28th Slipped for Flores, some good sailing and of course some motoring—just as we had given up on delivery of the starter motor ,paid the marina and had to return to the office to satisfy the bureaucratic police there, the delivery man arrived with the heavy parcel ! How neat was that? The sail was awesome in that I got to see whales up close eeek! the huge head came up to have a look at us and then slowly slipped back down. A truly memorable moment. Of course, my eyes were glued to the scene and sure enough I was rewarded with many more sightings of whales blowing in the near distance and quite a few Dolphins cruising alongside. I also watched the Cory's Shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea)who only do 2-3 flaps of the wing & then glide for a couple of minutes swooping just above the waves. It looks as though they may be fishing but after much watching I have not seen any dive into the water—yet!
We arrived at Larges harbour around 7.30 in the evening and were immediately invited to dinner aboard Roakeldais. What it is to have happy friends to meet you.
30th After a rest day to fit the new SM we helped Ester & Otto with another hike. From Faja Grande to Ponta do Albarnaz. It was a decent 4KM hike up to the picnic spot with varied flowers and scenery. Flores is named for its flowers and we were not disappointed. Now that it is ‘HIGH SEASON’ there are many more plants in flower. The Yellow and Red (in Ya face) Cannas, Agapanthi, and ginger all make a terrific show, This is really the place for those who enjoy nature.
Toured the rest of the Island , namely the Lakes in the Calderas of various volcanoes. All are accessible by car and have signboards up to give useful information. The best thing is that even though it is HIGH SEASON there are so few TOURISTS ! Continued around the island stopping at viewpoints so that you can see for yourselves.
31st did some more painting with Esther on what we thought would be the new marina wall, the locals tell us it will be for fishing boats but hey it’s good practice! Also made a lemon cake & birthday-card for Esther who celebrates tomorrow.
Meanwhile here is the hike: (you may have to click to take the box away)
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