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Webster - Log 11- Touch and Go



Monday 2nd: Mindelo is a bit of a weird place, Albert describes it somewhat more strongly. Woke to sunshine and heat, much warmer than on passage and the boat was a bit humid. We set about cleaning the fridge, making provision lists and assembling the information for registration so the boat looked like a bomb had hit it. Jeremy was up top doing the washing using up the remnants of the water in the tanks ready to refill.

I took off for the immigration office which was some hike away and I'm glad I did so when I did because a number of skippers came into the office after me and it took forever. They were in for a long wait and a 7 Euro bill. Then it was around the corner to the Police office to check documents again - yet another crew list to write out on the prescribed form and a few other formalities, only 5 Euros this time, but not one actually looked at my docs other than passports. The Police office was within the port guarded by a locked gate with armed guard; outside were possibly thirty locals all looking at you suspiciously and whilst I don't normally mind that sort of thing it was a little uncomfortable. The whole place was crowded with armed officers so they may have known something we did not!

Carl did a bit of stitching on the jib, Albert was boat cleaning while Ken and Jerry meanwhile headed to the supermarket. Well that in loose terms is what it was apparently - a big shop with nothing much in it we wished to buy and certainly nothing much to cover off the provision list. We will have to go with what we already have that's for sure, but at least we managed to find some eggs and water plus a few manky veggies. It does remind you that this is a very poor part of the World and we should not have expected to find a Waitrose around the corner.

An American guy in the immigration office queue mentioned that there was a rumour that all the big boats in the marina had been warned that a number of ARC fleet boats were descending on Mindelo and to fill up beforehand with the result that they were likely to run short if not run out of fuel completely! Needless to say he had already filled up himself. As we had been planning to fill up with fuel and water and head off straight away this would be most inconvenient but the marina office assured this was not the case thankfully.

Water here is scarce to and you have to pay for the usage by prepaid cards from reception as we will have to in the Caribbean.

So mid afternoon we were ready to go to get fuel on the way out. Said a quick Hi to Aditi who was staying until Thursday with engine and furler problems. They also mentioned that most of the professional crews around were planning to leave Thursday as there was little wind forecast til then. We on the other hand had decided we did not particularly want to stay here for any longer than we needed to, and would rather be going slowly in the right direction than be sat here doing nothing.


So dropped our lines to go to refuel and take our departure mid afternoon. We got precisely three feet when it all came to a halt - Dip Stick here thought it a good idea to use a little bow thruster to move the bow off our neighbour and succeeded only in sucking the sinker line from the bow into the thruster prop!! Carl looked to the Heavens but bit his lip - patience of a Saint! Ended up with him going for a swim to free the thing which we eventually did and went off to sit in the queue for fuel.

1730 UTC we were eventually off. No wind but pleased to be away. Ken made a beef casserole for dinner which was great plus a fresh fruit salad - high living indeed. We motored for 4 hours or so and then the wind kicked in of about 10-12 knts so we were doing 5- 6 knts over the ground on a course of 277 straight at our destination. Lovely starlit night and we are sailing. Happy days again.

Charlie - Webster



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