We departed Bermuda for the Azores as TS Alberto was churning its way up the US East Coast. The forecasts all had Alberto heading northeast to menace Newfoundland, and we figured that if it turned our way, we could dash back for the safety of Bermuda. The breeze was perfect, and Zia knocked off day after day of fast and easy sailing. We took a northwards course so that we could get over the top of the Azores High and pick up the favorable westerlies. We saw breaching whales, flying dolphins and sleeping turtles although, despite our best efforts, not a single fish made it into the boat.

We sighted land at the westernmost Azore island, Corvo, on the tenth day and arrived in Horta early the next morning. Here is what our final track looked like.

By chasing the wind, we stretched the course from 1,800 miles to 1,970 but we managed to stay in good breeze and finished the trip in just under 11 days.

Oh, about the kids - what do two young girls do for ten days at sea? Pretty much what they would do for ten days in a house, minus the TV. We had lots of games, crafts and books, and we rigged the bosun's chair as a swing from the bimini. This proved to be a huge hit even when the motion of the boat and the movement of the swing conspired to whack the swinger into the helm seat.

It is a decades-old custom for voyagers to paint their boat logo on the expansive seawall in Horta. There are hundreds of signs, of all colors and nationalities. We saw a few signs from our hometown of Annapolis, and we were eager to add Zia's sign to the list.

You could spend hours and hours looking at all of the artwork. Many of the signs have faded out and been painted over by more recent cruisers, so it is a constantly changing gallery.

The saying goes that you should paint your boat logo on the seawall, but you must come back periodically to keep it from fading or your ship will suffer bad luck. Some of the art on the wall is absolutely fantastic and some is incredibly funny. Look at this one closely.

We rounded up the supplies at a local hardware store and set out to do Zia proud amongst the other signs. It was a family effort, with all of us pitching in to prepare the spot and design and paint the sign. With a couple of delays for rain, we came up with our (hopefully long-lasting) logo.

The Azores are Portuguese islands, and Portugal had just won their World Cup quarterfinal match the day we arrived. The Azoreans sure know how to party - every horn, church bell, firecracker and voice joined in the celebration. The archipelago is made up of nine volcanic islands, tall and lush with waterfalls, green meadows, and cliffs visible from the sea. We toured Faial, Terciera and Sao Miguel, where we found natural hot springs, flower-lined roads and local bullfights in the street. As we made our plans to sail on to mainland Europe, we felt fortunate to have been able to leave our calling card on the famous seawall.