Leg 2: From Las Palmas, Gran Canaria to Mindelo, Cabo Verde

During the last days in Las Palmas I developed a feeling for the more enjoyable part of a sailing trip. We had to go out of the Marina because the ARC (Atlantic Ralley for Cruisers, a organised crossing with about 250 boats) got into full swing. Just as well, so at least I knew for sure that my anchor winch is functional. Slowly, with no major repairs going on anymore, it started feeling like a holiday. I ended up having very enjoyable evenings with my pontoon neighbour, John, who was desperately waiting for his engine to return from repairs. We had something in common there.
At that point I have to mentione the best beer drinking buddy I have ever come across, Terry, with whome I spent some most enjoyable afternoons and evenings, our wits hovering over the big questions of life. Should you ever meet him, don´t miss out on a couple of beers! The routine always started with a trip to the gas station for cold beer. The biggest downside of anchoring is the leck of cooling possibilities. Thank god for dinghies with outboard engines.
However, after a while the urge to leave became really strong, and on November 20th it won over us. Just as well, we only left two days before the ARC, and I had no intention to be overtaken by 250 boats! The sad part was that by doing so we missed Terry´s birthday by a couple of days. I am not sure I will ever get over this!
Overall, however, this was a very wise thing to do since we caught great winds. We left in a force 1 calm, but after 4 hours we caught a north easterly which carried us straight to Cabo Verde. During the first night I could watch the lights of Gran Canary island gliding past us on our starboard side and it just felt so great to finally get going after all that time.
The wind was blowing a very steady force 5 and we had no problem making our minimum progress. In fact, without any effort on our behalf, the wind pilot took all the load happily, we put up our new record of 133nm in 24hrs and would stay above 120nm most days. So now we have the confidence that our boat is up to the trip we want to make and even a bit faster than absolutely necessary.
The journey was so pleasant that there even isn´t much to say about it! Night watch was a bliss with no boats around, sniffing the warm scented air the wind carried over from the African mainland, over 500 miles away.

To start with we were actually thinking of crossing over to Brazil directly. But then, after two or three days I decided that I am not in the mood for a trip that is longer than absolutely necessary. It is right what they say – a day at sea is a lost day in the Marina! So we changed course and headed fo Mindelo. And no regrets!
Cabo Verde is an African, independant group of islands wih a most curious mix of origins. Portuguese rulers, African slaves, Indians, Jews escaping from Europe, Chinese opening shops, you name it. The result is a very friendly and pleasant people and a degree of development you would not necessarily expect but will be very happy about.
The Marina itself was founded and is run by a German, with nothing left to be desired. The latest sailing guide is still talking about a lack of supplies here, at least in variety. However, it was last reworked in 2000 and I guess a lot happened since then. Last but not least because a lot of countries, most noteworthy Luxemburg, have developed a curious appetite for subsidies to Cabo Verde, so there is a lot of new schools, roads etc. Personally I am not sure about the need for speed bumps, apparently paid for by the Americans. Anyway, we certainly could get everything we wanted.
And, of course, there is always music. Mostly live and always good.
One day we spent on the island of Sao Antao, the most fertile of the group and almost 2000m high. A nice experiance to go from an arid hot coast up to a green mountain with the air verging on chilly. Definitely most scienic.
In summary, I can only warmly recommend Cabo Verde!
However, we are now preparing to leave for our big passage, so you will hear again from Brazil, Bahia. And hopefully it will not take us longer than around 25days.

So Long!
Andreas