We did not see anything of the volcano on Fogo. Latest news is that its activity has reduced considerably in the last few days and without big fireworks we were too far away to see anything.
Mindelo is located on the smaller island just under the big one at the top left corner
Mindelo is located on the northern side of the Cape Verdes island group and thus we spent the night trundling with a speed of 13 knots through the islands. By 07.00 the ship made her final approach and by 08.00 we were safely docked. Mindelo has a large anchorage area and also an extensive dock area but there are basically only two deep sea berths. The inner – smaller one – was occupied by the Azamara Journey and we docked at the inside of the outer breakwater.
This can make a Staff Captain really happy. All the ropes on different bollards.
We fitted in with about 25 meters at the stern and the bow which made for a happy Staff Captain as he had a lot of spare bollards to put his mooring ropes on. We are staying here overnight and thus a few more ropes were paid out. Not that it is really necessary as the weather is not supposed to change but it is company policy as in other parts of the world an overnight squall can create un-expected havoc with a ship.
From the ship the distance to town did not look that far but Mindelo is really spread out in an arc against a high mountain range. That gives a false perspective in distances and quite a few guests who thought they were going for a nice walk into town, soon found out that “town” was a considerable distance away.
As the weather forecast turned into reality we had the chance to do something that we all liked. Messing around with boats. The group was split up in 2 of four with a captain and down we went with a lifeboat each. I do not have to teach these people how to operate a lifeboat. They are already qualified navigators, but they need to be familiarized with the equipment and to learn how we teach the crew in operating a lifeboat. So for nearly 3 hours, we sailed in an out of the harbor, inspected the inventory, made approaches in returning to the ship with the focus on stopping right under the fall blocks which lower and hoist the lifeboat and to sit still under it regardless of wind and current, so the blocks can be hooked in safely by the boat riggers.
A lot of blue. What a pity that they are from different company’s.
In the mean time we had to stay out of the way of the Azamara Journey who was departing at 14.00 hrs. So we stayed at a safe distance while the ship moved to open waters.
In Mindelo there are always a lot of small ships at anchor and it is not always clear if they are waiting for cargo, have been impounded, abandoned or are in the process of being sold. We happily sailed around them all and while passing one, I saw the most disgruntled Chinese person I have ever seen. He looked absolutely unhappy being there, on a small ship at this anchorage and with a 6 foot long sulk on his face he hung over the railing glaring at us from above.
Last time I was here with the Prinsendam we were told that Mindelo nightlife was less than exciting unless one went around the mountain to a sea-side resort. This time some of the more focused crew had done their research and this morning there were a lot of discussions going on about Disco, versus Restaurants, versus Taxi’s and how much to pack into the evening for as little money as possible. Well the “rich captain” paid for the taxi & all yesterday but my Disco days are over, so today I was not going ashore. Too much to do. I need the time to prepare for the coming lessons for the Trainee’s. We have 4 more days to go and then they are finished and my colleague and I have to ensure that we have covered everything.
Tomorrow is the 2nd day in Mindelo and we should have the same weather as today. Partly cloudy skies, a temperature of 24oC / 75oF with a humidity of only 50%. …………………………………..And breath taking scenery all around us.
December 9, 2014 at 3:56 am
Always prefer the blue hulls, so much more distinguished, I think