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 …
Phew! We have arrived. Looking at the log, we covered 930 nautical miles in a passage lasting 6 days and 14 hours. Our arrival was in the dark – at about 10:30 at night, but was straightforward with the help and guidance of Marlino, a local working for the Vikings Rally. We tied up as …
Conditions are finally calming down a little. The swell is gentler but with enough wind to keep us going at a decent pace. By the rally standards, though, we are one of the slower boats. This morning we got the news that the first rally boat had just arrived in Mindelo marina and by this …
The sea state built overnight, just as predicted, and today we find ourselves rolling from side to side, and gripping onto every available handhold just to stay upright!, Cate spent much of the day repacking cupboards, the contents of which have been crashing around, and stuffing them with cushions. We’re gradually learning the tricks for …
Not wishing to alarm anyone, but Oliver (pictured) and Carlota from the Viking Explorers organised a liferaft practice on the beach next to the marina. Few of us were willing to get in the water, and Cate and I had the excuse that we have already completed a sea survival course (done in Falmouth in …
Final preparations! In the last couple of days we have been running around the boat and around the supermarkets. It is amazing how many things we are remembering and trying to sort out, when just a week or two ago we thought we had it all done. Even the passage plan to Cape Verde proved …
The rally begins! …or, any least we have started with the seminars and get-togethers with our fellow Vikings. The rally is co-organised by Carlota and Oliver, who have talked us through a series of subjects from boat safety, to provisioning, with plenty of tips on all aspects of the crossing. The seminars have been held …
We have made the start line! After only one more passage, from Pasito Blanco on the South of Gran Canaria to the capital at Las Palmas, we are now on a pontoon in the marina meeting our fellow Vikings Explorers sailors. The last couple of weeks have been more than a little frustrating. When we …
We have taken a little break from sailing… Merryn is safely tucked away on the hard in Pasito Blanco, on the south coast of Gran Canaria. She is having some minor repair work done so we have taken a few weeks off. Our first stop was back in the UK, where we packed a lot …
https://youtu.be/zOlJHioK1DI Apologies for the tardy posting of this video. I filmed it during our passage from Spain to Madeira, but have only just got round to editing the footage and posting it to YouTube. Funny how the “3 m high waves” don’t look so high in the film!