Nam Thanh Goes Where no Vaan has Gone Before

We have arrived in Cabo Verde! (Although only a hint of any Verde this time of year.)

We crossed into a new time zone and Latitude 17 on our way here.

We had hoped to get groceries and diesel and head out, but because of a couple of boat things that need fixing, we’ll stay at least one night to get it all done.

Mindelo is incredibly lively and especially right now because the ARC+ (Atlantic Rally Cruisers, + for the fact that they start from Cabo Verde instead of Grand Canary Island) has filled the marina to the brim. Almost every boat docked here has an ARC+ flag on it. Apparently they’re all set to leave on Friday or Saturday so they’ll be close on our tail. Kind of comforting, actually, in case of an extreme emergency.

The docks are absolutely FULL of mainly catamarans although monohulls do make appearances and you can tell that these boats have been made into homes. Fairy lights string below dodgers, people are laid back on deck chairs in the cockpit chatting over beers, kids are constantly running back and forth on the docks, going from boat to boat. Their skin is tan and their little heads of hair are platinum blonde: the consequences of going to school and living life on a cruising sailboat.

Nam Thanh attracts a lot of attention. She is unique in her make: there are no other aluminum sailboats in this anchorage and practically every person who passes by comments to their partner or stops one of us as we work on the boat to say “Hey, is this the R4?” She is only the second R4 in existence but she’s already made a name for herself. Vaan has done well with their marketing so far, but there’s nothing like parking the boat in the middle of a marina of boat nerds to attract attention. One crew member said “No WAY! This is literally my dream boat!” And he knew way more about it than I did at this point, clearly having done his research. People have lots of questions about her electric engines and generally want to know how to she handles as a sailboat. Some really “fancy” catamarans are horrible sailors with no speed, no capability to point high into the wind, and completely unprotected helm stations that are entirely unsafe in rough conditions.  Anyways, made a lot of friends talking to the people who came by! I can see how cruisers make friends and then move together from location to location.

Some of these catamarans are ginormous. Not Bali52-and-moderately-obnoxious ginormous, more like 3-story-70’-with-your-own-scuba-boat-on-the-back-and-custom-fenders ginormous. The level of wealth present in this marina is hard to comprehend. And, it’s hard not to notice that the majority of people on these boats, while incredibly international in origin, are white.

The moment you step off the dock, however, the view changes drastically. Immediately outside the Marina there are local men gathered on the street asking if any cruisers have room for them to join on the passage to the Americas. One man has a bike and a big sign advertising his willingness to crew. Kids are selling bracelets displayed on empty Coca Cola bottles. Mothers with their children are selling fruit and vegetables of widely varying quality on street corners. An older man in the main square lay there unconscious for some time; a younger man took the opportunity to steal his wallet. People are constantly coming up to you on the street to try to sell you something or help you for a price: the hustle in this port town is strong.

In spite of the poverty, it’s also clear that the people here are friendly and close and connected. People who spoke English were more than happy to give detailed directions and unprompted personal recommendations in our search for fresh vegetables and other groceries. Locals are constantly yelling out greetings to each other on the street. Large groups of older men gather around others playing what seems to be a very intense card game in squares throughout the town. A family at a local restaurant met for what looked like a special dinner and not only did they seem incredibly warm and glad to be there with each other, they recognized multiple other groups in the same restaurant. Certain members of the original family would walk over to other tables to hold extended conversations with other patrons, exchanging kisses, smiles, and fist bumps. Another large family getting gelato late in the evening was laughing together, in no great rush to order or pay or move on to the next thing. Live music is everywhere around dinner time, and patrons take the time to clap enthusiastically after every song.

A quiet moment. A mural literally carved out of the stucco on the building.

Mindelo is colorful and tropical and it’s sweltering and humid. I wish we could stay longer to learn more about the town, but we also have places to be. Today was provisioning, a much needed shower, some dinner and gelato. Our hope is after some repairs tomorrow and after taking our laundry ashore, we’ll be on our way again by tomorrow evening.

Inshallah,

E