Having sorted out all the formalities in Palmeira we headed west for a 12 hour sail to the island of Sao Nicolau which looked to be a better bet for Christmas, being lusher and more scenic than Sal. We wanted to stop at the bottom end of Sao Nicolau for breakfast and a swim on the way around to Tarrafal and for once the problem was trying not to arrive too soon i.e. in the dark. We did arrive in the dark of course and you really don’t want to be closing on these steep, rocky shores without being able to pinpoint your anchorage. So we sailed on but as soon as the sun rose the urge to swim was too strong and we turned around and motored up to          Carracal, a very small palm tree lined bay and village where we arrived just in time to see (and hear) the Christmas pig being slaughtered on the rocks by our anchorage. The entrails floated by a few minutes later. Annie, Charlotte and Charlie paddled ashore in the dingy, to where the local fishermen were unloading tuna, some of them huge and apparently caught close to the shore. Sadly they declined to buy any, preferring to catch their own………….. Charlie did bring some sea urchins back, thinking we would be thrilled to eat this raw delicacy. We weren’t and didn’t.

We do like it here in Cabo Verde. It is very laid back and much more relaxed than The Gambia. In Palmeira, on the island of Sal, the town came to life at night with street food, music, dancing. Everyone is very friendly but not overbearingly so and you don’t feel under constant pressure to reward the “friendship” with a gift. The one exception is the kids who meet you on the beach and squabble amongst themselves to be the one who will look after your dinghy while you are ashore. Its good fun and good natured although we don’t intend to find out what happens to your dingy if you don’t hire a guardian!

Christmas is celebrated here but seemingly in a much lower key way and with none of the months of commercial hype that blights Christmas at home. We have had a lovely relaxing day with a leisurely start and lunch with live Cabo Verde music by the harbourside along with other yachties clearly enjoying the lower key approach.

On Christmas Eve we took the bus - these are minibus or open backed truck with side bench seats - up to the main town Ribeira Brava. The bus stops on request and carries people and goods around the island, calling at individual houses (the concept would be great in Bristol) and although you just have to be patient once on board there are so many of them that a timetable is irrelevant. The drive across was absolutely stunning as you climb up to the highest point of the island and then down the other side before climbing again up to the town. The island is very mountainous and there are spectacular views down the deep valleys or across to the other peaks at every turn. Ribeira Brava nestles between high crags and peaks and with its painted buildings, cobbled streets and public gardens is a joy to visit. Even though Cape Verde now has the strongest economy in West Africa this Island does not appear hugely prosperous but nevertheless seems to be a good example of what can be achieved with limited resources. I found the filth and crumbling infrastructure of Morocco, Senegal and Gambia difficult to comprehend but here it is clean and tidy and the infrastructure is well maintained. It was the same in the Canaries.

Tomorrow we head back to Sal where on Monday we exchange Charlotte and Charlie for Steve Arnott who will sail with us to Antigua. We will be calling at the marina in Mindelo, on yet another island, for provisioning, fuelling and running repairs. The auto helm cut out a few days ago but came back on the following morning. We were really glad to have the back up of the hydrovane self steering but we need to check the auto helm for any loose connections or fuses. The furling line for the genoa broke at the same time and whilst we were able to reverse it and tie it back together the knot prevents the line from running fully through the fairlead to the cockpit and we are restricted to a genoa with two reefs until we replace the line. Although working when first installed the water maker no longer makes water. There are possibly two reasons for this, the first of which we have addressed by replacing the intake filter with a smaller one at a lower level. The second involves relocating the seawater intake position for the water maker on the seawater inlet pipe for the engine. Rather more involved than the filter and will be a pain. I am also wishing we had brought the old genoa as this might have been useful if we need twin headsails across the Atlantic. We do have the staysail as well as the new genoa but the larger size of the old genoa might have been beneficial. It seems that sheeting the leeward genoa through a pulley on the end of the main boom (with or without the mainsail in use) and using the pole for the windward genoa or cruising chute is the way to go…….

I hope you have had a very enjoyable Christmas and wish you all a very Happy New Year.