Back on track...
W2N 'Where to Next?'
Rob 'Bee' Clark
Sat 6 Dec 2008 04:51
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13:28.6N 20:27.5W
Yesterday was such a frustrating day. Early in the
morning the wind dropped and veered to the east making a direct course for the
mouth of the Casamance River impossible. It's a sure sign that I'm reaching the
southern end of the predictable NE trades so I can probably expect it to start
getting variable. What I didn't expect though is the amount of orange dust that
has settled on the boat. Dust from the Sahara that is carried on the easterly
wind has smudged the sun, reduced visibility and is slowly turning me and
Canasta orange. It's everywhere! Combined with the liberal crust of
salt, spilt coffee and peanut shells in the cockpit, Canasta's in
desperate need of a wash! Kamikaze flying fish keep launching themselves onto
the deck too. In fact, I had to remove a squid from the foot of the mast which
just goes to show how much water was coming over the decks when the wind was up
on Thursday. Actually, it's up again now and as I write, I'm creaming along very
nicely upwind at just over seven knots with two reefs in the main and a full
genoa. She is so beautifully balanced like that. Even after so many days at sea,
it is still very satisfying to take the huge wheel and drive her hard in these
conditions. It relieves some of the boredom too! I've run out of books and
finished all the sudoku puzzles. Before reaching the Cape Verde Islands, I had
been fortunate to find bookshops with a few English titles. Or even, as in
Morocco, another boat willing to swap a random selection of books - and left
with some fascinating reading material that I wouldn't have thought to buy! No
such luck in the Verde's though.
Talking of the Cape Verde's, I'm conscious of
sounding a little negative about the places I've visited of late. Well, not so
much the places as the people who inhabit them. As such, allow
me if you will to dwell only on the positive experiences in the Ihla do
Santiago; the capital of the Cape Verde Islands...
Don't even get me started on the standard of
service in the cafes and shops. It is truly the worst I have come across -
anywhere. Oh, sorry - yes, positive - it is comforting to know that the
extortionate prices I was paying for poor quality goods was not being squandered
on efficient, helpful, cheerful and presumably expensive staff.
Okay, so you're starting to get the picture. What
surprised me most was what appeared to be a huge contradiction. On Tuesday, the
town was alive with the sound of children marching in their thousands through
the streets dressed in t-shirts emblazoned with the image of a raised thumb with
a condom on it. In what I was told was an HIV awareness demonstration, the
vibrant energy was absolutely astonishing. Every child, from the age of about
eleven, was carrying a banner and chanting, singing and shouting with such
innocence that I wondered at what age it is that they have all the joy and
spirit institutionally beaten out of them. I wondered at what age they were
taught that to be Cabo Verdian is to be selfish, lazy, apathetic and
scornful.
Many of the islands have already started attracting
the cruise-ship tourists and I'd love to see how that's worded in the brochures!
Don't misunderstand me, the scenery, the landscape behind the towns is
staggering beyond belief and I'm sure there are exceptions to my gross
generalisation about the people but I'm afraid that as a solo traveller, I felt
vulnerable. I did venture beyond the town in Mindelo and was justly rewarded for
it but my parting memory was of the 'Harbour Master' (actually just one of Kai's
inbred goons), throwing his toys out of the pram over something completely
pointless. Mindelo is poised to be developed as a tourist destination although
it looks like whilst the land is all sold, nobody has yet felt confident enough
to start building and investing. In Sao Nicolau, my lasting memory will be of
the Nigerian drug dealer who tried to offer me 4000 Euros to take him and his
friends to Morocco. Even here, the Italians have started building a holiday home
development near the town and for their sake, I really hope that the locals
learn to welcome them. And in Praia, well, it's just a filthy, corrupt and
soulless place that I was very happy to be leaving behind. Forgive me then for
not getting into the spirit of the whole 'Dice' thing here but I can say
honestly that the only people I felt able to engage with during my whole
experience were those on Kealoha and the few who I met at the
party that night. If that was a 'taste of Africa', then I can only hope that my
next destination; Senegal, is, as the guide books say, a little more welcoming.
I'm quite sure it will be - it could be any worse.
Anyway, it's about half past three in the morning
here and I need to go and get an hours kip. At this speed, I'll need to hove-to
off of the Casamance River tomorrow night as to enter in the dark would be
dangerous. If you can, zoom in on the map and have a look at the labyrinth of
rivers, estuaries and mangroves - it's said to be absolutely
beautiful.
Anyway, that's it for now,
Bee
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