Sao Nicolau was an overnight passage and we enjoyed flat seas again as we decided to head round the north of the island. We decided to try 2hr watches instead of the normal 3hrs, just to ensure we both had opportunities to sleep in case there was a need for both of us to be on watch as we approached the island. As it happened, the wind dropped and we had a very lazy, relaxed sail to Tarrafal. As we came close to the small harbour, the wind picked up, funnelling down the tall hills that were a backdrop to the picturesque town. We anchored away from the harbour in an area we felt was more sheltered, and jumped into the dinghy to go ashore, calling in on friends who were anchored in the bay close to town. We had first met Peter and Inge in The Canaries and then we met again in Gambia. They are sailing their fossil free boat, Ya, around the world to promote environmentally friendly sailing and businesses (www.fossilfreearoundtheworld.org).
After checking in, we returned to Cerulean to make sure our anchor was set. The winds had increased considerably and after our recent dragging incident, we did not want to risk another incident with us off the boat! We watched a large loggerhead turtle swim around the boat in the clear blue water and attempt to climb up onto the boarding platform of the boat next to us! Amazing to watch these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat.
The next day Ruffian surprised us by joining us in the bay and we happily went ashore together to have one last walk in the hills – and it really was an “Epic” (Iain’s words) walk. We took an aluguer (minibus) from Tarrafal and were dropped off at the top of a steep hill. We then walked down a stone pathway to the small capital of Sao Nicolau, Ribiera Brava, which is near the centre of the island, nestled in a valley surrounded by high hills. The town has a Portuguese feel to it with well maintained parks and impressive buildings from the 1800’s colonial-era with the narrow cobbled streets clean and rubbish free – unusual for West Africa!
We met the same aluguer driver who had dropped us at the top of the hill and he greeted us like old friends as we climbed into his van to get a lift back to Tarrafal. The drive back was a wonderful experience – the journey took us down windy cobbled streets, steep gravel roads, through banana and papaya plantations and small hillside villages and roads with incredible vistas over the jagged hilltops. Every so often the minibus would stop outside a house where a pre-arranged pick up had been organised and some friendly banter would take place before people or packages were loaded into the van. Our experience cost us 2 euros each – well worth the 40 minute drive!
Next day, with fond memories of our farewell dinner with Ruffian fresh in our minds and tummies, we parted again as we continued our journey to Mindelo. We were keen to get there for a couple of reasons – first being strong winds were forecast for the next couple of days and second being we had jobs we needed to get done before leaving to cross the Atlantic the following week. As we sailed the 50NM, we created a few more jobs, as if we needed them!
Once safely in the exposed marina, we headed to the floating bar for a meal and start to get a feel for the place. The marina is like a piece of Europe in an otherwise African town. Mindelo is much more “modern” than other places we have visited in Cape Verde but still has a distinctive African feel with fish unloaded from small boats at the beach and processed before being taken to the neighbouring fish market. A couple of well stocked vegetable and fruit markets selling locally grown produce are in the town and a number of supermarkets with limited choice and selection, but enough for us to replenish our stores with the essentials.
We contacted BoatCV who we were reliable told could help us fix most of the items that needed repairing – namely, broken sprayhood frame, mainsail luff car solution, replacement bow navigation light and replacement engine anodes. Their moto is: “If it’s man-made, we can fix it…” and they certainly gave excellent service, coming to see us immediately and understanding all our requirements straight away. We were really impressed, but sadly their enthusiasm did not match their actual delivery…..
Since arriving in Mindelo, Steve had been struggling with ill health, feeling washed out and exhausted. When this was followed by a cough we decided to get him tested and frustratingly but not really surprisingly, it came back as positive to Covid. We had managed to dodge this bullet for two years and now, a few days before our imminent departure for a three week sail across the Atlantic, it had finally caught up with us! We both isolated on the boat, letting those people we had been in close contact with, know about our situation. At least we had food on the boat and lots of work to keep us occupied! On arrival in the Caribbean we have to show we had a negative covid test prior to leaving our last port, so now, to avoid extra costs, we had to wait until we felt confident we were well enough to deliver negative results at the official testing station in Mindelo. Over the next few days I started developing symptoms too so we stayed on board and continued working on the boat, getting through the long list of jobs we had identified and then adding more once these jobs were complete. We even managed to wash the boat to get rid of some of the Senegal dust which still coated everything.
Still feeling under the weather (no pun intended!), we extended our stay in the marina for a few days eventually anchoring in the bay overlooking Mindelo on a sunny Friday afternoon. With no news of our parts arriving, we now had to wait for a number of stars to align: my health to improve, the parts to arrive and the wind to be right for departure. A large hole of no wind had settled over Cape Verde and we needed to practice patience before starting on our long passage. All this waiting was making me angry! I was angry at everyone and everything – the people on neighbouring boats who talked too loud, the men who didn’t deliver our promise parts, the company that stills owes us money from the UK, the local phone company for making it so complicated to buy extra data, the unknown person who gave us covid, the people who don’t respond immediately to any email I send and mostly with myself, for feeling the way I did! As my wise uncle said to me – “smoke some weed and chill the hell out…..!”
Saturday dawned and, with my health 100 times better, we set off early to start chasing down our missing parts. It took all day, but by 5pm we were back on the boat with the parts in hand and re-installing our mainsail and sprayhood. To be fair, the work and solutions were excellent, it was just the timeframe and service that was poor. At last we were making steps forward and the boat jobs were almost complete – although being a boat, the job list seldom gets shorter, just different! The weather window was still looking good for a Tuesday departure so we decided to spend Sunday off the boat and enjoy the environment we were lucky enough to be in.
We caught the first ferry to neighbouring island Santo Antao. The island is the second largest in the group and for us, the most stunning scenery we have ever experienced. We took a minivan to the north east of the island, driving up narrow cobbled roads into the lush centre with the landscape gradually changing from baron plateaus to lush dramatic valleys and mountainous scenery with terraced hillsides growing sugar cane, bananas, papaya and coconuts. The views quite literally took our breath away. Steep cliffs plummeting to the blue clear sea, patchwork fields and jiggered hilltops – it was a feast for the eyes and heart. Just when you think you’ve seen everything you can take in, you turn a corner and there’s another stunning vista to absorb and appreciate.
We stopped in Paul for lunch and noticed a group of people in an empty section across the road. I saw they were all busy picking up litter and filling a large wheelbarrow with discarded cups and bottles, so went over to talk to them and offered to help. They eagerly accepted my offer and explained the land was going to be used to grow produce for the community as the price of fresh vegetables and fruit was too high for many to afford. When there is an abundance of fruit, they will make juice for sale in the local shops. I loved the project and they were so appreciative and happy that we helped them – it felt good to be able to give back.
We had spent the last 18 months preparing the boat and ourselves for our next challenge and the time had now arrived for us to take the leap and cross the Atlantic – our biggest passage to date. We expect to spend 14 to 18 days at sea, arriving in Grenada at the start of February. We felt ready and excited to begin the journey and the weather was looking good for a Tuesday start. Next stop The Caribbean.