NORTH CHEESEMAKER FINDS CHEESE FACTORY IN THE AZORES (July 2006)

Well-known North cheesemaker Mark Robertson is safely back at his desk after spending four exciting weeks crossing the Atlantic as one of a four-man crew aboard a 50-ft Bermudan sloop.

The 3,300-mile crossing from St.Martin in the Leeward Islands of the West Indies to Sotogrande in Spain, via The Azores, took nearly a month to complete and for Mark it was the trip of a lifetime.

As boss of the award-winning Northumberland Cheese Company at Blagdon, near Morpeth, Mark has spent most of his working life as a farmer, although his late father was a senior naval officer.

Despite recurring bouts of sea-sickness Mark proved to be a more than useful sail trimmer aboard the Ushomi(Zulu slang for friends). He also provided Northumberland cheese for his fellow crew members.

When the boat berthed at Horta on the island of Faial in The Azores, west of mainland Portugal, after 17 days at sea, Mark was delighted to find there was a cheesemaking factory on the island. He insisted on taking the crew to see it. He was somewhat surprised to find that all the cows were milked in the fields and the milk was picked up at collection points around the island.

During the voyage Mark spotted two large whales about 200 feet from the boat and several schools of dolphins. It was a remarkable experience for Mark and the others, but he is safely ashore again, resuming his duties at Northumberland Cheese Company and as vice-chairman of Northumbria Larder.