Friday 15 November – Thursday 21 November 2019
Arrival in Mindelo and stop in Cape Verde
The evening of Thursday 15 November, the day of our arrival in Sao Vicente at 20.20 local time, seconds ahead of Caritas and behind Spindrift who had crossed the finish line at 18.00. The yellow Brick (satellite position detector) gave us always given by third parties because it depends on the interval chosen to send the position, and we had set 4 hours, therefore our arrival easily fell in a moment of darkness, therefore detected late, never mind.
The problem was not that, but the fact that for reasons still unknown, we found ourselves with the electronic cartography not updated, therefore unusable.
The same happened for the iPad.
Black night, passage between an islet and the black volcanic wall of the island, fortunately the flashing light on the rock worked.
For safety we removed the sails (with 25 knots at the stern to maneuver under sail without cartography is imprudent and risky) and with the motor as we sailed in the past, slowly recognizing the elements of the port that the map showed us.
We have a back-up system called Open CPN which helped us in the final stages of searching for floating docks where they were waiting for us for mooring, between buoys and a fishing boat that obstructed the entrance. A marina with claims of modernity, but in fact in the cul de sac of a large natural port, where the ocean does not enter with a wave, but with the residual energy of the waves, such as to cause an undertow of over a meter and certainly did not facilitate the daily maneuvers of life on board during the stay;sometimes they waited 2 or 3 minutes to find the ideal moment to take their foot off the gangway and place it on the pier. So we arrived well, fast and not particularly tried, despite the conditions that were not always easy.
Dinner on board with the last Peppino di Las Palmas ragù for a divine pasta, not lulled but pulled by the mooring lines that will harness Ariel until the new departure.
See you tomorrow for the rest
