The Azores in a week: São Miguel, Santa Maria and Atlantic whales
The Azores are volcanic islands in the middle of the Atlantic, some 1,500 kilometres from mainland Portugal, and a week here is real ocean sailing. The loop of about 130 nm from Ponta Delgada follows the south coast of São Miguel — one of the best places in the world to see whales — and heads out to Santa Maria, the oldest and sunniest island of the archipelago, with sandy beaches and terraced vineyards. The coastal days are short, but twice in the week there are 48 nm of open ocean with no shelter at all, so this route is for an experienced crew that knows how to pick a weather window.
Day by day
Ponta Delgada
- Ponta Delgada (São Miguel)37.738, -25.665
Boat handover in the marina in the city centre, ten minutes from the airport. Ponta Delgada is a black-and-white town of basalt and lime, with the Portas da Cidade gates on the waterfront; the crater lakes of Sete Cidades are half an hour away by car.
Ponta Delgada → Vila Franca do Campo
- Vila Franca do Campo37.715, -25.429
A short first leg east along the coast — a good time to get used to the ocean swell, and sperm whales and dolphins turn up on almost every outing here. Vila Franca was the island's first capital until the earthquake of 1522; opposite the marina lies the crater islet with its round lagoon.
Vila Franca → Vila do Porto (Santa Maria)
- Vila do Porto (Santa Maria)36.945, -25.148
The passage to Santa Maria: eight to nine hours of open ocean to the south-east, leaving at dawn on a checked forecast. Vila do Porto is the oldest town in the Azores; night in the marina below the cliff.
Santa Maria
- Vila do Porto (Santa Maria)36.945, -25.148
A day ashore with no sailing: rent a car in town. São Lourenço bay in a crater lined with terraced vineyards, the white beach of Praia Formosa and the chapel at Anjos, visited in 1493 by Columbus's sailors on their way back from America.
Vila do Porto → Povoação (São Miguel)
- Povoação37.745, -25.246
The passage back to São Miguel, eight to nine hours north, with the green mountains of the island's east rising ahead. Povoação is, by tradition, where the first settlers landed; night in the small municipal marina.
Povoação → Vila Franca do Campo
- Ribeira Quente37.731, -25.298
- Vila Franca do Campo37.715, -25.429
- Ribeira Quente harbourtown quay37.733, -25.299
In the morning, a taxi to the Furnas valley ten kilometres away: hot springs, the Terra Nostra park and cozido, a stew slow-cooked in the volcanic ground. In the afternoon, a short leg west past the fishing village of Ribeira Quente back to Vila Franca, for a swim at the islet.
Vila Franca → Ponta Delgada
- Ponta Delgada (São Miguel)37.738, -25.665
- Porto dos Carneiros (Lagoa)town quay37.742, -25.576
The last leg west along the coast, with one more chance to meet whales. Refuelling and handover in Ponta Delgada.
Coordinates are approximate, for the harbour or bay. Paste them into Google Maps or a chartplotter, and check the chart and pilot book before you moor or anchor.
Good to know
- Open ocean: São Miguel and Santa Maria are 48 nm apart with no shelter, and Atlantic swell runs through from the north-west and north. In summer the islands usually sit under the Azores high with moderate winds, but fronts pass even in season — sail both passages only on a settled forecast. Without a window, the week stays on São Miguel's south coast: Ponta Delgada, Vila Franca and Povoação. The season is June to September.
- Berths: the Azores have almost no sheltered anchorages — the coasts are steep and swell works into the bays — so nights are spent in marinas. Povoação marina is small and open to the south: go in only in calm weather, otherwise spend the night in Vila Franca nine miles on. The Vila Franca islet is a nature reserve: in summer a boat runs from the marina, daily visitor numbers are capped, and you do not take your own yacht into the lagoon.
- Whales: sperm whales live off São Miguel all year, and in spring blue and fin whales pass through. Slow down, don't cross the animals' path or close in, and keep clear of the whale-watching boats.
- Terceira and logistics: Angra do Heroísmo on Terceira, a UNESCO town, is about 90 nm from Ponta Delgada and about 140 from Santa Maria — overnight passages that don't fit into one week together with Santa Maria: Terceira is for a two-week charter. Ponta Delgada airport is four kilometres from the marina, and flights from Lisbon take about two and a half hours; the Azores are Portugal and the EU, so there are no formalities.
How to get to the marina
- Marina de Ponta Delgada, São Miguel
- Ponta Delgada (PDL) — 4 km, 10 min by car
10–15 min · €8–15 per car
Taxi rank outside arrivals, round the clock; about four kilometres to the marina on the seafront.
10–15 min · €25–60 per day
Rental desks in the terminal. A car on São Miguel is useful before the charter too — Sete Cidades and Furnas — and there is paid parking by the marina.
45–60 min · price on request
On foot from the airport down to the sea and along the Avenida Infante Dom Henrique seafront to the marina — about four kilometres, if your luggage is light.
Direct flights to Ponta Delgada run from Lisbon and Porto several times a day, and in summer from a number of other European cities; Santa Maria has flights too, if part of the crew wants to join there.
Prices are autumn 2026 estimates in euros; times are without traffic. Bus and ferry timetables change with the season, so check them before you travel.
How long is the Ponta Delgada — Santa Maria route and where do you stay overnight?
7 days and about 129 nautical miles in a loop, starting and finishing in Ponta Delgada. Overnight stops in order: Ponta Delgada (São Miguel), Vila Franca do Campo, Vila do Porto (Santa Maria), Vila do Porto (Santa Maria), Povoação, Vila Franca do Campo. The longest leg is day 3, 48 nm.
How do I get to the marina for the Ponta Delgada — Santa Maria route?
The route starts and finishes at Marina de Ponta Delgada, São Miguel. The nearest airport is Ponta Delgada (PDL), 4 km away. Fastest: taxi, 10–15 min, €8–15 per car.
When is the best time to sail the Ponta Delgada — Santa Maria route?
Around Lisbon the season runs May to October; June and September are the best months, with a weaker nortada than in July and August. The Algarve is sailed almost all year: winters are mild, with shorter days and more Atlantic fronts. In the Azores the window is June to September, when the Azores high sits over the islands.
Do I need a licence to charter a yacht?
For a bareboat charter (no skipper or crew provided), yes: a skipper's licence and, as a rule, a VHF radio certificate. Without a licence, we add a skipper, paid separately from the boat price.
What's included in the boat price?
Just the boat, for a week. Usually paid separately: transit log and final cleaning, fuel, marina fees, the security deposit (or deposit insurance), a skipper, cook and hostess if you need them, and extras (SUP board, on-board Wi-Fi, coffee machine, child safety netting).
