Nautical miles run zero, beers and cocktails consumed many.
Tomorrow we leave for the big push west, so time to reflect on our time spent in Mindelo and the Cape Verdes…
Falcon had an inauspicious start to our stay here, being reprimanded for flying the courtesy flag upside down! If we have any defence, it’s that we arrived at dark o’clock and the difference between correct and inverted is rather subtle to those not enrolled in the Guild of Flag Recognitioners! In any case, the situation was quickly rectified and we were not ordered to the ‘naughty pontoon’ to reflect on what we had done!
With a new set of boat neighbours, we have made new friends and strengthened existing relationships through our telling tales of ‘derring do’ south from Las Palmas, swapping hints on how to fix things that broke or didn’t work as expected, and generally making merry in no small part due to the liberal quantities of grog lacing the welcome drinks at the ARC welcome and prize-giving events here in Mindelo! Smoking whilst consuming this locally-produced rocket fuel is not recommended if wanting to retain a full compliment of eyebrows!
The tours around Säo Vicente and neighbouring Santo Antäo have been fascinating, surprising us of the beauty of these islands (especially the dramatic landscape of the Green Valley), and the warmth of reception from the locals. Even our skipper Ade, a self-confessed ‘curmudgeon of organised tours’ has been impressed (even if he did complain about the price)!
As we prepare to head back to sea, we have increased confidence in both boat and crew. We are pretty sure that skipper Ade will navigate us to, at the very least, one of the Americas if not the Caribbean aim point that lies between. We know that Admiral Bev will continue to feed us like kings and boost our morale when needed with rations from her secret treat stash that remains undiscovered, despite intensive searches, by the crew! Even Cabin Chimp James has been given a field promotion to Winch Monkey; I suspect this to be a fairly hollow endorsement as I still have to sleep in the bilge, but have been promised an upgrade to the lazarette if I continue to appease the Captain!
So, there we have it. Our end goal is one step closer; I won’t say that the large lady is yet singing, but she’s certainly whistling heartily through the rigging here on the pontoons… we expect a feisty start to this next passage across Neptune’s Atlantic realm. Bring it on!
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