An enterprising man with an aluguer - which is a pick up van that's for hire - had told us a few days ago that he could do a tour of the island, so we booked it today. It was a very smart bright red with padded seats in the back as a special concession for the sensitivities of the tourists as our driver proudly pointed out. He was called Wilson and promised to take us to see Cape Verde as it is, away from the usual tourist sites. He has been an AB on a general cargo ship operating out of Rotterdam and has visited all the north sea ports and spoke fondly of places like Grimsby and Leith, regaling us with tales of how the Russian officers were blind drunk half the time.

 

The tarmac doesn't last out side the town, but they are cobbled and actually in good nick. The first thing one notices is that this island is a desert. It only rains in August and September, and this year it pretty much failed anyway so it's very brown.

 

We went up mount Verde first, where this picture was taken.

 

Goats can live here but on this rain-shadow side, but nothing else.

 

We then descended to a village on the beach called Salamansa but rather incomprehensibly sited as it’s supposed to be a fishing village but is 5km from where boats can be launched at Baia das Gatas. It’s apparently become a dormitory town these days with most going out to work in Mindelo leaving only children and young mothers behind. There were certainly huge numbers of children but comparatively few adults to be seen.

 

Salmansa main drag: note the natty solar-powered street lights.

 

But deserted or not during the working week it has a thriving football team, pitch shown here

 

and club-house right opposite.

 

After that we went to Baia das Gatos and had a swim in a natural pool of calm water behind a fringing reef – a reasonably popular spot with Cape Verdean families so we were not the only swimmers by any means. We also had lunch in this village, of excellent grilled fish of course.

 

Fishing boats still use homemade sails on what looks like a lanteen rig, although they also have outboards.

 

Boat trailers seem not to be needed that often but make excellent back-scratchers.

 

Going round the south of the island it suddenly gets more fertile as there’s a valley floor where wells can be dug and there are wind operated pumps every couple of 100 metres.

 

But is some ways this oasis makes it feel even more like a desert.

 

Nonetheless we stopped at a small farm where the lady of the house makes a fresh curd cheese from her goats and were invited to taste some. It’s a Cape Verdean speciality in high demand and one sees people selling it or consuming it all over the place so it was interesting to try the real thing. One has it with a drop of olive oil in which chillies have been steeping, which certainly bucks it up! We bought a couple, one of which we consumed for supper. After which Fiona had a mild version of Slocum’s experience after he eat too much of the exact same thing (plus unripe plums) on leaving the Azores. Fortunately no Pilot of the Pinta was required.

 

The aluguer and it’s owner and driver Wilson who is a font of knowledge about his island.

 

Tomorrow we plan to take an inter-island ferry and go to São Antão which is much higher than São Vincente and apparently much greener and cultivated. We’re taking the ferry because there isn’t an anchorage or port where it’s safe to leave the boat for a day.