16:53.19 N, 024:59.51 W

 

We arrived at around 17:30, a comfortable hour so so before it got dark. The approach to Sao Vicente was slightly tense as the Harmattan was blowing and so considerably reducing the visibility. We could not see the land until we were about 6 miles off shore; and then only as indistinct rocky shapes on a different island to the one we were aiming for. neither do we have electronic charts for the Cape Verde Islands. In any case the survey of the area is reported as being unreliable. We opted for the old fashioned way of navigating using the paper chart at very small scale and radar for the approach. But anyway it feels much more seamanlike to have the pencil and the Breton Plotter in hand. There is a large rocky island within Mindelo bay behind which are the harbours and the town and military fort. We located the rock easily enough. The fort is conspicuous by the presence of several gun emplacements complete with gun barrels pointing out towards the bay. A surprise is that this island is much more mountainous than we had been led to believe by various guide books.

 

The anchorage was packed, in fact the whole yacht area appeared rammed full so we opted to go directly to the marina. This is not a marina in the UK sense of the word, it’s a series of connected floating pontoons which shift about in the swell, and is not separated from the rest of the bay except for a few nominal green and red buoys. Also there are rusting hulks lying sideways in the water and several more beached ashore. Coming in after dark with all these hazards unlit would be mite tricky so we were glad to have the last of the daylight. We spotted a space on the outermost pontoon and James took the helm to reverse her in. People appeared from adjacent boats to assist with attaching the lines to the pontoon, so an audience: always the kiss of death for good manoeuvring! But luckily at that moment a practice run for carnival procession started up ashore, complete with steel band and dancers and crowd who bounced past the marina gateway and on into the town, so every one turned to watch them not us. Phew: the reversing thus went perfectly.

 

Boats here are moored using lines from moorings anchored 20 m or so off the pontoons, with one for each boat rather than the symmetrical arrangement we had been used to elsewhere, devised a way to equalise the pressure on the warps. We tied up and tidied up after the passage and then had an early night to be ready for the visits to immigration, harbour master and customs in the morning. We'll attempt to get internet and post pictures of this absorbing and very different place but in the meantime here are a few pictures of our passage down from the Canaries.

 

Wind and water assist our voyage; the red sail is the Hydrovane wind steering system working hard to keep us on course and the tow

generator is trailing a propeller on a 20 metre rope, which turns a car alternator mounted in a gimbal.

 

Meanwhile the captain has a well earned rest as we pass the Tropic of Cancer.  The pipe cots are above the sofa seats during passage to hold our grab bags, wet weather gear and, occasionally, tired crew members. In rolling seas they are the most comfortable place to sleep on the boat.

 

Flying fish of varying sizes. The one on the left is about 8 inches long. As you can see they also come in miniature

 

A couple of shots of the ocean mid passage before it got too wet on deck to use the camera

 

Hoisting the Cape Verdean courtesy flag when nearing land, but we couldn’t yet see it. Note the slight contrast to a similar photograph taken in the Arctic four years ago: the crew are wearing fewer clothes. The picture of Mindelo approaches is blurry because it was foggy, not because the camera played up!