Mindel on the island of Sao Vincente, Cape Verde February 2015
Mindelo on the island of Sao Vicente, in the Cape Verde is situated off the west coast of Africa. It is is the main port in the Cape Verde and the best anchorage. These islands are increasingly being visited by yachtsmen of all nationalities. I have wanted to visit ever since my father wrote about his unscheduled visit in the 1980s while sailing across the Atlantic. He developed a leak in his water tank three days out from the Canaries. This was shortly after independence and he had to wait for water to arrive from Africa.
After reading various pilot books about the Cape Verde I was unsure about visiting, but I am so glad we did. After a fast and rolly passage from the Canaries we sailed into the comparative calm of Mindelo bay. We had a choice of anchoring or a berth in the Marina. We chose to anchor and found the holding was very good. The gusty wind can get very strong, so it is important to have good ground tackle, but the way is relatively free from swell. If using the marina (which is not cheep), make sure you have plenty of strong lines and good fenders. There is no mole protecting the marina from any swell that might find its way into the bay. The marina has a bar beside which one can leave a dingy. Officially one is asked to pay 4 Euros to do this, but in practice a drink in the marina bar seems to be sufficient. For this you get security for you dingy and outboard, if you have one.
We did try to leave the dingy on the beach. Simon rowed ashore leaving me on the boat. I watched through binoculars as our dingy anchor was stolen! Such a shame as we would much prefer to leave the dingy on the beach beside the fishermen.
But the vast majority of people are friendly and helpful. Once after taking money out of the cash machine a local lady indicated that I should put both care and money safely away before walking off.
Water can be bought from the marina, either by going alongside and filling up at the fuel berth or by filling jerry cans. If you are berthed in the marina then you are given a set water ration which is free. After this you have to start paying for the water by the litre. All water is metered, including taking a shower!
The outdoor market has a good selection of fruit and veg and is a pleasure to use. The ladies on the stalls are friendly and helpful. I did some cross checking with prices, comparing with the shops, and there is not much difference in prices. They may try and ask for a little more, but will quickly reduce the prices to the same as the shops. I always got them to write down the price in my book before perchance, just to make sure I was not overcharged. However in the market the produce is of a better quality. We did not see any avocados and the apples and oranges were all refrigerated, which is not good for provisioning. On the plus side the eggs were the best we have had on our voyage so far.
With a bit of Spanish, French and English we managed to communicate adequately with most people. It is great to talk to people and hear a bit about their stories. We heard about the percussionist who had played with The Rolling Stones and the man who stowed away on a tanker at the age of 16! There is a lot of begging, lots of people will ask for money. But we were not pestered. We just smiled and said no. When walking into town from the marina there are a few guys who will talk to you and make fiends with you. If you need any help with anything, then I am told they can be very useful. We think that many people may give them their remaining Cape Verde money, just before leaving.
We were here for Carnival on the 17th February and it was great fun. I did not feel at all threatened at any time while were were in Mindelo even during the Carnival . The lead up to the big day there were parades and loud music, often live. The town filled up with people who watched the amazing parades that lasted all afternoon and into the evening.
There are many nice restaurants and cafes, many of which have internet and often live music during the evening. The late Cesaria Evora is Mindelos most famous musician, she made famous the Cape Verdian music of Morna.
We are so pleased we visited Mindelo and next time we plan to visit some of the other islands.
If you want to read more about Cape Verde then Jill for Yacht Mollymawk has written some wonderful articles on her blog Jill Dickin Schinas, Yacht Mollymawk on Sao Vicente.
Witten by JoJo
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