Bathed in the dawn's early light, we arrived safely in Mindelo, Sao Vincente, Cap Verde this morning. A cheerful chap named Clayton was waiting on the dock to take our lines and shortly thereafter Taka Trois and her crew were happily settled into their new berth. To say the least, we were very VERY pleased with ourselves to have arrived here.
During the passage, I had a maximum of 130 words to use for my blog updates (sent via satellite to my daughter in New York who kindly posted them online for me), so I wasn't able to fill in the details of this journey for you. I can now tell you that we have had a near-perfect passage, praise God! We traveled 831 nautical miles (as the crow flies) in less than 6 days, sailing the whole way using the engine only to get in and out of port.
We enjoyed beautiful blue skies by day and the starry host with a waning moon at night, lots of wind, no seasickness and aside from a few bruises from being jostled about, no problems at all. If I were to be picky, I'd say that that the seas were too rough for my taste and with the wind from behind, Taka Trois was turned into a tumble dryer for most of the trip turning even the simplest tasks into an aerobatic performance, but otherwise I can't complain.
Moreover, Alan, the latest addition to our crew blended seamlessly into life on board and once under way the three of us enjoyed an easy rhythm of watches, meals and rest. Adhering to Taka Trois' rule of no alcohol under sail, we enjoyed a "not unhappy" hour every evening with virgin cocktails, a game of 'pass the pigs' and the daily ritual of "the casting off of the message in the bottle' serenaded by none other than the immortal song of that name by The Police, of course.
The plan for today is to NOT think about the 2150 remaining miles to Antigua, scrub the boat and ourselves, enjoy a cold beer and a meal out and get the first good night's sleep without being tossed about in our berths in almost a week. We will be here for a minimum of three days during which time we will explore a bit, re-provision and wait for Michel's green light, but I'll be in touch before then with a report on Cap Verde and some photos. Unfortunately the signal from the port is too weak right now to download any photos onto this blog and rather than wait for a better signal, I wanted to let you all know that we arrived safe and sound as soon as possible. Many many thanks for your prayers, well wishes and support during this journey--we were very touched.
During the passage, I had a maximum of 130 words to use for my blog updates (sent via satellite to my daughter in New York who kindly posted them online for me), so I wasn't able to fill in the details of this journey for you. I can now tell you that we have had a near-perfect passage, praise God! We traveled 831 nautical miles (as the crow flies) in less than 6 days, sailing the whole way using the engine only to get in and out of port.
We enjoyed beautiful blue skies by day and the starry host with a waning moon at night, lots of wind, no seasickness and aside from a few bruises from being jostled about, no problems at all. If I were to be picky, I'd say that that the seas were too rough for my taste and with the wind from behind, Taka Trois was turned into a tumble dryer for most of the trip turning even the simplest tasks into an aerobatic performance, but otherwise I can't complain.
Moreover, Alan, the latest addition to our crew blended seamlessly into life on board and once under way the three of us enjoyed an easy rhythm of watches, meals and rest. Adhering to Taka Trois' rule of no alcohol under sail, we enjoyed a "not unhappy" hour every evening with virgin cocktails, a game of 'pass the pigs' and the daily ritual of "the casting off of the message in the bottle' serenaded by none other than the immortal song of that name by The Police, of course.
The plan for today is to NOT think about the 2150 remaining miles to Antigua, scrub the boat and ourselves, enjoy a cold beer and a meal out and get the first good night's sleep without being tossed about in our berths in almost a week. We will be here for a minimum of three days during which time we will explore a bit, re-provision and wait for Michel's green light, but I'll be in touch before then with a report on Cap Verde and some photos. Unfortunately the signal from the port is too weak right now to download any photos onto this blog and rather than wait for a better signal, I wanted to let you all know that we arrived safe and sound as soon as possible. Many many thanks for your prayers, well wishes and support during this journey--we were very touched.
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