Cape Verdes Departure

Hi everyone,
At 1000 local time today we departed Mindelo on Sao Vicente Island in the Cape Verdes. A couple of hours later we were in the acceleration zone between Saao Vicente and Santo Antao islands, sailing under 2 reefs and storm jib at 7 knots. The wind was 25G35, funneling between the islands. By mid-afternoon the wind had almost died leaving a very confused sea. We battled through that into the gradient wind clear of the island's lee. Now sailing W at 5.5 knots in a nice 15G20 NE breeze.

We really enjoyed our unexpected stay in Mindelo. The marina is excellent and has a great vibe with so many sailors preparing to cross the Atlantic. The town is nice too with many good bars, restaurants and ice cream places. Also good for fresh fruit & veggies.

The main reason for our stop in Mindelo was to carry out emergency repairs on a leaking thru-hull. This was done with the help of friends and happily we avoided hauling out of the water. Hauling out is extremely expensive in Mindelo. The leaking thru-hull now has a fibre-glass plate sealed over it, plus a lot of sealant applied internally. So far so good.

Trust all's well where you are.

Canaries to Cape Verdes Passage Summary

Hi everyone,

This post summarises our passage from Pasito Blanco in Gran Canaria to Mindelo in Sao Vicente.  On departure our intended destination was Antigua.  Unfortunately a leaking thru-hull seal forced us to divert to Mindelo.

Full Moon Arising over Mindelo

First some plots...

Track

Arrival

Graphs

Here are the vital stats for the passage…

• Distances/Speeds

• Route Distance = 870 nm

• Logged Distance = 974 nm

• Track Distance = 774 nm (under-reading due to fouling)

• Duration = 7d11h days

• Average boat speed = n/a

• Average VMG = 4.9 kt

• Average day's run = 130 nm

• Best day's run = 144 nm (over ground)

• Minimum boat speed = 4 kt

• Maximum boat speed = 8 kt

• Weather

• Minimum wind speed = 10 kt

• Average wind speed = 20 knots

• Maximum wind gust = 31 kt

• Apparent wind angle range = 120 to 150

• Seas up to 1.5m

• Swell up to 2.5m

• Overcast, then broken cloud then clear skies

• Engine

• Total = 1 hour

• Driving = 1 hours (100%)

• Charging = 0 hours

• Consumption

• Water = 50 litres (7 litres / day)

• Fuel = 2 litres

• Failures

• Water ingress into head compartment from leaking thru-hull seal

• Stars

• The boat!

• WindPilot vane gear (steered 95% of passage)

• Tides Marine SailTrack (made reefing sooooo much easier)

  * Rolly Tasker mainsail

  * Starlink (despite 15-30 minute initial connection times)

The first two days of the passage had the strongest winds due to the Canaries' wind acceleration zones between the islands and in their lees.  The leak worsened and we decided to divert to Mindelo, at which point we gybed south.  The leak was a gradual seaping of water, needing the bilge sponging out every 3 hours.

Conditions gradually cleared up from mid-level overcast to scattered rain showers to scattered small cumulus.  Happily CAPE was low so the rain showers couldn't develop into thunderstorms.  We dodged several rain showers but caught one which delivered 30 knots of wind briefly.

We sailed mostly under double-reefed (trisail sized) main, furling the yankee to suit.  For a couple of brief periods we swapped to the storm jib / staysail in or near rain showers.  In light patches we moved up to a single reef, made so much easier by the SailTrack.

One day a French yacht Heol came up behind us and manoeuvred into hailing distance.  We had a brief chat then off they went towards Martinique.  We also chatted with several yachts via VHF including OCC sv Hasel James whose crew we have since met in Mindelo.

Southbound

A quick chat at sea with French sv Heol

Land Ho!

Overall it was a great sail.  Once clear of the Canaries it really felt like trades winds sailing.  Good breeze, small cumulus with occasional squalls, nice temperature and Zen Again eating the miles.

Sao Vicente Ahead

Nearing Mindelo Harbour

We arrived in Mindelo at last light and anchored off the marina (clear of the ferry channel) in darkness.  Despite the leak it was a fun passage.  We'll now make emergency in-the-water repairs (since hauling out in Mindelo is extremely expensive) before resuming our voyage across the Atlantic to Antigua.

We stayed in Mindelo only for a few days.  Most of that was consumed with repair work.  The marina is excellent.  Lots of boats preparing to cross the Atlantic with everyone cheerful and excited.  We did see a little of the town...

Marina's Floating Bar

Waterfront View

Marina from the shore

Save the Turtles!

Christmas lights

Dinner ashore with cruising pals

Nice beach

Better beer

Trust all's well where you are!

Cape Verdes Inbound Day 6

Hi everyone,
At noon today we were at 19 29N 023 42W steering 220M, sailing under 2 reefs and 1 furl at 5.5 knots. The wind was 16G20 from a little E of NE. Our noon to noon run over the ground was 119nm. 170nm to Mindelo.

We spent about 12 hours from noon yesterday sailing W during a period with NNE winds. This positioned us nicely to a single gybe S towards Mindelo with predicted ENE winds.

Winds became light last night and for a brief period we had to use the autopilot. Happily that didn't last long. The night was quite cloudy with a couple of light drizzly showers. By 0300 the clouds were clearing to reveal another wonderful starscape.

This morning we had several minor squalls come through. Happily we passed between them but we copped increased wind up to 30 knots nevertheless. The storm staysail was used a couple of times briefly.

Eventually the squalls cleared away to leeward and normal 'service' was resumed. Sunny sky with a few puffy small cumulus.

Trust all's well where you are.

Cape Verdes Inbound Day 5

Hi everyone,
At noon today we were at 20 20N 022 17W steering 270M, sailing under 2 reefs and 2 furls at 5 knots. The wind was 17G22 from a little N of NE. Our noon to noon run over the ground was 127nm. 250nm to Mindelo - just a Geraldton race.

Our leak persists but has gradually halved over the last day. Perhaps it prefers warmer waters. It's down to a quarter of its worst flow rate. We've been busy contacting folks in Mindelo regarding haul-out and worker costs. We've been passing our watches dreaming up temporary repair/patch schemes 'just in case'.

Weather conditions have settled nicely. We have a good sailing breeze. This morning it backed a little towards the N. That was our opportunity to gybe W back towards the rhumbline route. We expect to continue W until around midnight tonight.

The star of the passage so far has been our WindPilot vane gear. It has steered us all the way. Great kit!

Last night was very pleasant sailing under a bright 3/4 moon followed by a few hours under the stars alone.

Trust all's well where you are.

Cape Verdes Inbound Day 4

Hi everyone,
At noon today we were at 22 18N 021 32W steering 200M, sailing under 2 reefs and 2 furls at 5 knots. The wind was 17G23 from the NE. Our noon to noon run over the ground was again 125nm. 380nm to Mindelo.

The wind has been quite steady in direction, varying only in strength day & night. Last night it decreased enough for us to unroll to 1 furl in the yankee. Then this morning it gradually increased again until we had 3 furls.

During the passage the moon has been waxing steadily. Last night it was a little more than half moon, setting at about 0200. With the moon high in the sky in the evening there was an impressive halo around it, due I think to very thin high cloud. We haven't seen that for a very long time. Then after the moon set the sky cleared and the stars were super-bright.

Last night was also a milestone with the sudden arrival of our first flying fish. He was a big boy and ended up flapping around under the life raft. He didn't want to be scooped out so sadly this morning he was delivered back to King Neptune, 'cactus' as we'd say down-under. And today the mid-high level cloud we've had disappeared, replaced by small low cumulus. We're in the trades!

We're now sailing in loose company with a 30 foot US yacht also headed for Mindelo. Had a chat on VHF this morning. Single-hander.

One of the OCC Port Officers in Mindelo is arranging a quote for us to be hauled out, hopefully early next week. Friends who had their yacht hauled there have also shared a lot of useful info. Looking forward to buying them a beer.

Trust all's well where you are.

Canaries Outbound Day 3

Hi everyone,
At noon today we were at 24 12N 020 44W steering 200M, sailing under 2 reefs and 2 furls at 5.5 knots. The wind was 20G24 from the NE - on our port quarter. Our noon to noon run over the ground was 125nm.

We are now heading for Mindelo in the Cape Verdes. We have a leaking thru-hull which we need to replace. The water ingress is slow, But continuing across the Atlantic in a leaky boat doesn't appeal. The thru-hull was installed only two years ago which is disappointing. It seems that the sealant is breaking down.

We've not had much luck with leaks this year. From St Pierre to Flores we found a leak which eventually proved to be from a bow cleat bolt. We cut away a large part of the forepeak headlining to reveal that source. Some of the water from it made its way along stringers into the head compartment and the bilge there. We finally fixed that leak in the eastern Canaries.

After fixing the deck leak we intermittently found a little water in the head bilge. Eventually we traced it to the thru-hull fitting, but only days before our Schengen time expired. We couldn't find a shipwright to assist us in time. With hindsight we should have applied for an extension on our visas!

So now we're in contact with fellow cruisers in Mindelo. One of them is hauled-out for repairs. Other cruisers with mechanical skill may be able to assist with our work. And no doubt there are local shipwrights.

Meanwhile we're having a great sail. Less than 500 nm to Mindelo. ETA Thursday.

Trust all's well where you are!

Canaries Outbound Day 1

Hi everyone,
We departed Pasito Blanco at 0900 on Thursday in a nice ENE breeze.

At 1200 on Friday we were at 25 55N 017 40W steering 280M, sailing under 2 reefs with 3 furls in the yankee at 5 knots. The wind was 20G24 from the NE - on our starboard quarter. Our noon to noon run over the ground was 144nm. Exactly 6 knots average which is pretty good for us. Over the ground since our log is under-reading due to weed growth in the marina.

Kazi the WindPilot went into action immediately on departure and has been steering since. We had good breeze for our first 24 hours but under an overcast sky. Initially we sailed SSW. 24 hours after departure we gybed to head W.

This morning we're finally getting some sun.

Trust all's well where you are.

OCC 70th Anniversary Macaronesia Cruise Summary

Hi everyone,

For the last two months we've been taking part in the OCC (Ocean Cruising Club) 70th Anniversary Macaronesia Cruise in Company.  Yesterday it concluded with the Gran Canaria Port Officer's (PO's) annual BBQ here in Pasito Blanco.  We logged about 1250nm on the cruise.  This is a summary of our experience in the Cruise.

Zen Again in Macaronesia

The Cruise perfectly suited our planned clockwise North Atlantic circuit.  We joined the Cruise at its start in Horta on the Azorian island of Faial.  We finished the Cruise at its end in Pasito Blanco on the Canarian island of Gran Canaria.  We skipped the Azorian island of Santa Maria and the Canarian island of Tenerife, the latter due to autopilot problems.  Instead of Tenerife we explored Fuerteventura with OCC SVs Asteria and Zora.

Overall the Cruise was absolutely fantastic.  We made some wonderful new friends, saw so many amazing places and had a wide variety of sailing passages.  The Azores part of the Cruise fits nicely into a clockwise North Atlantic Islands circuit starting in North America.  We cruised coastwise north along the American coast to Newfoundland then a 1200nm passage to Flores to join the Cruise.  The Canaries part of the Cruise fits nicely for those leaving Europe to cross the Atlantic to the Caribbean.

The Cruise started with 5 boats in Horta, increasing to 6 elsewhere in the Azores.  There were 3 boats in Madeira.  The Cruise ended with about 10 boats in the Canaries.

Some of the photos below were shared on the Cruise WhatsApp group.  If one is yours please advise and I'll credit you.

The Cruise in context

Azores track

Madeira and Canaries track

Graphs of Cruise conditions

The cruise was organised overall by Sao Jorge PO Linda.  Linda and Andy sailed with the Cruise from Faial to Sao Jorge.  In Terceira we were hosted by PO Siggi.  In Sao Miguel, Porto Santo and Madeira the fleet organised itself.  And in the Canaries Gran Canaria PO Agustin (and Sonya) organised, including an amazing BBQ at Pasito Blanco.

First get-together in Horta

Touring Faial

At Peter's Cafe Sport

Touring Sao Jorge

Dinner in Terceira

Touring Terceira

Touring Sao Miguel

Porto Santo sundowner with Asteria & Metzi

Touring Porto Santo

Madeira Beach Braai

Madeira Levadas with the Metzis

Lanzarote sundowner with Asteria, Caballito de Mar IX & Metzi

Touring Lanzarote

In Fuerteventura with Asteria & Zora

Touring Gran Canaria

Wonderful finale at Pasito Blanco

For more detailed information on our visits to each island or our passages between them use the search box at the top left of this window.  For some places you'll find 2021 blog posts as well as this year's.  To tour through our Cruise start here.

We hope the Macaronesia Cruise is repeated.  It's a wonderful itinerary.  It could be split into two separate cruises - Azores & Canaries - which may attract more boats heading out from Europe.

The Port Officers did a magnificent job organising the Cruise.  They organised tours, assisted with marina bookings and provided excellent advice throughout.  And where no POs existed the fleet organised itself - as OCC boats always do.  What a great organisation!

Gran Canaria

Hi everyone,

We're spending about a week here in Gran Canaria.  After one night at anchor we moved into Pasito Blanco Marina.  Since then we've been busy working on boat jobs and touring.  Gran Canaria is the final destination of the OCC 70th Anniversary Macaronesia Cruise.

Touring Gran Canaria

We hired a car for two days with the crew of OCC sv Metzi.  On day 1 we teamed up with OCC sv Singara who also had a hire car, and with OCC Gran Canaria Port Officer Agustin as tour director.  We spent all day driving around the southern part of the island.  Very dry but very spectacular.  We walked to Roque Nublo, known as one of the highest natural crags in the world.  And we visited Tejeda, known as the prettiest village in Gran Canaria.

Lunch in Ayacata

Start of the walk to Roque Nublo

At Roque Nublo
(sv Caballito del Mar IX photo)

Tejeda village

Tejeda bakery

Cave church

Inside the cave church

On day 2 we toured alone with the sv Metzis.  We started in Las Palmas where we hit the chandlers and hardware stores.  We then drove through the north side of the island along some very minor, one-lane roads.  Very scenic, very steep, with occasional trucks coming the other way.  Entertaining!  Much greener than the south side.

We went for a walk in the Tilos de Moya forest.  We continued our drive up and over the mountains where the clouds were lapping over the crests.  A truly spectacular island.

Apart from the two touring days we've been busy with boat work.  Jobs done so far include:

• Filling fuel (tanks and jerries)
• Freshening the nip on all halyards
• Servicing the anchor windlass
• Replacing solar panel connectors with directly soldered connections
• Servicing winches
• Inspecting and cleaning all bilges
• Tidying the forepeak after the headliner removal

Not strictly boat work, but Christmas cakes and pudding have been baked.  I just get to stir the bowl!

Stirring

Today we attended OCC Port Officer Agustin's annual BBQ.  He and partner Sonia have been putting on this event at their home in Pasito Blanco for some years now.  It has become an iconic OCC event.  But more on that in our next post.

Trust all's well where you are!