores have developed quite a reputation for big game fishing in recent years with several world records for tuna, swordfish, ocean bonito and shark, so you may catch your supper from the stern of Bessie Ellen !

Looking down into the 4000 metre blue depths you may see sunfish or turtles drift by.

Normally you can expect every day dolphins coming up to the boat for a visit. Tuna and Bonitos sometimes follow the boat for days on end.