The Boat from Flores Island to Corvo Island (Flores and Corvo)

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We arrived at “Porto das Poças” in Santa Cruz das Flores long before the scheduled boarding time in Ariel. The boat that would carry us to Corvo Island was already docked waiting for the crew, while the ripple helped by the strong wind, rushes the boat against the walls of the pier. Passengers arrived slowly and positioned their goods and luggage near the steps that leads to the deck level.
The crew comes with the notice of a delay in departure. We assume that perhaps the bad weather is the reason for this delay and we waited patiently. All baggage were being accommodated in the boat to speed up the boarding process. I looked at the horizon and imagined the surprises waiting for us in Corvo.
The baby had not slept her reinvigorating nap and so she was a bit saturated by this waiting. Around 5pm is delivered to the crew an order to take to Corvo Island. Apparently this was the reason for this delay because the boarding process starts immediately. It’s understandable that as the transport between the two islands is so scarce and dependent on weather conditions, the life needs to adapt to these emergencies.
The engines starts purring and we leave behind Flores Island. There are still some empty seats of Ariel’s maximum capacity of 12 passengers, which hardly happens during the summer days.
We left the limits of “Porto das Poças” and started crossing the channel, almost in a straight line to north, to “Porto da Casa” in Corvo Village. At a steady pace, the baby fell asleep in the first moments of the trip and didn’t  feel the strong waves that, from the middle of the journey, was increasing as we approached Corvo Island.
“Porto da Casa” was undergoing works for improvement and enlargement so on our arrival, after almost 40 minutes from Flores Island, we still have to wait some more minutes to be able to dock at the pier. These minutes seemed like hours when the seasickness began to emerge in the passengers. The boat in the water, swings from one side to the other, aimlessly while waiting for the withdrawal of the platform. It was a dispensable small torture.

At a steady pace, the baby fell asleep in the first moments of the trip and didn’t  feel the strong waves that, from the middle of the journey, was increasing as we approached Corvo Island.

The baby continues to sleep. This is good.
When we finally stepped onto solid land, it was a relief for our stomachs.
Luís was waiting for us, he is the “pirate” from the The Pirates’ Nest where we would stay in these days of adventure at Corvo. Helpful from the very first moment, we carry our backpacks to the van and went to the local accommodation. We took a short break in the mini-market to buy some fresh food for the next days. The supply had just arrived and we were lucky to find fresh fruit.
After settling in at our “nest” we went down to the village for dinner. We chose the “Traineira” Restaurant following Luís suggestion. We found a modest space, humble and true to life on the island, where in a few moments we already felt at home. We were so well received that even the baby is happily ran through the kitchen and the restaurant, on the lap of her new friends. Portuguese National Team was playing today at Euro 2016 and it was time to, in line with Corvo inhabitants, support our guys.

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