can we help
+44(0)1983 296060
+1 757-788-8872
tell me moreJoin a rally

Menu

Arkouda - Day 10 Still Looking for the Trade Winds



We departed Sao Vincente at 11:20 this morning. I thought that I would have butterflies in stomach as the Verdes are truly like being on the edge of the abyss--no land west for 2100 miles! I guess I am really ready to just get on with it. The boat is ready, we are ready...time to go!

The grib files (a weather map showing wind predicted wind direction and speeds) had been predicting the winds to pick up heading west, southwest, at about 15 degrees N. The latest grib shows it best at 14 degrees, so we will be searching a little longer. It also looks like yet another low north of us will disturb the normal speed of the trades--usually a steady 20-25 kts blowing east to west--so winds will not truly start for another 5 days. Ugh!

The non-existent wind as we left this morning had Sean carefully checking our charts. "Fuel stop in 114 miles" he announced. I convinced him that since we carry quite a bit of fuel, and we had just filled up (and had used a lot less than we thought) that the detour would not be worthwhile. Around 2:00 we put out the Parasailor and spent the next 6 hours trying to trim it to catch every puff of breeze. The windspeed was at 5-6 knots, we sailed at 3-4 knots--I could walk faster if I could just learn to walk on water. I am sure glad we weren't trying to win any races. We had planned on a 14 day passage from the Verdes--but unless we pick up some wind it will be considerably longer. The sad thing is that we will miss a lot of the fantastic activities and parties the ARC has organized for us. Oh well, we have plenty of food, an amazing ever changing sea and sky, and I am sailing with someone I love. Life really doesn't get better than this! I would like to see some whales, though!

Our four days in Sao Vicente was fantastic, and a very worthwhile stop. The Canaries market themselves as being the Islands of Eternal Spring. I thought it pretty much true in Lanzarote. Warm days and cool nights. New Mexico springs are always characterized by its terrible spring winds, which we did not have in Lanzarote. The Island of Gran Canaria has a much taller volcano, so it gathers clouds during the day. We experienced a lot of cool weather with many rain showers, which I believe is more common in Las Palmas than in the rest of the island. It felt like how I would imagine spring in North Dakota, minus the snow showers of course. If the Canaries are eternal spring, than the Verdes are eternal summer. It was much drier and much warmer. A lot like the Caribbean, but without the infestation of no-see-ems.

Cape Verde felt more like Africa to me than Morocco did, which surprised me because of it Portuguse status. We had a lot of fun exploring and looking at the local handicrafts.

On our last night at the anchorage we had guests on board celebrating our impending departure (Milliport II, also and ARC boat, Irish flagged) when we heard shouting in the night. On of the mini transat boats ( a class of boat that races across the ocean single handed!) had made it into the anchorage, We were all excited--these guys are like rock stars--he just wanted directions into the marina. This guy had steering or rudder issues, and had left 2 weeks prior to our departure. Some of the ARC boats had offered assistance but he had declined and wanted to wait for fairer weather and try to make repairs. I guess that he had had enough! He gratefully excepted a tow (from our dingy) through the anchorage to the fuel dock. His boat was so small he could raise his jib with one hand and create forward motion by moving his tiller back and forth. He didn't carry an engine or an anchor (too heavy) and is totally reliant on his skills and abilities. Amazing! It is tough on long passages with just two, I can't imagine how it would be one.

We heard it was snowing again in Albuquerque--it seems earlier than usual this year. Strange weather. Someone please do a wind dance for us so we can continue on.

Cynthia

Previous | Next