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Cruise News for the Corporate Travel Professional

April 2011 Edition

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Not to be missed - Maritime Artists Contributions & the Most Famous Bar in the North Atlantic

The Port of Horta is located on the SE coast of Faial, which is the smallest of the three "Triangle Islands". The island has one of the main airports in the Azores and Horta itself owes its importance to its sheltered harbor. The town has several beautiful old buildings.

For centuries ships, in particular sailing ships have called at Horta on their west to east crossing of the Atlantic mainly because of the wind and current pattern in the spring and early summer months.

It has long been a tradition to leave mementos behind both artistic and material with literally hundreds of ship crew paintings around the harbor wall and personal / ship mementos at Peter's Bar (The Cafe Sport).

Almost every concrete wall and surface around the harbor is covered with paintings done by boats that have stopped here. It is tradition to leave a painting behind (and your paint if you have any left) to commemorate your voyage.

Peter’s Café Sport is quite simply the most famous bar in the North Atlantic, having first opened its doors on the island of Faial ninety three years ago to seafarers from all over the world.

Opened on Christmas Day 1918, the Café Sport started life as just another bar in the busy port and city of Horta. After the various cycles of coal-ships, the adventures of hydroplanes and transatlantic voyages as well as the blackouts of the Second World War had come to an end, the Café Sport eventually transformed itself into the base for the crews of the Dutch tugboats that sailed the high seas as well as a must visit spot for yachtsmen of all nationalities making their trans-Atlantic crossing.

The Cafe Sport has been an institution and meeting place for sailor for close to a century. Sadly Peter the long time owner and mine host has passed away although the Cafe still remains in the family with Peter's son now running the place.

Don't miss the opportunity to visit the scrimshaw museum locate above the Cafe, it has an impressive collection of items dating back to the mid 1800's.

Regrettably like so many icon's it has lost some of it's charm through commercialism, but such is life today.

Don't let this deter you from visiting... I hear the beer is still cold and the food pretty decent.

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