Graciosa
Today we awoke with moonlight washing over the bow of the MS Endeavour... a great omen for the day to come. Just after breakfast we went ashore by Zodiac to begin our days expedition. Some folks went hiking along a winding cobblestone road flanked by exotic vegetation which lead to the Furna do Enxofre, a great cavern in the bottom of a large caldeira. Then we ventured into the picturesque village of Santa Cruz da Graciosa. We explored the towns unique museum and whale boat exhibit. Although Graciosa wasn’t one of the main whaling ports, local whaling families with the help of the local museum restored one of the traditional whales boats called a Canoa Baleeira (see top photo). Afterwards we enjoyed a stroll through the village drinking in the serene atmosphere of this traditional Azorean town.
Blessed with light airs, calm seas and sunshine, we sailed from Graciosas’ shores and headed into the blue waters of the North Atlantic in search of marine wildlife. Shortly after lunch we were all called to the bow for sperm whale blows in the distance. Throughout the afternoon we were enraptured by these magnificent mammals. While the ship was surrounded by a group of sperm whales, our undersea specialist team filmed one of these great leviathans in motion while it arched and sank into the deep dark ocean (see bottom photo).
