Sao Nicolau

If Knot Y Knot
Patricia Day
Fri 1 Dec 2006 18:15

30 November 2006

I did cut my hair yesterday, there is about an inch at the front where I could see what I was doing and about half that everywhere else.  I just ran my fingers through it and cut any hair that stuck out from there, it certainly feels a lot lighter.

Today was Tourist Day.  Mike and Penny were going on a tour and I was invited along.  The tours are conducted in small trucks and you sit outside on bench seats.  We went up to a village in the mountains.  The scenery was spectacular and photos do it no justice, but I tried.  It is a very hard way of life, the women carry the water in 25 L containers, with no lids, on their heads.  Donkeys carry everything and sometimes have no person with them and they know where they are going and you have to get out of the way.  The roads are made from the flat square cobbles and are very well done.  It is very steep in places and where they were mending the road we had to take on 3 extra men in the back to weigh the truck down to get us up the hill.  The butterflies, birds, even insects are very pretty and unusual and I felt a bit like the doctor on Master & Commander looking at all the specimens.  We then went to look at the sea, where it has totally eroded the rockface it is so rough.  It makes our anchorage look rather safer.  This is a totally inadequate account and I will download the photos, but it was amazing.  Very good to see people supported by OPEC and other countries, but making an effort themselves, not just taking the money.  Half the population is under 17, there is certainly no shortage of children.  After a hard days work I don t know where they find the energy.  Sailing any islands does teach you how precious things like water are and how good we should be to our environment.

We saw lots of boats leave today, some to Sal and some to Mindelo, depending on which way they had started.  When we got back the Dutch from the little red boat, Rebel, came over to invite me, they are doing the same tour tomorrow.   People are so nice.  I like boat life.  I do not think I will settle in CV, but it is not beyond the realms of possibility.  Would just have to find a really good anchorage.

I was going to leave today, late afternoon or early evening to go to Mindelo, but walking up the hills was tiring.  The wind has started up again, which was necessary for my batteries, but this is the first day of it for Rebel and they were sorting out their anchor.  If it is not too bad I will stay and go tomorrow.

I must just say that the densotape seems to have worked; there was no water when I went to add the t shirt this afternoon.  I hope it keeps this up. 

I cannot say the same for the keel bilge, I have not emptied it for several days and there is not that much in there, but I will empty it out tomorrow.  I just can t work out where it is coming from.

Listened to Herb at 2000 relaying weather information to boats on the crossing, most were well south of CV, but it is interesting.

1 December 2006

The wind was not enough to fill up the batteries, by the time I had left the anchor light on all night.  So many boats have left I am now the outside boat.  I ran the engine for an hour to top up the batteries, the computer and made 5 litres of water.  The water reading is about 320ppm, potable water is 1500 or below.  I will only be using the water for cleaning purposes for now, but quite a pleasing result for the first real try. 

I made my first baggywrinkle for the shrouds, it is to protect the preventer rope.  I have to make one for the other side.  I had about 2 metres of rope up to a spliced join, I will see how many it makes.  I would rather not be reliant on any rope with a join in it, however good.

I am ready to leave late this afternoon, just before it gets dark.