Below are some pictures of the waves hitting the city of Horta on the island of Faial. According to news reports, the seas have calmed down a bit, and the sea transportation from the islands of Faila and Pico has resumed. 

photos from the Photographer Pedro Taborda

The following is a story from journalist José Gonçalves Souto from the island of Faial:

Anyone who knows the history of the Faial Channel (Faial – Pico) knows there are very few days when there is no traffic between the two islands. However, with 2024 having barely begun, January 11 has already entered the statistic of those that do not allow sea travel between the sister islands, let alone connecting São Jorge, which completes this island triangle.

With the Horta Maritime Terminal upside down due to yesterday’s flooding and the weather still impertinent, Atlânticoline’s first two voyages this Friday, January 12, 2024, did not take place, a decision already made yesterday.

It was one of the old Cruises that opened hostilities this morning, carrying out two medical evacuations to Horta Hospital, recalling the heroics of other times when the Channel’s waves were subjected to the reckless Simão and Feijó (just to mention those who had and have a name on the bow of a ship).

This cruise undid the 24-hour interruption in the shuttle between Horta and Madalena, followed at 2.15 p.m. by the Atlânticoline ship Mestre Jaime Feijó, which crossed the bar at the Port of Horta at almost the same time as the Cecília A, a ship belonging to the Barcos do Pico company, which loads goods in this part of the archipelago.

The usual afternoon trip to Velas is scheduled, but the stopover in São Roque will be replaced by Madalena due to the state of the sea in the town’s port north of Pico.

All the indications are that today’s last trip to Madalena will start on time at 17:15.

The rough sea has not affected the bottom of the northern basin of the Port of Horta, which was inspected by divers this morning, thus allowing normal traffic to resume, even though the remains of a shipwrecked vessel have ended up there. The other vessel that was shipwrecked due to the storm was brought ashore yesterday morning.

The last time maritime connections in the Canal and Triangle were interrupted for 24 hours was on October 19, 2022.

Ligações marítimas retomadas no Triângulo

Photos from the Photographer Pedro Taborda

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