SST: June 03, 2009
[I’m getting better but more slowly than I would wish. We sighted land in North Africa today and are anchored off Gibraltar, an impressive sight. We shall stay in the Mediterranean for three days of off-shore training exercises, and tonight we will cross another time zone. Cadets Alison Ferry and Karl Fisher have written an account of their tour of Sao Miguel last Saturday which follows. I hope I can continue having cadets and officers writing the blog occasionally. A steady diet of me would be very tedious. – Fr. John Farrell.]
Our Seven Hour Azorean Tour
The bus departed at 0930 and headed towards the north coast. Our first stop was a mountain top lookout with an exceptional view of the coast. Next we went to the tea factory called Cha’ Gorreana. Inside we were led on a tour of the factory which was full of very old machinery which still functioned great to process the tea. Then we were given a sample to taste the finished product. After that we went to another lookout where we could see the lake in the crater of the volcano and which overlooked the town where we were going to have lunch.
Our next stop was at a natural femoral park which had spring water feeding in to the femorals, which produced steam rising from the earth. Also fresh water fountains were pouring out of pipes on the side of the mountain. This was from mountain springs and we were able to taste it. It tasted a little like tonic water, but each spring had a slightly different taste. Our tour guide said the minerals found in the water are very good for your stomach.
Next stop was lunch. It was a smorgasbord of delicious femoral cooked food – that is, various meats cooked underground in hot springs -- accompanied by a very fine Azorean wine. After lunch we went swimming in a pool the likes of which we have never seen before. The water was warm and was an opaque gold due to all the minerals of the hot spring feeding into it. There were two fountains of hot spring water pouring into the big pool. Everyone was having a great time jumping off the platforms into the wonderfully warm water. After a nice relaxing time in the pool, we visited the park where our food was cooked in the femorals of Laogo Furnas. This park was at the lake that we saw earlier in the day. Following all those wonderful sights throughout the day, everyone took a well deserved nap on our way back to the ship.
Karl Fisher 1/C
Alison Ferrie 1/C
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NOON POSITION REPORT – 03 JUNE 2009
T/S EMPIRE STATE KKFW
LAT: 36° – 17.8’ N LONG: 005° – 04.2’ W
LENGTH OF DAY: 23 HRS
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 190 BBLS
FUEL ROB: 10333 BBLS
MDO ROB: 599 BBLS
POTABLE WATER ROB: 678 T
DISTILLED WATER ROB: 234 T
SEA STATE: SW/3
WIND: WSW/4
NEXT PORT: GIBRALTAR PORT
ETA Anchorage: 0800 LT/ 05 JUNE 2009
