Monte Verde

Day 11, 17.10.2018, Mindelo, Cape Verde,

Arrived in Mindelo but expect to be staying here longer than anticipated while some ship repairs are worked on.

I took my bike around the streets of Mindelo until it got dark. The island of Sao Vincente looks a bit like one of the drier Canary islands but with more African-ish faces. I read somewhere that most Cape-Verdians are descended from the indigenous people and Portuguese convicts. It’s obviously not a rich nation but from the limited interactions I have had, the natives seem friendly enough.

 

Day 12, 18.10.2018, Mindelo, Cape Verde,

Still in Mindelo. My English classes continue in our cabin and it’s putting a dent in my coffee and biscuit supplies.

 

Day 13, 19.10.2018, Mindelo, Cape Verde,

Still in Mindelo.

 

Day 14, 20.10.2018, Mindelo, Cape Verde,

Still in Mindelo. Another bike ride seemed appropriate. With no real destination in mind, I went first to the local fish market. There were the usual stalls of brightly coloured little fishes and chopping slabs for big grey swordfish. Later, I bought some water and sunblock which I had forgotten to take with me and also got some whisky for the shop-free Atlantic crossing. Then it was the road out of town towards the sunny uplands of the Monte Verde mountain.

Being a fattish middle-aged guy, I thought I would only get to the lower slopes before calling for an ambulance with honour satisfied. Out of the town centre the roads are all cobbled and very hard work on a bike. The road also relentlessly goes uphill. Plodding away at my own pace with water and whisky breaks I surprised myself by getting quite close to the actual mountain. Distracted by the scenery, I was even more surprised  to then find myself close to the summit. By then the grassy vegetation had given way to yucca forest, clumps of orange and yellow flowers and big colourful butterflies. With about 100 metres to go to the top I was out of steam and anyway it was clear I had had the best of the spectacular views so I turned downhill and rattled back down the trail to the port. It turned out to be a ride of over 22 km and a climb of almost 700m. According to a GPS tracker I had running.

Swordfish steak for dinner.

 

Day 15, 21.10.2018, Atlantic 100NM SSW of Cape Verde,

The ship was fixed and at 07:00 this morning we finally set off into the Atlantic heading towards Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. A revised timetable has been issued that will get us caught up before leaving mainland Chile. It is a pleasant morning with flocks of flying fish escaping our bow.

 

Day 16, 22.10.2018, Atlantic 550NM SSW of Cape Verde,

Sea day. Steamy. Squally.

 

Day 17, 23.10.2018, Atlantic, Crossing The Line,

This morning we crossed the Equator. It turns out that many of the crew have not had the pleasure of this rite of passage as a lot of them are barely out of their teens and are a bit wet behind the ears. Skipper Mister Martyn donned the awesome persona of Mighty King Neptune to set this straight. It’s amazing what you can do with a theatrical wardrobe department and the Bosuns stores for costumes and props. Together with Queen Amphitrite, who looked strangely a bit like Heike and a bit like the Little Mermaid, we managed to baptise a good number of crew, maybe a hundred or so, with the crew-deck pool and a toilet brush. Old Neptune had a thunderous speech ready to go, of course, but it was so windy that any talking would have had the sea god’s beard overboard and there was no chance to lecture a bunch of Filipinos and Filipinas about the Mysteries of the Deep. They will be OK.

Neptune was later invited to partake of a fine six-course dinner hosted by the Captain. It is always best not to mock the gods.

 

Day 18, 24.10.2018, Atlantic offshore Recife Brazil,

Sea day. South America tomorrow.