Neverland - Neverland leg 2 - Mindelo & Days 1-2

Captain’s Log: We arrived at Mindelo in the misty early hours of the morning, still pitch black and trying cross the line with an awkward angle for our goosewinged sail setup and navigating via ipad. We just squeaked past without having to change the sails. 05:33 - Leg 1 complete and time for some well deserved rest… after we scrubbed the boat inside and out, took out the rubbish, incinerated the pants I’ve been wearing for the past week and showered. After all that I followed our neighbour’s lead and cracked open a beer then passed out for the next 5 hours – cheap date.

Walking out of the gated marina, past the huge security guards and out into Mindelo we are flanked by two young boys who are desperate to get hold of our rubbish sacks, we politely decline as we think we can manage carrying them ourselves. As we chuck them in the dumpster it dawns on us that they weren’t offering us help, they were after the contents, which they proceed to rummage through for any scraps to feed themselves. It’s a stark reminder of how far we have sailed, no longer are we in the relative luxury of Europe, this is Africa.

Venture a little deeper into the town and you will find a treasure trove of vibrancy, garish colours adorn the facades of buildings, women carry baskets of herbs and spices atop of their heads, the smell of mint and coriander wafts through the air from the bustling fruit and veg market, the beep beep of scooters whizzing past you laden with produce and locals going about their busy daily lives, its a cauldron of activity. As we meander through the streets past hawkers cooking up the national dish capuche, we find ourselves stepping into a local fish market, filled to the “bream” with endless stocks of fish; red mullet, grouper, swordfish, yellowfin tuna – one about two metres long. Out through the back on the jetty you see the fisherman arriving with yet more fish – heaving these monsters off their small yellow, green and red skiffs, having probably caught them with just a handline. The cost, a fraction of the price in the UK – a kilo of tuna for 400 Escudos – that’s about £3.50! The fruit and veg is amazing too – 5p for a bag of mint, avocados that are so big they look like dinosaur eggs and whole branches of green bananas.

That evening at Casa Mindelo Milly & I dined on locally caught lobster and as if he hadn’t had enough already Matthew had Tuna steak, the food was excellent and the atmosphere buzzing to the sound of live music. Cape Verdes is definitely worth a stop off, not just to refuel and resupply, but to explore and experience a new culture, its just a shame we didn’t have longer here, but the ocean was calling.

Leg 2 - Day 1 & 2

After a busy morning of last minute To Do’s, panic buying extra diesel cans and a few phone calls home, we slipped our lines at 12:00 – retrospectively, way too early for the 13:00 start, we spent the next 45 mins playing dodgems with 70 other boats in a small harbour waiting for the gun. ANNND they’re off, Neverland surging to the.....back of the pack. We had played it safe again and let all the big boys battle it out up front, but at least we were in front of Le Soleil… until we saw his spinnaker burst into life off the bow of his boat and him flying past us. Damn it. Next 30 mins digging out our spinnaker and re-running lines only for us to finally get it up and the wind to die off. That’s the definition of sailing, waisting your time setting sails for the exact opposite conditions you end up getting. On the plus side, sailing so slowly meant that a Tuna paid attention to a new lure made for us by Dino from yacht Amethyst – dinner was caught! Milly certainly made the most of what was left after Matthew “filleted” the small tuna. Soy, ginger and garlic, best meal so far.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, wind dying off – which looks like its going to be a persistent problem until we are at least half way across – engine on. Day 2 saw the landing of another tuna and our first dorado, only to be told by the Admiral that they were both too small for her and that they were to be returned from where they came. We really, really want a decent sized dorado. Watch this space.