Boating & Biking Adventures

Author: Bernd Page 78 of 130

Arriving was yesterday…

We have been back in the marina for the last two nights  to do some scheduled maintenance on rigg, fridge/freezer and generator. In other words, the lady got an all inclusive package for some beauty treatment. It turned out to become time very well invested.

The operation at the open heart of the generator – capacitor replacement – worked out well and ended with a full load test yesterday at 6.5kw while water maker, aircon, kettle, microwave, vacuum cleaner, etc. all switched on subsequently to push power requirements to its peak.

Finally it looks like, we also got a competent person to fix our fridge/freezer issue, which already started in Puerto Calero at the time leaving Lanzarote. It is between mystic and science – seawater temperature and condensation, but I was 100% convinced: the system is drawing too many Ah.

The two units were running by far too often, draining our battery bank. Energy, we were hardly able to compensate for through our solar panels and  the SailingGen, which has been my concept from the beginning. Initial measurements are promising.

As a routine work we also got a rigg inspection performed after 30oonm sailed from Lanzarote to Martinique. It is a good feeling when a professional third party confirms no issues, all in mint conditions. 

One of the last items on the list was grocery shopping. We found out that Leader Price – one of the local supermarkets – has a good selection of products for our needs. The beauty is, that they have their own “dinghy dock”, which makes food stocking convenient in terms of logistics. Lovely!

Tomorrow morning we will be leaving our anchorage here at Saint-Anne heading south, bound for Grenada. Arriving in the Caribbean was yesterday. Another chapter to follow.

Fair winds…

☝️…days flying by…⚓️

We are hanging out at anchor and besides some minor boat work are further trying to get our foot into the Caribbean Lifestyle.

Recently we also got two new helpers joining the pantry and now find the time to experiment with making our own yoghurt, buttermilk, creme cheese on one hand and bread and cake on the other. It is a promising start and a lot more to explore.

I will go for another swim now.

Fair winds…

Light bread served warm for breakfast. 😋

Morning 🚴‍♂️ – Anse aux bois

Today’s morning ride took me to some other parts of the island. From best tarmac to roughest gravel, I got it all covered. Latter one came as a Komoot surprise!

Some boat work is waiting now…

Fair winds…

🙋‍♀️…Bonne année 2023…🙋‍♂️

We wish you all a Happy New Year !

We had a quiet transition over a nice dinner. Overall the marina was calm, some live music here and there but nothing crazy.

Instead, I decided to hit the road in the early morning hours for the first ride to start the year. It took me to the southern tip of Martinique to see some salt lake reservoir and the associated beach, one of the longer sandy beaches on this island. It was a nice ride after some heavy personal push to overcome the physical and mental resistance build up over the last two weeks without being in the saddle.

Some good tarmac and scenery are inviting for further rides to come.

Fair winds…

⚓️…Sainte-Anne…⚓️

The anchorage at Sainte-Anne is huge and easily approachable at night - 4-6m depth on sand.

Our sleep at sea was partly better than this night at anchorage. Obviously we had to celebrate the arrival but after a short toast over a glas of red wine we both fell asleep within seconds. Waking up in the morning we felt even more scattered than before…
After lunch we lifted the anchor and motored the 4nm into the Marina Du Marin. Very picturesque miles with hundreds more boats at anchorage looking left or right.
Fair winds…

The sheer number of boats at anchorage along the Cul-de-sac Du Marin is somehow mindblowing.

…see you again Mindelo…

⛵️…ready to move on…🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️

We are ready to move on. After last bits and pieces from the ship chandlery, the lady prepared as good as possible and a nice dinner at our favourite restaurant, we will throw the lines tomorrow, 14th December 2022 @ 9am local time.

We had magnificent two weeks here in Cabo Verde, a colourful country with hard working people in good climate.

I am now looking forward to cross the Atlantic together with Susan.

Fair winds…

Preparation & Party

After we completed some more tasks on the To-Do-List during the day while exploring the town we also had a very nice farewell dinner together with some fellow sailors from SY Sutje and SY Zuri. We had given up the luggage for the day but spotted it finally at the security guard. Fair winds…

👍…Susan’s arrival…😘

Checking in 40kg of luggage Susan made it to São Vicente’s Cesária Évora Airport in time but tired and without the luggage, which still sits in Lisbon. I believe, it is more a physical arrival and the mental will take a bit more time. For the luggage, we need a speedy delivery now to stick to our plans. Cross fingers!

We have a few more items on the To-Do-List before heading off. The trade winds are back in time and further stabilising over the last few days after a period of disturbances through some strong low pressure systems in the northern Atlantic moving to lower latitudes than ususal.

My final 🚴‍♂️ ride for the year 2022 was to welcome Susan at the airport and make sure the arrangements for the taxi back to the marina are in place. 2023 will be interesting in terms of biking!

I look forward to some quality time together and a pleasant unforgettable passage towards the Caribbean Sea. 

Fair winds…

Cabo Verde – No Stress

Our days in Cabo Verde are slowly coming to an end. With the arrival of Susan the focus will go even more towards throwing the lines and moving on – crossing the Atlantic.

Although I only got a very limited impression on these Atlantic Islands, it has become very clear, that they are not only different again but also inviting to stay longer.

Well, we intend to maximise the time spend in the Caribbean and perhaps get another chance to return back here one day.

While working on the boat over the last couple of days, I have to admit, that the Cape Verdeans’ slogan “No Stress” has become part of my routine in no time. Luckily I had only small jobs on the To-Do-List and this left time for siesta and hanging around absorbing the spirit and culture of this nation.

There was time to hang out in some of the local bars with live music together with fellow sailors. Live music is very popular here. Eight out of ten bars have live music every night and the locals seem to enjoy this scene even more than the tourists.

SY Sutje & SY Zuri

Fishing and tourism are the main contributors to the GDP across the archipelago and it becomes visible next to the fish market. The market hall itself seems to be too small so that the fish is cut anywhere near to it.

Overall, Mindelo is a buzzing town with good infrastructure, reasonable supplies and services, honest and hardworking people with their heart closer to Europe (mainly Portugal)  than to Africa, and last but not least, respectful, reserved and friendly. My very subjective view and please be aware that this is for Mindelo and not Cabo Verde in general.

Fair winds…

Page 78 of 130

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