Distant Shores TVvideo
SAILING to the Island of the Bulls
April 19, 2026 · 12 min · 8K views · Angra do Heroísmo, Terceira
Bull charges down street as spectators watch from windows.
What this video covers
A 70-mile day sail from Horta, Faial, to Angra do Heroísmo on Terceira Island opens a multi-day stop that includes a reunion with friends the Shards first met 35 years ago.1:02 The passage threads the Canal de Saint-Georges between Pico and São Jorge in rain and reduced visibility; wooden fishing boats that don't register reliably on radar or AIS force the crew to maintain a visual deck watch throughout.2:03 Angra do Heroísmo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site founded in 1478, hosts the Tourada à Corda — bulls run one at a time on a rope tether through reinforced village streets, with teams of men controlling each animal for roughly ten minutes before a rocket signals the all-clear.5:31 The Shards also attend the Festival of Sanjoaninas, described as the largest annual festival in the Azores, which they first attended on Terceira 35 years earlier.8:39 Sheryl preps chopped onions, garlic, vegetables, and fruit before departure to ease cooking while regaining sea legs.11:15 The boat then departs for Falmouth, England — a 1,200-mile passage the crew estimates at eight to nine days — with the English Channel's fog and heavy shipping traffic flagged as the next challenge.12:01
Boats in this video
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