"Catch the trade winds in your sails!"

One of our lasts stops in Europe was Benalmádena in south Spain. A small touristy town right next to the Dutch-infested town of Torremolinos. There we became100% sure we want to venture out into more distant areas. Not so much because of our confrontation of the Dutch taking over a distant place, but because of our desire to see new parts and cultures of the world. In Torremolinos it was nice to talk Dutch, buy pindakaas and eat cheese, but in the end this is not why we moved to a sailboat.

After having sailed the Meditteranean sea for a couple of months now, we've definitively decided to up our game and travel to places every sailor would tell you about when asked about travel plans or favourite destinations. So there it is. We're going to catch the Trade Winds in our sails and cross the Atlantic to the Caribbean Islands to do some serious tropical island hopping.

Hé! Nederlanders!.

With some final upgrades on our to-do list we chose Gibraltar as our last destination on the European continent. There we've met a great German family that were also planning to cross the Atlantic with their daughter, and we had the pleasure of watching Filise play with their same age daughter for some days. They informed us they would not wait for better weather but sail out the next day, because usually in autumn the weather only gets worse near the coast of Morocco.

. The Gibraltar strait did not want to let us go that easily.

After some deliberation we decided to take our chances and set sail, with our new friends, and head for the Canaries while the weather forecast were not the best. With the alternative being locked-in in Gibraltar for days or even weeks on end, and the certainty that the weather would not become too harsh for us and our boat to manage, this was the best choice. So we suddenly had to pack-up and get ready to leave the next day.

The Sahara sand filled sky.

After having trouble to outpace the strong currents of the Gibraltar Strait we finally made it onto the Ocean, where we watched some beautiful scenic skies above the African continent before being swallowed by the vastness of the Atlantic ocean at last.

The Ocean

Traveling the Ocean is similar to crossings in the Med. But everything is bigger. The routine stays the same. We get our weather data, set out a course, do our daily chores and swap between sleep and watch roles every three hours during the night. The same, but different. The swell and waves are bigger, the weather fronts enormous, the currents stronger, the distances longer and the required stamina to reach the destination off the charts.

Although on the Atlantic everything is much bigger, we caught only a small tuna.

Once accustomed to the rhythm of the ocean, everything starts to have its place and time. Watching the endless hills from water, fishing with bigger bait, charging the batteries with less sun and looking forward to the daily morale boost of a delicious meal. Once the rhythm has taken over serenity once more emerges in our heads.

The ocean from Gibraltar to the Canaries.

The Canaries

And then it happens. "Land!". "I see LAND!" is being scanted. A moment of silence ensues. After realising our first crossing of a small part of the Ocean is coming to an end, we check the weather once more to adjust our sails and choose a final destination.

We arrived at the north-end of the Canaries.

With some final pivots we decided to anchor in the bay of a small touristy town on Lanzarot: Teguise. Here we were happy to step onto land again after 7 days and 7 nights on the water. As we walk down the boulevard and wait for Filise to satisfy her need for the swing and the slide in the playground, we feel our bodies re-adjust to having solid ground under our feet. But only for a while, as we hauled out our anchora few days later to set sail again. After a week in Las Palmas we were ready for the next leg. From the Canaries to the archipelago of Cabo Verde.

The endless hills of water from the Canaries to Cabo Verde

Cabo Verde

Although we were sailing on the same stretch of water, this part of the Atlantic had a very different feel to it.

No, we did not wear pink glasses.

With the temperature increasing one degrees Celsius daily, as we travelled south, and the wind becoming more stable and reliable every nautical mile, we were gaining confidence that bluewater sailing is something we're very well capable of and adequately equipped to do so. Until the relative silence was broken and we saw land in the distance once more.

Cabo Verde!

This time the satisfaction of finishing a crossing was exemplary as we reached our first destination outside of Europe, efficiently dealt with a problem on our boat during the trip and finished our longest crossing to date. But most of all the suspension that came from the fact that we now had travelled our way to a entirely different and colourful culture with the promise of lots of smiling people, tasty food and uplifting music.

And indeed the city of Mindelo is a bright pearl in the middle of the sea. With warm people, great food and lots of culture, it is a great place to prepare for our crossing. We could not be more satisfied about our past trip when we were informed we made the right decision to leave rather quickly from Gibraltar earlier. We heard some sailboats had to wait over three weeks before the weather near Morocco settled down to a point it became responsible to set sail.

As we sit and rest with a cocktail and a glass of draft beer at one of Mindelo's local watering spots, we smile and raise our glasses. "txin-txin!".

Dancing is just what you do when you're in Mindelo.

11th Nov 2023