We thought we would get some rest here – we were wrong! The past few days have been a whirlwind of partying, sightseeing, preparations and building nerves as the next passage looms closer. What little of the Cape Verdes we have seen has been fantastic. Mindelo is a lovely laid-back town with nice restaurants and a lively live music scene in the streets and alleys near the marina. We have been out pretty much every night, and this evening a group of us will again head out into the town for a final meal before tomorrow’s departure.
Quite a bit of our time has been spent in preparation. We have been able to do a bit of re-stocking in the nearby market, and have also spent time sorting out a few teething issues – re-doing the spinnaker pole attachments (which broke on our last passage), checking the autopilot, cleaning the boat, topping up with fuel, passage planning, wading through the immigration and exit paperwork for the island police, and so on. That said, we have fared better than some of our fellow explorers – at least four boats lost or damaged their downwind sails, a couple had failures of the autopilot requiring the crew to hand steer, and there have been engine problems, chafed ropes, leaks and other issues. Almost all of us have managed to get ready, though two or three boats will have to delay their onward passage whilst repairs are done.
We have found time to visit the neighbouring island of Santo Antao. Pam and Theo on SV Palomo organised a day tour with a guide, and we joined them and another couple (Jan and Miguel) on the trip. We had a fantastic day out – the scenery was spectacular, and the company great. Our pictures failed to do justice to the day.
One of the last remaining – and never-ending – jobs is to check the forecast. This has made us, and many in the fleet, nervous! The trade winds right now are pretty strong – we are anticipating 20-25 knot winds, gusting to 30 knots for most of the passage, and waves that will reach heights of 4 metres at times. Fortunately, we have the reassurance of the more experienced sailors in the fleet, all of who say that this should pose no problem (!), as both wind and waves will be from behind us, helping propel us forward and feeling much more manageable than facing either. We can only hope they are right. So we are preparing carefully, with everything safely stowed, a cautious sail plan, and we are now planning a route that will see us detour South of the rhumb line to get gentler conditions, albeit at the cost of a longer passage. We anticipate an 18 day passage (although we are told that with a favourable current it is likely to be quicker), and will try to keep a daily record on this blog. Keep following us!
