Day 20: After two and a half days exploring the island of Faial (especially the interior of the infamous Café Peter Sport), and getting used to standing on solid ground, we’re back on board Lord Nelson and heading out to sea.

Our planned departure at noon was scuppered by the late arrival of our provisions, with a number of items missing.  Without the required number of teabags in stores we couldn’t possibly set sail, so a brief spell of shore leave was granted to allow frantic souvenir shopping and postcard writing.

The teabags soon arrived, however the minced beef did not, and the wait continued. With the shore crew poised to throw off mooring lines, the missing mince turned up at 2.30pm, leaving plenty of time to set sails and carry out a man overboard drill as we headed into open water.

Until the anchor snagged fast on a cable running across the bottom of the harbour basin.  After several attempts to free the anchor with the machinery and the efforts of crew in the doti boat, bosun’s mate Katia saved the day by much twisting and pulling with a submerged boat hook wrangling the cable free of the anchor. (It was like watching a giant knitting session.)

By 3.30pm we were finally left the harbour in Horta, and set sails in a light breeze.  A small pod of dolphins joined us in the channel between the islands of Faial and Pico as we waved goodbye to the Azores. To the North!