Cape Verdes (the Island of Sal)

As usual, dolphins keep us company on the way from Gran Canaria to the Cape Verdes, 800 miles with Matt and Alan. Alan was asleep for the 45 minutes the Dolphins played with us - there were 20+ of them.

 We leave Las Palmas marina in Gran Canaria around noon after fuelling and getting refunds on our gate access cards. The next 800 miles involve trying running with twin headsails and also bearing off for broad reaching. There is an unpleasant sea - two cross seas a 2m sea from the NE and a 4m sea from the NW - a weather bomb off America I think. The rolling made sleep difficult but we used 3 hour watches and 6 hours rest through the night - an evening meal at dusk and the rotated the watches so the cook had the first 6 hour sleep. Winds were more than forecast - generally force 5,6 or 7 with gusts goinf much higher - not too difficult with one foresail and the mizzen mainsail out.
 4 days out and we slow down to ensure a daytime entry - we had done 7.5 knots or 6 to 6.5 generally but we slowed to 5 to 5.5 and arrive at 10am. Landfall was unremarkable - a faint imagining of the coastline when it was 2 miles away, we had been bombarded with Saharian dust that left a dull haze on the horizon. The chart plotter is accurate - there were various warnings about WGS84 datums being wrong by 0.1 and 0.4 of a mile but imray paper and Garmin (2011) cartridges are both ok. There are also uncharted reefs but the sea swell would reveal them - we saw none.
 We had seen a strange phenomenon in the middle of the night - as well as beautiful phosphoresence we saw small flashes of light ahead, then off the the side, then behind us. Turns out that these were flying fish getting away - we find a couple on the decks in the full light of day. Poor things, not much eating on them though (we refrained...)
 Somebody thought they could shower and waste water at night and we wouldn't notice!
Ashore we chill in a local cafe. The "hut" in the background becomes our favourite place. The harbour is in the town/village of Palmeria, about 2 miles from the main town of Espargos and the only other places of note on the island is the far south  - Santa Marie which is were the tourists go. Palmeria has no tourists - the harbour has small boats although the breakwater/jetty has the odd big ship bringing in LPG I think. We get adopted by Jay - a local boatman who offers water taxi services (5 Euro a trip which is ok when there are 5 of us) as well as rubbish disposal (2 Euro), water and diesel in jerrycans and laundry. He hussles me into buying a Cape Verde flag for 8 Euro - when it comes it resembles the 50p wonders from home that go on sticks and kids wave about the place. It will serve. We go to the combined police and port offices and get our passports stamped and the boat checked in (7 Euro), we also get Matt a visa for 25 Euro. We need to check out and reclaim the ships papers and get our passports stamped again. And get a receipt which we need for the next check in (Mindelo)

 Church in the wee town of Palmeria - no tourists and full of happy, laid back locals

 We go to the airport to pick up Peter and Doros - bit weird to have Christmas stuff when the temperature is in the high twenties (22-28)
In the town of Espargos we see a snowman - surely a bit bizzarre in a country where snow has never fallen.

The main town Espargos - feels African, I have good vibes here  - there are street cleaners, people laying fresh cobblestones and the place is not poor, quite a lot of unfinished developments but people are cheerful enough. Beer is one euro a bottle, meals out 4 -6 euro for fish with rice, chips and a bit of salad, what's not to like!

We take a couple of days down the coast from Palmeria harbour - to a bay called Mordeira, Matt has two dives in search of turtles - not found but dives reveal lots of fish. Shallow so good experience with handling wave surge. I take Matt in first and the next day we move across the bay and Alan goes in with Matt - below.

 We also take a one euro bus to the south of the Island and suss out Sana Marie - the tourist place. Many kite surfers, wind surfers and dive schools, we check out Ecodiveschool.com and book two dives for the following day - we have to be at the dive school for 8:30 and will dive a 20m reef and then move onto an 11m wreck dive - youtube videos may go up eventually but the Wifi is not up to it here (Sal Airport)


 View from the dive school - the restaurant is owned by Angulo - a world windsurfing champion. We develop a taste for beer and pizza - I can recommend this after diving (or at any time!)


 Pete and I at the dive centre, great staff, best dive school here I am sure. (see videos later)
Keen Matt filling in his logbook, dives number 7 and 8.

 We also push this truck back onto firm sand - not easy.
Now I see why it is called wind - surfing. Doros caught this photo at the point of wipeout.
After our morning diving and our afternoon with beer and pizza (and snooze and coffee) we return home where Matt thrashes us at gin rummy again. Next day is a rest day! and we arrange check out and go to the airport to wifi whatsapp home. Alan is still updating movement of the boat using his satellite tracker at https://eur-share.inreach.garmin.com/AlanDoyle

Our plans are to rise at 5am, row Matt ashore for his flight and for the four of us to head for the next Island - 60 miles of open sea with a NW swell (2-3m) and NE wind (20 knots plus). This gets us to an anchorage on the South side of San Nicola. After sleep we may dive and then head to one of two small islands about 40 mile away - nature reserves and good diving. A further 30-40 miles will have us in Mindelo where we will stay a day or two to fill tanks and provision for the "crossing over"

More later

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