Ferry to Santo Antao

Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Wed 7 Jan 2009 20:35

Santo Antão and our ferry journey.

You can sail across to Porto Novo but the sea between Mindelo and Santo Antão suffers strong whirlwinds that blow up to 40 knots between December and May. There are anchorages but again is there hassle with needing a bus-boy to look after the boat/dinghy? for the £7.00 ticket we opted for the ferry.

 

   

 

The Ribeira de Paul ferry leaving just before us. It is a modest ferry, with no covered deck, or hold for the luggage, the passenger roof is old corrugated iron with plenty of 'ventilation'. The trip can be very uncomfortable on rough passages but the ticket is only £5.00. This is the ferry used by the locals

 

   

 

A rare sighting of an elderly lady. The upper deck complete with uneven floor and the lower deck.

 

 

         

 

Skipper surveying his world, he says for the next shot, the sun was in my eyes, but Kate is due in front of her consultant for results at 4pm. Me with the life-raft, 65 people, I'd rather swim.

 

   

 

Skipper on the plastic seats, as they break or crack a new one is placed on the top. Alongside in Santo Antão.

We were dropped by the taxi to the ticket office at 2pm, he scarpered a bit quick, we didn't worry as we could see the ferry in. The ticket office was deserted and no-one was about on the quayside??? Bear went to buy the tickets, "no" said the chap in the booth "no return on Wednesday", "tomorrow at 10:00 or 17:00hrs". Stuck here. I said "If I see that ferry cargo door close and it goes without me I shall weep". To cut a long story short, the Armas skipper happened by in his jeans and t-shirt, a call was made to the returning skipper who let us be paid stowaways.

 

 

All alone with just a couple of members of crew. This is the lower deck, I sat next to Bear thinking the chairs were nailed to the floor. NO. The return was so much rougher, I slid happily around.

 

 

 

Arriving back to Mindelo, São Vicente, we saw what to me is the classic look of a container ship, anchored off. Now look in the next shot, centre, and find a lorry - Vidor, looks like it is on the quayside waiting for cargo?

 

         

 

We go behind the container ship as we enter port on the ferry. Kate rang at this point to say the consultant had no idea what was wrong, as the biopsy did not stain. He is sending the slides to London, whatever it is, it's as rare as hens teeth. Jack though is a whopping four pound ten ounces and off oxygen altogether as of today. 

 

 

Lorry in amongst load, or should I say on top, probably lashed on with a bit of hairy string.

 

   

 

The fast ferry we have never seen move, a few wrecks with the Swiss Ambassadors residence up the hill. Our returning skipper looking at the ambulance on the end of the jetty.

 

   

 

This S.T.M. Ferry, the Bougainvillea has some sort of patient on board. The ladder is duly wheeled to the door, but, the chain to raise it level is stuck.

 

   

 

Why didn't they bring the patient out of the cargo door?, we left them still working on the chain and after the day we had had, it was a hurried exit through the waiting thread-bares and off to the pub opposite the marina. Our first evening meal out in Mindelo. I had cheeseburger and chips washed down with a couple of beers and Bear had fish, egg, cheeseburger ???? (you don't find them in McDonald's) and chips with a few beers.

 

All in all quite a day.