It took nearly an hour of motoring to clear the land shadow of Sao Nicolau, so effective is the shelter there. The sea was oily calm as we departed as both the swell and wind is blocked by the island. As we moved further into the channel between Sao Nicolau and the uninhabited Ilheu Raso, we started to see small schools of tiny flying fish leaving the water. These were shortly followed by tuna following them clearing the surface of the water as they pursued their prey. We’d never seen tuna jumping before and over the next few hours we were surrounded by them as the water literally boiled with fish around us. Artic skewers circling would be the first signs of fish in the area, drawn in by the tuna forcing their prey to the surface. It really was amazing to see so much signs of life, the water was so clear we could actually see the fish swimming along beside the boat just beneath the surface. The most dramatic of all was a tuna which Kevin spotted which surfed up on the crest of a wave and leap out of the water just astern of the boat, forming an arc of about 8 feet before he dived back in, almost as if he were curious about this big white fish and had come to have a look.
It was a pleasant sail toward the island of Sao Vicente, Mindelo the main harbour of which lying on the north west coast in a bay providing natural shelter from all directions except westerly, but even this is reduced by the presence of the island of Santo Antao lying 8 miles to the west. We passed the three uninhabited northern islands of Raso, Branco and Ilha de Santa Lucia on route with their dramatic steep coastlines and volcanic appearance creating their own acceleration zones and land shadows. Finally we left Santa Lucia to starboard and proceeded along the south coast of Sao Vicente, the wind was gusty all along the coast although it was from the North-Easterly trade as it seemed to track along the steep coast line veering behind the boat to push us along the route with gusts coming through the valleys. Sao Vicente like Sao Nicolau looks uninhabited as you approach from the south east, with the first signs of habitation not visible until Sao Pedro in the South West where the airport is located. Rounding the lighthouse at Punta Machado, the wind veered round still further as it funnelled down the channel between Sao Vicente and Santo Antao creating a 20-25 knot headwind and a wet beat into Mindelo. The first signs of the harbour as we tacked up the channel is the small islet (Ilheu dos Passaros) opposite the bay which is painted white on top to distinguish it by day and a lighthouse by night. The town of Mindelo gradually came into focus as we slowly made our way northwards and eventually turned east into the harbour. Marina Mindelo is not immediately obvious as you approach being sheltered behind the breakwater and ferry berths. We called on the VHF Ch09 as instructed as we approached but no response was found despite someone else trying to relay the message for us in Portuguese. However, we were waved in to the east side of the pontoons by one of the attendants as we approached the marina, eventually being shown to the north side of the first finger for a stern-to berth alongside the main walkway. The depth sounder was reading 1.9m as we approached, this being the shallow side of the marina and from the photos we have seen recently used mainly for catamarans.
We got the mooring lines ashore to the two attendants who came to assist and were soundly secured however, it soon became clear that the pontoons themselves were moving considerably, there being no piles in the whole structure of 150 berths. We secured the lines as tightly as we could but there was still a lot of movement and snatching caused by the 20 knot gusts coming in from the shore and the northerly swell which though unusual for the time of year had worked it’s way along the channel. We went along to the reception to pay for the week, which is on a concrete pier leading ashore. This area is very new (the marina only opened in June) and is nice with a shaded seating area and glass fronted offices. We checked in with the helpful receptionist who spoke good English, paying 196 Euro for the week, this being the most expensive marina we have yet visited but being the only one so far in the Cape Verdes has a captive audience. We had decided in order to get a good rest before our Atlantic crossing that we would treat ourselves so we could sleep well, have hot showers etc. However it soon became clear after checking in that some of the facilities listed on their website are not yet available, or infact built, namely the restaurant, showers and toilets. Additionally the independent water supply is not available, though local water and power is on the pontoons and Wifi is available at additional cost. Finally security is good with a 24 hour guard and swipe card access to the pontoons.
We were directed to the Club Nautico opposite for showers, so we decided to go and have a look. We were immediately accosted by a boat boy who wanted to help us with customs clearance and laundry, it seems that those not employed by the marina are now forced to tout for trade outside, however he was easily placated by the fact we’d cleared in already in Palmeira and we continued on to Club Nautico. Club Nautico is apparently French owned and being opposite the entrance to the marina, which is also used to as a dingy park for those at anchor (300 Escudos a day), is the yachtie hangout. It is scruffy but full of character in an old stone building with an open roof strung with a sail and walls adorned with flags and murals. The showers are just another cubicle in the public toilets and did not look very clean or inviting, so we decided to shower on the boat and just have a beer. After a couple of beers followed by some food and shower on board we turned in for an early night.
Sunset over Mindelo
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