On the wall

The cruising guides say that the marina at Horta has berths for 300 yachts. That’s counting the raft-ups. Along the jetty walls, the yachts raft up three deep. Rafting is very friendly. We’re the middle boat in raft 8 on the north wall, so of course we know both the guy who walks across our boat (Clyde on Walkabout) and the guy whose boat we walk across (Jerry on Per Mare). Both are British. US flags are in the minority here, so much so that we’ve heard us used as landmarks.

Almost every concrete wall and surface of the marina at Horta is covered with paintings done by boats that have stopped here. It’s a tradition to leave a painting behind to commemorate your voyage. There may not be many from the US, but this is a major stop for all yachts crossing to Europe. John took this photo to show both the rafted boats and the paintings.