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Windleblo - Day Seven



We had just finished a scrumptuous Shepherd's Pie prepared by Coach when it happened.

Sounding a bit like the raw whir of a dentist's drill, all of a sudden the drag on the fishing reel sounded off. In a flash, John jumped from his cockpit seat and grabbed the rod. A strong force bent the rod and fought with him as he worked the reel. Less than ten minutes later, the winner of the wrestling match between man and fish had been decided. John and Coach held big grins for the cameras as they hoisted their trophy, a ten kilo tuna. We hastily filleted the fish and stuck him in the fridge, wrapped carefully in plastic, wishing we had caught him just a few hours earlier. Tomorrow's menu was clear. Tuna for breakfast, tuna for lunch, tuna for dinner.

The lumpy seas gradually diminished as we approached the "canal" between the Cape Verde Islands of Sao Vicente and Santo Antao, actually a five mile wide channel. We turned into a broad bay and found Marina Mindelo, with the kind help of two fellow ARC boats who guided over VHF radio as they had better pilot information than we did. Fortunately, the route was devoid of hazards and we soon found ourselves at the fuel dock for the planned "touch and go" refueling. Afterward, we took the opportunity to anchor in the calm bay for a short while for a lunch of, you guessed it, tuna.

Just before departing, we conducted another routine rig check and found a small tear in the foot of the mainsail. The repair slowed our departure just a little bit, but we were soon on our way, guiding Windleblo across a flat sea into the setting sun, two headsails leading us and Force 3 winds at our back.

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