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✅The Insular Isolation and Maritime Transport

The settlement of the various Azorean islands occurred at different times and by people from diverse origins, resulting in the formation of distinct cultural units, especially due to isolation being one of their main characteristics.

This isolation stemmed from two realities: firstly, the marked dispersion of the Azorean islands, which made communication between them difficult; and secondly, their peripheral location in relation to large continental areas.

Let us briefly analyze each of these realities and the responses found in terms of maritime transport, although this is a topic that requires further investigation.

Inter-island traffic rarely achieved significant regularity, except for the islands of the Central Group, particularly in the crossing of the approximately three-mile Faial Channel between Pico Island (Madalena) and Faial Island (Horta).

By the late 16th century, there were still no boats in Madalena, and crossing the channel followed a curious ritual of negotiation described by Gaspar Frutuoso:

In Pico, from the parish of Madalena, where the channel between it and Faial is narrowest—about a league wide—because there are no boats in said parish, when someone wants to cross to Faial, they make as many fires at night or smokes during the day as there are passengers to cross. Sometimes, there is only one passenger who needs to go to Faial, but they make not one fire, but four or five, so that when the boatmen from Faial see the fires or smoke, they immediately come in their small boats to fetch those people. For each passenger, they charge a vintém in good weather and thirty or forty réis, or more, in stormy weather. And if someone who made five or six fires is alone, they pay as many vinténs as the number of fires they made, or according to the price agreed upon with the boatmen.

For many years, this system was essentially used for the connection between the two islands, but it lacked any regularity and was always carried out based on specific requests, which became more frequent as economic interaction between the two islands increased.

By the late 19th century, there were more or less regular services for the transportation of goods and passengers between Faial and Pico, using open boats that became known as the "Pico launches." To meet passenger transportation and towing needs, the motorized launch Varina began service in 1909, becoming the first mixed-propulsion launch to serve the channel.

Although various companies and entrepreneurs explored connections between Pico and Faial, it was only in 1921 that the Empresa Açoriana de Navegação e Pesca, Limitada (EAN) was founded. This company operated some of the most iconic launches in the channel, such as Ada, Boa Viagem, Olga, Águia, Odette, Maria Utília, Maria Lígia, among others.

In 1950, the Empresa de Lanchas do Pico, Limitada (ELP) was established, succeeding the EAN and adapting its services to the growing needs of the population and the market. Regular connections between São Jorge Island and Pico Island began in 1957, and for the first time in Azorean history, in 1971, two islands—Faial and Pico—were connected every day of the year.

The ELP fleet featured notable vessels like Calheta (H209TL) and Espalamaca (H177TL), which for many years ensured crossings of the Faial Channel and remain a memory for the so-called "channel community."

Calheta was built in 1925 in Santo Amaro by Master Manuel António Furtado de Simas, known as Master Manuel Bento, while Espalamaca was constructed in 1949 at Cais do Pico as a result of a renovation of the launch Maria Utília, directed by Master Manuel José da Silveira, or Master Janeiro. After several adaptations by him, Espalamaca was thoroughly remodeled in 1966 at the Santo Amaro shipyards under the direction of Master Júlio Nunes de Matos, taking on the form it still retains today.

Later, through the merger of ELP and other maritime transport companies, Transmaçor – Transportes Marítimos Açorianos, Limitada (TMA) was established in 1987. It provided regular connections between the islands of the Central Group, with a fleet that included Cruzeiro das Ilhas (1988), Cruzeiro do Canal (1988), Expresso do Triângulo (2001), and Expresso das Ilhas (2003).

In 2005, Atlânticoline, SA, a public maritime transport company for passengers and vehicles operating across the nine islands of the archipelago, was founded. It integrated the assets and fleet of Transmaçor and, in 2008, initiated regular connections between Flores and Corvo Islands.

From 2014 onwards, Atlânticoline incorporated modern vessels Mestre Simão and Gilberto Mariano, designed for regular connections between Faial, Pico, São Jorge, and Terceira Islands, allowing vehicle transportation for the first time in the history of the islands. However, despite the technological, comfort, and safety advancements, the term "Pico launches" continued to be used by the populations on both sides of the channel, although the vessels are now often referred to as ferries.

The connections between the islands of the Central Group were developed through coastal vessels, which also sailed to the islands of the Eastern Group based on passenger or cargo needs. Meanwhile, connections to the Western Group islands were much more sporadic, with prolonged isolation lasting months.

Over the centuries, connections between the Azorean archipelago and the mainland were always sporadic. However, the advent of steam navigation helped break the islands' centuries-old isolation. In July 1857, the steamship Duque do Porto became the first steam vessel to operate connections between Lisbon and the Azores for a company with a set schedule, calling at Ponta Delgada, Angra do Heroísmo, and Horta.

Afterward, through a contract with the Portuguese government, the steamships Dona Estephania and Açoriano made several trips to the Azores between 1858 and 1862.

From 1871 onwards, the Empresa Insulana de Navegação (EIN) established monthly routes between the mainland and the Azores, with mandatory stops at the main islands of the archipelago. Over time, this company became a symbol of maritime transport between the Azores and the mainland, operating ships such as NT Lima (1922) and NT Carvalho Araújo (1930), which became icons of passenger and cargo transport until the rise of air travel rendered them obsolete.

It marked the beginning of the era of air transport.

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