Las Palmas - Mindelo, Cape Verde

Contrary to what we said in earlier posts, we can’t stay on the hard at the yard over Saturday after all; a few more boats are coming in for repairs. The guys there had always been very friendly, but the boss completely lost it when we came to ask about alternatives. The marina was full, you see, and we didn’t really want to leave until we were a bit more confident that the bow thruster had stopped leaking. Not his problem, he wasn’t a marina. Get lost. We weren’t his customers and he couldn’t care less.

We decide to anchor out. Having had more than enough of the hustle and bustle of Las Palmas, we headed south and dropped the hook in a bay. It was rolly as anything there, so at least the first day of getting our sea legs was already behind us.

Because of the sudden departure we still had a few last jobs to do, and on Sunday at half past nine in the morning we were ready to go, with 840 miles as the crow flies ahead of us.

The watch schedule is drawn up, two hours each in turn:

André at 6 and 12

Marion at 8 and 2

Kees at 10 and 4

After a few days we’ve completely settled into the routine. Even Marion started managing more: reading, playing games, watching Netflix and cooking. We’d prepared meals for the first few days, but moving around the boat got easier and easier. The downwind course helped a lot too. We’re even allowed a beer at happy hour, something I never would have thought possible.

The weather keeps getting better, but we’re not making the daily average we’d planned, so it’ll be a Saturday arrival instead of Friday.

André the fisherman is doing his very best with two lines trailing behind the boat, but hasn’t caught anything yet.

On Wednesday we get our first visit from a huge pod of dolphins, who swim around and ahead of the boat for at least half an hour. Fantastic, that never gets old.

A little later: FISH ON! Something enormous is hanging on the rod on the port side. Sadly the line snaps before we can see what it was, but it was a whopper. Somewhere out there a fish is now swimming around with a pink plastic squid in its lip. Oh well.

Kees then checks the line on the starboard side: FISH ON THERE TOO!! This line is on a handline reel, and Kees starts hauling it in. That’s no easy job; every time the fish goes under it’s heavy going. But in the end he manages, and the fish is hoisted on board. To our great surprise it’s a tuna!! What a beautiful catch, we’re so proud. Lots of people never manage that, and for us it’s the very first one! 3.5 kilos on the hook!

Once the fish has stopped moving (that took some doing, which I’d rather not go into), Kees gets straight on with filleting. Sashimi doesn’t get any fresher than this. We decide to freeze it first, but the next day it tastes wonderful at happy hour.

The following day we’re visited again for almost an hour by a huge pod of dolphins, and we’re standing by with our cameras at the ready. Kees’s 360-degree camera goes in its waterproof housing, on the pole, into the water. That’s going to make for some great footage. Unfortunately we’ll have to be a bit patient for that: the pole snaps off and the camera is now drifting around somewhere. Maybe someone will find it?

By now we’re also seeing shoals of flying fish go by, and one morning we find two of them on deck. Plus a tiny little squid.

Kees discovers that if you shine a torch over the water at night, lots of little eyes go by. What they belong to, we’ve yet to find out.

On the last day before arriving in Mindelo we come across the first boat we’ve seen in days. Pata Negro sails past us beautifully under gennaker and we take some lovely photos. André has a nice chat with the English skipper over the VHF. They’re taking part in the RORC, a race across the Atlantic. We swap e-mail addresses for the photos; they shot footage with their drone.

At eight o’clock local time on Saturday morning we arrive in a busy Mindelo. Lots of boats are getting ready for a crossing here. Plenty of people drop by for a chat or to ask for a berth on board.

Wifi is only available in the floating bar, so that’s where we have lunch with a big glass of beer, and a nice meal in the evening.

Now sitting at the local bakery with a coffee and something sweet, uploading and downloading as much as we can so we’ve got books and films/series to fill the upcoming crossing.