Porto Palmeira to Mindelo - 2-3/11/23

We spent yesterday on board, me updating the blog and Mick attending to the various projects he's involved with back home. He also investigated the pros and cons of converting our Starlink system to 12 volts in order to save on our power consumption. He discovered it would be quite a complex job requiring new bits of kit to be installed and would then only reduce the existing power consumption by 15%. We decided that for now at least it was not worth the cost and hassle of sourcing the parts nor worth the time. We reckon that we should be able to increase our power generation by re-siteing the two solar panels on the cockpit rails. At present they are all too easily shaded by the top panel on the arch over the rear of the cockpit.

Yesterday evening a modern catamaran anchored nearby and a couple of hours later the two person French crew, Alan and Silvia, came over in their dinghy. Alan asked if I could run him ashore in the morning, he had to fly to Paris to collect some equipment and Silvia wasn't confident driving the dinghy on her own. Of course I said.

So I picked him up this morning at 0815 and took him ashore and whilst there went to check out with the police. They returned Bonny's registration document and provided a check out document which we should take to the police in Mindelo.

On the way back at the boat I stopped off to say goodbye to Alexi and Charlie and then went to say goodbye to Shane. 

The locals were fishing nearby as we prepared to leave...

It took a few hours to get ourselves sorted out and ready for sea but finally around 1300 local time we attempted to get the anchor up. But, dam, it was stuck fast - we assumed, under a rock. Someone would need to dive down the 5 metres to free it. Unfortunately my cheap flippers had broken so I couldn't even try. Alexi or Charlie would have tackled it in a minute I'm sure, but they had just left to collect their diving pupils at the airport. Luckily Shane was aboard his boat and seeing our predicament volunteered to come over and have a go himself. The water was quite murky and so it wasn't a straightforward job, but finally after a few attempts he managed to free it and we were off. We said our thanks, gave him a couple of cold beers and motored slowly out of the harbour. On the way out we said hello to another OCC boat that had just arrived and by 1430 local time we were headed for Sao Vincent on a broad reach with one reef in the main and making 5-6 knots in the pleasant afternoon sunshine. If we maintain the same speed we should arrive tomorrow (Sunday) morning.

The passage to Mindelo was uneventful in near perfect sailing conditions. With wind of around 12-15 knots from the north east we cracked on under the one reef with it on a broad reach at 5-6 knots most of the time. By 1100 GMT we reached the waypoint I had set a few miles north of Mindelo where we gybed and headed for the harbour. 

The wind was quite fresh for a while and then fluky due to the high ground surrounding the harbour. 

We sailed up to the anchorage, noting wrecks and land marks we recognised from our visit in 2016 and a number of changes too. 

There were less wrecks littering the harbour and what looked like quite a few new buildings on the shore line. There were also less boats in the anchorage compared with 2016. 

Mindelo's Table Top!

Our anchor went down around 1200. We had arrived in Mindelo harbour; last stop before our Atlantic crossing and the island of Barbados.

We plan to stay a few days to do a few jobs on the boat. The main one being to re-site our side solar panels to avoid them being shaded by the one on the Arch. 

The scene looking west towards Sao Antao this evening.