Lajes das Flores - General Info
Where is Lajes das Flores?
Flores is the westernmost island of the Azores, so named for its flowers. Miles and miles of hydrangeas, cannas and wild roses line the roads and the steep volcanic peaks are terraced by fields bordered by stone walls lined with yet more hydrangeas. The lakes of the interior are worth a visit, some with waterfalls. The locals here are reported to be very friendly and helpful.
Lajes is located on the southeast coast of the island and is the administrative center.
The island has little in the way of yachting facilities.
In October 2019, hurricane Lorenzo destroyed the pier of the port of Flores, the island’s only commercial port, which was again affected, in December 2022, due to the passage of storm Efrain. Reconstruction of the port and associated marina is on-going and not expected to be completed until 2028 (see news item here for more details). This means docking and anchoring space is very limited. See Docking for more details.
If you require comforts like shore power or services like important repairs, refits or specialist chandlery, give this port a miss. .
An excellent guide to the island can be found here.
Entrance Notes and Cautions:
- Do not call the harbour or the harbourmaster in advance asking about berth availability. There are no reservations, space is allocated on a first come-first served basis and availability changes daily in the season.
- On approach, keep watch on channel 16/12. You can call Lajes Harbour on 16/12 as soon as you have visual contact . You may also be hailed by the harbour.
- The harbour does not work 24/7.
- This is NOT a good refuge in any conditions involving strong E-NE winds as the inner harbour becomes very turbulent and it is difficult to manoeuver inside. If you arrive in fresh easterly winds, consider anchoring in Fajã Grande Bay on the West side of the island, you cannot clear in there but it will be more comfortable and safer until you get to Lajes harbour or you move on.
- If you arrive at night, do not enter the inner harbour, anchor in the bay.
- Be aware of the strong likelihood of having to anchor and prepare your ground tackle and tender accordingly.
- If you hope to find space on the wall, have strong fenders and long mooring lines ready and prepared. Vessels raft 3 deep here.
- Being low on diesel is not an emergency or distress situation unless you are a power driven vessel. Assistance may be rendered at full commercial rates.
- It is recommended to speak with officials on arrival to find out weather conditions for the duration of your stay in order to determine how long you should spend here.
Position:
39° 22.78’N, 31°10.15’W (Marina)
Last updated: March 2025
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It is now possible to pay at the marina with credit cards, Mastercard and Visa accepted. Multi Banco as well. And of course cash. There is a bar that overlooks the harbor, also has a small deli service. Good wifi in the bar. There are hot showers (3 for men and 3 for ladies, free for marina customers) as well as clean toilets. There is one washing machine (4 euro per load) and one drier (I forgot how much it was) both onsite.
Two supermarkets up the street. All paperwork is done in the port, look for the grey building in the sea-can area of the port, English is spoken. I really liked Flores, plenty of nice short hikes.
Update on Lajes, Flores. The last 5 meters of the inside pier has collapsed, leaning towards the entrance channel into the marina. This will have to be broken and redone, no schedule has been set for it yet.
The longest pier that usually took 3 1/2 boats of 50 feet was damaged in this past winter and was taken out.
This leaves only one space for a 50-foot boat in an almost 50-foot boat space. The only alternative 6-meter finger piers, 4 or 5 of them. Since construction, there is still no allocated bathrooms for the marina. You must share a public bathroom that is also used by fisherman, and port goers. No hot water.
Still no diesel available in port. The restaurant that served refreshments to the sailors is closing the end of May.
Now a 10-minute walk up the hill is required for lunch and supermarkets.
First thing when you arrive and check in at this marina, ask the nice gentleman at immigration for a weather report compared to the shelter this port. He knows the particulars of the shelter (or lack thereof) vis-a-vis the weather in a way that larger weather forecasts cannot assess. He will tell you if it’s safe to stay off if you should push on to a safer port.