S/Y Babette Sails to the Caribbean

S/Y Babette sails to the Caribbean, carefully avoiding the Pirates, and then sails back again to Norway.

The crewmembers: Shannon
About the crew:
See the complete profile

See more of our photos at www.flickr.com
(Want to read the posts in chronological order?)

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Gusting 30knots while anchoring among 50 boats

The sun rises between two volcanic cones here at Sta. Lucia and we see our new "neigbours". One boat, a catamaran, is anchored out by the reef, not as close as ewe feared last night. the others are sailboats from Austria. the wind is still gusting 20 knots, so we deside to sail on to São Vincente and the town of Mindelo. They say the harbour is about full.

At 10am the anchor´s up and we sail towards the North end of São Vincente. The channel current is strong and against us. So is the wind. So we "hand-sail", ("Lille-Per, wind-pilot off-duty!).Sailing hard against the wind, sometimes down to under 3 knots, this is going to take some time. More genoa! The wind gusts up to 25 knots or more, but the seas are surprisingly flat. That is until we round the top of São Vicente.
Another bone-dry rusty-red lava island. Cones and craters rising from the flat lava flows, which we´re sailing over, our depth in the sound only about 40, 50 meters, and soon just 20! We approach the island where a little village lies on the wind-blown lava plain, a huge sand-stone hill, like a giant sand-castle, small "toy" houses surrounding it.

On the west side we approach the "Porto Grande", Mindelos big bay. This is where the fun begins.
The winds increase to an uncomfortable 30 to 35 knots, as we close in on this busy commercial harbour, and the crowded tangle of anchored sailboats. This will be interesting. We pass by the little island of Passero, a little steep pinnacle at the entrance to the bay. A white step-path leading vertically up to a light-house at the peak is like a ladder to heaven.
Meanwhile, back down on the shallow choppy waters the swell and winds make for a wild roller-coaster ride in towards ther break-water, the foam flying in the wind.
Down with the reefed main and we motor into flatter, but still gusty waters. Take a look-see round and find a little "clearing". Go for it!

Well-anchored we can relax in the cock-pit. We are in front of a large rusty cargo-ship, "Vilma", also swinging on an anchor, well, two. Hope we don´t get a southerly, turning her towards us! We see that Norwegian "Medusa", Swedish "Sulamitt" are here. And soon we are followed by our recent boat neighbors,"Veto" and "Christiania". They anchor up next to us.

Time for shore-leave! Out with the dinghy and negotiations with "boat-minders". We choose "Swedish-speaking" Norton ("Tack saa mycket!) and his brother, Ari. In town we end up eating at the Chave d´Ouro restaurant and "pensão". It´s one flight up, the tables set with white table-clothes and wine glasses, the jazz from the café across the road drifting in through the open French windows.

0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Sta. Lucia: sole occupants, donkeys...

...goats and dogs. The tiny village is now deserted. We sail wnw from Terrafal at 9am, following several French boats out of the bay. The island puts us in lee of the wind the first calm bit, then we cross a line into white water. The winds now gusting up to 30 knots , we´re glad we have two reefs inn. Pulling out a corner of the genoa we sail a nice 5, 51/2 knots on a rathe4r smooth, but "confused" sea. Wind over current makes the sea choppy.

We sail by two smaller islands on our part , also uninhabited. Ilheu do Raso is the first, a dark volcanic cone, and lava plains, home to giant geckos. The next, Ilheu do Branco, is "bronco", that is, white, because of huge white sandstone areas down the mountain slopes.

Then we arrive at the next windward island, Sta. Lucia, where we plan to anchor. The first part of the island we meet is under us. Our depth is redused to 19, 20 meters, and this lava plain continues above water as a long spit, partially covered in hilly white sand cones, quite a lunar scene! The rest of the island is red. Four major volcano craters, rising steeply from the narrow whit esand strand. Between these conical mountains tunneled wind races down ravines out to the leeward bay we plan to anchor in.
Already anchored there is a German catamaran and, on the other side of a jagged reef, our English "boat neighbors" from Tarrafal, "Storm Witch". We anchor between them, looks like it´ll hold.

But the wind, still well over 20 knots, doesn´t invite leaving the boat. Neither does the hard surf on the beach look pleasant for dinghy landing. Our English neighbor solves this by having one crew, the wife, aboard as he swims ashore and has a look about. Any donkeys here?
We use the clean sea water here to wash clothes: salt water and soap, a salt rinse, then a fresh water rinse, and then a good dry in the hot, force 5, winds!
As we finish (a soup with pasta and eggs) dinner, watching the magenta streaked sky darken we see a light, a sailbaoat going by. Then going back again. No, now it´s approaching the island. The sky darkens and we turn on the anchor light as not one but two boats, then three slowly, carefully approach the black island, through the black, choppy waters. No moon. And strong gusting winds. I hope their radars and chart-çlotters are working. Two anchor just east of us, the third just outside, not far from the reef.
We hear a lot of rattling of chain from below and have an hour´s anchor-watch, checking our position on the GPS. All´s well.

Still, no deep sleep this night.

0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Monday, November 28, 2005

Last day in Terrafal

A quiet day in Terrafal. Hot and humid, we start with a jump off the boat into the sea. Now we're cool enough to do a trip to town. This is our last town day in Sao Nicolao, before sailing to an island with nothing for sale.

The internet café, the mercado, a café lunch and all the planning for an anchorage tomorrow at the unoccupied island of Sta. Lucia.

1 comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's nice to know that you're occupying yourself with activities to make the most of your last day. It sounds like a lot of fun.

Friday, December 02, 2005 4:55:00 AM  

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Donkeys, sea caves and rum

A red pick-up, outfitted with wooden benches along the bed is ready at 11am to take Ørnulf and me on "safari".

We´ve just watched the long São Fraciscão procession snake its way along the strand road, through town and up to the little blue church. White-smocked alterboys lead, red-smocked clergy at the end, the S.Franciscão statue aloft. A brightly colored crowd of young and old walking slowly to the chants and psalms blaring out of a loud-spleaker on the pick-up following. Occational fire-works punctuate the march. At the church shiny cars and police vans pull up and the President of the Cape Verde Islands and his men go in. They´re here for a four day visit at Terrafal.

Our guide, Jãoã Pedro Domingos, is in the back of the pick-up with us. And off we go, first north along the coast, by Cape Verde's first lighthouse, at Punta Barril. The coastal road starts out as smooth lava-stones, white ones for the stripes. At the outskirts of town the road is lined with new grey, concrete buildings, a tourist center, unfinished, and quite a few "emigrant" houses, large and fancy, but also far from finished.

Along the flat plain between the mountainsides and the coast the lava sand and dust drift onto the road, the stones getting rougher. Later appearing only at the steep, almost vertical bits. Small leafy trees grow on parts of the otherwise bare grassy savannah. It's part of a French re-forestation project. The hope is that the tiny trees will hold the soil and the moisture in this volcanic rock island.

We drive up into the craggy "Swiss alp" mountains. The steep, partly stone-paved roads become bumpy, uneven. It's a real roller-coaster ride. No boring fenders or stones to interupt the view over the vertical drops. As we bounce along on the back of the red pick-up.

First stop, Praya Branca, home of our guide, Sr. Domingos. Small stone and cement houses, steep stone-paved lanes. Chickens, goats and donkeys share them with us. Young girls with children in their arms or loads on their heads walk by. Our guide knows everyone, so we stop for a chat at "every other house".

On we drive towards another, smaller village in a green ravine, right at the edge of the red volcanic peaks. A lovely, narrow, fertile valley. A yellow church on a open clearing is built into a boulder almost as big as the church.
Here we meet a pleasant, quiet and knowlegable local, sometimes resident, Carlos Silva. He grows sugar-cane here and produces a very good rum. We know because we got a taste! Carlos, who grew up here, lives now in the island's biggest town, Vila do Ribeira Brava. He is the director of water supply there. His electro-engineer background is from Holland. We meet him at the village here at his mother´s house. And we hope we will meet him again the next time we make a trip to São Nicolão!

Our guide takes us along the narrow donkey paths into the village, and to the water source here. This green ravine is even greener in the summer, during the rainy season. But in the past years the rains have been fewer and less heavy. There's some irrigation here but women have a long, steep and narrow way back to their homes balancing the heavy water on their heads. A dam would be nice. We pass small woven corrals with goats and cattle. And I think I've taken pictures of every donkey we've passed. Further up the path there's another village higher up in the mountains. We´ll have to go there next time.

Back down the ravine we hike under the jagged volcanic peaks and pinnacles and the hot sun. We climb onto the red pick-up, hump, bumping along. Wonderful cool breeze! Along our way we pick up various hitch-hikers as we head towards an amazing volcanic "sculpture" on the coast.

We leave the rough rock road and follow dusty car ruts, marked here and there with volcanic rocks. Up and around a butte, goats munching on the dry straw that looks like soft duck´s down, on the hillside. On the sea side we get out to walk down to the edge of the cliffs. Amazingly sculpted caves and columns and fabulous forms in sandstone and lava. We climb down them to the sea. There we enter an amphi-room which the tidal waters fill to a natural pool. Now, at ebb, it's mostly dry, so no swimming. But fascinating to see. The next time we see this will be from the sea as we sail westward.

A magic tour of the red mountains, hidden valleys and wild coasts of Terrafal.

0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Saturday, November 26, 2005

The town of Terrafal

The 40 knot gusts are gone. A peaceful night dawns grey and humid, the sailboats rolling easy, their anchor chains straight down in th quiet waters. Surf on the black sand-strand and cocks crowing make up the background music here in the Baía de Terrafal.

Another good-bye to "Snorre" heading towards Sal. And a dinghy round to a few boats, English "Windwitch", and Norwegian, "Glipp", with André on board, is glad that our Swiss neighbor is a good out-board mechanic. His overturned dinghy-and-motor are soon operative again.

In town we soon have our own "boat-minder" the boy who'd swum out to us yesterday. In this cosy little village we get "professional" help from our Swiss neighbors to find out which house bakes bread in a little wood oven. Which door (the yellow one) to knock on to buy goat cheese. Where the mini-markado and the harbor-police and this cyber-café are. Their three year old, Marvin (means friend of the sea) has had his whole life at sea.
And now we´ve arranged with a driver for a Grand Tour of the island tomorrow, including swimming in a volcanic natural pool. Hope for quiet winds so we can leave "Babette" safely in harbor. A prerequisite.

This evening at the café we get a real bonus: three local guitarists, one with the little four-stringed portugese guitar (later, the ukelele). They played Cape Verde rythmns and songs all evening, non-stop. Except for changing popped strings.

Cesaria Evora is well known around the world now. We'ld like to recommend our impromtu musicians here. And "Cordas do Sol", with another Evora, Arlindo. He's one of the six members of this band from Sant'Anton. Their cd," Terra de Sodade" will take you all the way across the Atlantic.

0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Friday, November 25, 2005

"Snorre" found!

In the bay of Terrafal at the Ilha do São Nicolão, in the early morning light what do we see? The mahagoni hull of "Snorre". Our "Funchal-Norwegian" friends! They are anchored here on their "backwards" route from Mindelo to Sal. We give a wave to "Medusa", too, last seen in Portugal and now on their way out of the harbour to Mindelo. Like the Swiss boat here, their "Beitestølen" home harbour
is high up in the moutains, far from the sea!

Well anchored next to "Snorre" we accept a dinghy ride over to them and have a cup of coffee and Anns fabulous boat-baked bread, and Norwegian goat cheese, too. Heaven!

There are about 15 boats anchored here. They all have to brave the tunneled wind roaring down the ravines and then slamming onto the harbour waters. Up to 40, even 44 knots hit us as we ride the anchor chains. 40, 50 meters fed out. We sit it out, rest onboard after our mostly awake sail over. Read, rest and cool off with a swim in the now 26,5 degree water as the anchor and chain do their work.
Dinner with scones baked in the skillet (with the lid on) and bean and tomato soup. You take two cans...

"Snorre" makes an attemt to sail to Sal, but returns at dusk. The over 40kn. wind hit them right on the nose. No choise but to return. And we were glad to have them back.

0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Thursday, November 24, 2005

A long, windy night: towards São Nicolão

The good ol´northeasterlies are back. Time to sail on. This time it´s an overnighter to the Ilha do Sao Nicolao, to the bay of Terrafal. We check out at the blue harbour-police house. Have a last, icy-cold beer and a goodbye at "Cantinha" and take the dinghy on board and off we sail.

After the quiet waters in the shadow of the island we hit some wind and put in a couple reefs. We have to work hard at not sailing too fast; we don´t want to arrive in the dark. The wind's up in 25 knots and our speed is about 6 knots. The seas are choppy and a cloudy moonless sky keeps visibility limited to the white foam about the hull. That's when the radar's good to have. For example to see the weak anchor light of another sailboat, when no navigation lights, red and green,are visible. Also good form making headlands visible, where the maps aren´t always to be trusted.

After a good wok veggie-and-tuna dinner we have a long windy night, busy re-adjusting sails and keeping watch over dark sailboats and headlands.

0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Miss you, Sal!




0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Winds from the south


From the South. That´s different. Warm and wet. What happened to our ol' reliable Trades from the Northeast?

We dinghy into town; it's our turn to take diesel cans to get filled in nearby Espargo. We hitch a ride out with a van, along with various other passengers, and back with a pick-up. We have a few errands on our last whole day at Sal. Today we even manage to get stamps at the post office. Lucky day.

"Christiania" and "Veto" pull anchor and are off to another bay, so the kids can snorkle. And we watch sheet lightning out in the black western sky.

0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

An evening onboard "Christiania"

Splash!

Oernulf overboard in the 25 degree water. Diving under the boat, he checks the propeller... everything ok. It's an "onboard" day today. Except when we're diving into the warm blue waves. Or enjoying the company of the five adult and six kiddie crew on the Colin Archer ketch, "Christiania" and the sloop, "Veto 8".

First we watch the sun sink into our long ocean horizon from our little cockpit table. The pink flamango sky turns black as we row over to the over 100 year old wooden ketch. A great evening on the tared wooden deck draped with coiled hemp ropes, getting to know the crews of our new neighbors.

And we get to help crank the old windlass, to reanchor "Christiania" forward a few meters. Fun! And it gives little 5 tonn "Babette" some more svingroom.

0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Monday, November 21, 2005

Suzy's Cybercafé

Surprise! We wake up, anchored in Baia de Palmeira, and who do see? To Norwegian sailboats anchored together. One is the reknowned 100 year old Colin Archer ketch, "Christiania" and the other is the sloop, "Veto". And between the two of them there are six children onboard.

It's Monday, a workday. So we're all launching dinghies to check into Sal, and the Cape Verde Islands. Børre and Torild and three schoolkids, and extra hand, Tom, are "Christiania" crew. Knut Erik andEirill and their three schoolkids crew "Veto". Suddenly "Babette" seems very roomy.

First stop is at a little blue house, the police station. Quick and easy, just one form to fill out, and a glance in the passports. Stamp! . Next stop, the harbormaster, out on the main road. There we meet the captains of the "Radio France" boats, "Cap Eol", "Changa" and "Yaka Yaka" are also checking in. The Cape Verde officials are fluent in French, and there's a friendly atmosphere, and in the space of a half hour all the boats are officially checked into Sal.

From Palmeira we share a taxi-bus to town, Espargas. There's no mobile net that services Norwegian telephones, so we pay exhorbitant hotel telephone rates to phone home. Then we send e-mails to friends at Suzy's Cybercafé, a tiny shop on one of Espargas' town squares. There's room for a one-table café, with cold beer and four computere in the back room. We check the weather and confirm that a storm system, lots of tight concentric circles, spins around out in the Atlantic, north for the Cape Verdes, Beaufort 9 is the wind strength indicated.

When we meet "Christiania" and "Veto" at an outdoor café there's lots of weather talk. And we hope the ARC sailors, we know quite a few of them, fare well.

0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Sunday, November 20, 2005

Land o'hoy: Are we on Mars?

Today the Atlantic race, the ARC goes from Grand Canary, and we have arrived at the Cape Verde Islands. The land shows up, a rusty iron silouette of volcano cones and long, low, lava plains. The moon is now to the west, so is this Mars?

We and our GPS point us into the Baia de Palmeira and soon huge jet-fuel tanks show up, towering over the little harbour village. This is the nearest port to the airport here on Ilha do Sal, the Amilcar Cadral International. Sal is the easternmost windward island, and a good place for crew changes.

There´s actually no Cape Verde on the Cape Verde Islands. That's on the coast of Africa. As at Madeira it was the Portugese who sailed here and explored these 10 volcanic islands. There wasn't anyone living here then, in 1462. But by the 1700´s they were already deforested, the little that had grown here the last millions of post-volcanic years, eroded by sugar plantation planting. These sugar industry slaves are now the occupants of the island, their creole-Portugese language one of the few reminders of a "European" past. In 1832 Charles Darwin described the islands as "utterly sterile". Except for some greenery around the towns and villages it is hard to tell what the occational herd of goats finds to eat. It´s apparenly greener to the north.

There´s no problem anchoring in the bay, along with about 30 other boats. No "boat-minders" about when we tie up to the concrete pier. The landing, doubling as a fish-cleaning table, is a bit on the slippery side. Small streets lined with one-story cinder-block houses, some freshly-painted in bright cheery colors, others a dusty rubble-pile of disrepair, and quite a few more or less constructed, but never quite finished. The streets are filled with kiddies playing, teens and young men hanging about. Not surprising, the average age is under 19 years. And not much work to be had. A variety of dogs occupy the streets, too. Lolling about or sprawled out in a shady spot.
One of the cheery little houses is the "Cantinha" café. Spick and span, with sunny yellow new-painted walls, green bushes growing in a trough along the walls. Inside, the windows are glassless, with iron bars and open green shutters. The Venezuelian/Italian couple who run it make a good paella. And they have the coldest beer I´ve ever tasted. Right out of the freezer, on tap, with ice in the foam!

Back at "Babette" we have a cup of coffee and a front-seat view of the sunset from the cockpit. The horizen to the west is a sharp line. The sun dips into it at 18:35. And is gobbled up in the space of a couple minutes. Pink and yellow streaks turn purple. Then black. A little breeze is nice in the humid dark night.

Night? It´s not even 7pm!

0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Saturday, November 19, 2005

Seven flying fish on deck

The grey sky gets a blue wash. And the the sun under the east horizon paints it all magenta and gold. A new day at sea. Any whales??
As compensation we have gotten our first catch: seven flying fish! They´re all sizes from a thumbs length to about a large herring size.

Today will be our last Atlantic day; we´re approaching the Cape Verde Islands. We sail slowly in light winds, the sails flapping. We don´t want to arrive in the dark, so we take it easy.
Meanwhile the genoa starts acting up. It´s wrapped itself around and won't roll in or out. Periodically. We work on this a bit. Give up. Let it sulk while we have chili beans and bacon and veggies dinner. And blueberry jam pancakes. And then suddenly the jenny's willing again. Eventually we just take the whole thing down.

And on we sail, on pancake-calm seas.

0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Friday, November 18, 2005

Pictures from the Canary Islands


166 new La Gomera pictures are up here, and now there are also some new pictures from Tenerife and Lanzarote.

Edit: Old photos were unavailable for a while, they should all be up again now.

0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Black-sack showers on deck

The trade winds are now blowing us steadily south and a little west. The spinnaker is now retired, the genoa poled out.
Today´s major activity: showers! We hoist a black water-bag a couple meters up the mast. That's for rinsing. First buckets of seawater, an acceptable 23 degrees, for washing. And a hot sun on the fore-deck for blow-drying.

As "Lille-Per", untiring, uncomplainging wind-pilot, steers on. It´s a hard life.
Well, we enjoy the easy sailing while we have it. Right now we're sailing well. We do 5 to 6 knots during the night.

By the light of the moon.

0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Thursday, November 17, 2005

"Radio France"

During the night we motor-sail from 02am to 08am. At dawn the spinnaker comes up and pulls us up to a 4 to 41/2 knots. Another hot bikini-sail southward.

We have two boats on our circular horizon now, port, aft and a white triangle of a sail styrboard, forward. So what sort of lights did they have on last night?
Soon the radio is active with conversation, en francaise. And Ørnulf joins in this little "Radio France" on the vhf, ch.72. A jolly, friendly group, Ørnulf has no problem being welcomed into the exchanges of position, weather, sailing reports with his school-french. They have come from El Hierro, west in the Canaries and are "Changa", "Cap Eol" and "Yaka Yale".

Another quiet sail with reading, a little flute-playing and exercises on our "Christina"-invented stretch-thingy made of shock-cord with garden-hose handles.
Later on, come evening, the wind increases and we have a goose-winged genoa, still later, with two reefs in the main sail. Real wind,at last.

The sun calls it a day, bright as a red balloon falling under our blue table-top sea. Venus takes over, playing moon and sending a slippery silver pathway along the black water. Until the real thing rises, jack-o-lantern orange, in the east.

0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Cape Verdes


The current position. Pretty much.

1 comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi guys,

I recall making a refuelling stop at Cape Verde on a flight from New York to Johannesburg. It looked like an extension of the Sahara desert. The only green was the colour of the customs agents' uniforms. However, this would be a welcome experience now, looking out of my office window at the cold November rain.

Good luck on your next leg across the Atlantic.

Andy & Lyudmyla

Friday, November 18, 2005 5:11:00 PM  

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

The Life of a Riley

Come morning, up with the spinnaker again. And down again as the wind runs out of breath. Again. More motor-sailing. Lines of clouds march across the sky. Here and there dropping grey curtains of rain. Are we aiming right towards one?

Perfect conditions for whale-spotting in these dolphin,whale and turtle filled waters. Come on, surface! Nope. No whales. (Oh, whale..) Just the occational bird. Meanwhile "Babette" serves another super "English Breakfast" and for dinner, Bacalao. We glide calmly southward, mile for mile,

living the life of a Riley.

0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

A spinnaker sail


With the genaker rigged as a spinnaker we have a "silk-sail" on flat seas, just a light breeze, all day.
We start with an "English breakfast", still enjoying all the fresh stores: fried eggs, ham, tomatoes. And juice, coffee, and our solid German rye-bread (Ørnulf thinks they´ll double as anti-pirate clubs, as well!)
At noon we measure 106n.miles the last 24 hrs. As opposed to 96 the first day. The spinnaker, up all day, comes down before the night-watches. The wind dies to a whisper and we motor-sail a few hours.
The moon lights yp the sea; it´s as "bright as day" and only the major stars and planets can compete with the white glare.

0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Monday, November 14, 2005

Shetland wool and foul-weathe gear

More motor-sailing, three hours. But soon we're sailing, goose-winged, again. We're particularly pleased with "Lille-Per", wind-pilot, who has learned to steer so well down-hill!

Oernulf does dinner today, too. A once-frozen chicken filet fried with some of our stores of fresh vegetables. It´s just exactly piping-hot when the skies decide to open up. So, hand-steering through the mostly windless deluge, the dinner has to be warmed up again. Not quite the dry clouds of fine Sahara sand we feared.

During my night-watch I have a warm Shetland sweater on and have fished out all my foul-weather gear from the North Sea sailing locker! Maybe we´re just a bit too acclimatized to the balmy southern nights?

0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Next stop: Cape Verdes!

We sail out of San Sebastian harbour to the blowing of boat horns! German boat, "Maconi" gives us a good send off, and we answer. Now leaving the Canaries and the last bit of "Europe" behind, we face the Atlantic. It´ll be about a six day sail to the Cape Verde Islands first. Another cluster of volcanic tops in the ocean, this time with a definite African flavour.

Our first winds, as always, northeasterlies, give us a good start. the "convergense zone" is known for it´s gale-strength winds, but not today. Later on the wind more or less dies out and we motor-sail for five hours. A soft start.

Ørnulf does dinner: fried fish. With onions, mushrooms and carrots and potatos. The works!
Not much wind and a bit of rolling at first. But the sea flattens during the night. We're soon alone in our circular horizon. The three boats which left just before us, and the five others going our way the first few hours have shrunk and dipped under the edge of our little world.

0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Saturday, November 12, 2005

Fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs and bacon


Today´s the last day to load "Babette" full of goodies. We´ve raided the marcado, bought two huge, heavy German loaves of bread. Now we know what we can use against pirates boarding us.
We bought some good nut-cake and an Aloe Vera plant from some La Gomera Germans, too. And four back-pack trips to the marcado / supermarcado for a sack of potatos, onions, green bananas, green tomatoes, squash, green beens, apples, oranges, eggs, bacon, cheese and chorizo, and everything we forgot of "dry-goods".
The weather looks tolerable, so we´re off for the Cape Verdes tomorrow morning. A six day sail, incomunicado. So we´ll look up an i-café when we get there. See ya!!

1 comments:

Blogger Kevin Brubeck Unhammer said...

Don't forget to study up on your piratey Insult-Swordfighting skills then, to get the upper hand (upper crust? Nah..) in those breadstick-mêlées:


Insult: I'll skewer you like a sow at a buffet!
Comeback: When I'm done with you, you'll be a boneless filet.

Insult: Would you like to be buried, or cremated?
Comeback: With you around, I'd rather be fumigated.

Saturday, November 12, 2005 7:47:00 PM  

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Friday, November 11, 2005

New strings and duets with "Lille Blå"

Guitar riffs from inside our new neighbor, little "Dolores", inspire me. Quickly, out with our travel-guitar: Could they help with re-stringing it?? Yeah, no problem. Great thing about boat neighbors. They are friendly and always willing to help out. At 6pm they are off on the ferry to Gran Canary for a music festival, so just in time.

At 8pm we have "Lille Blå" over for a really great "Supermarkado" cake and coffee. Mia, 7 yrs. old is just the right age for our Flekkefjord puzzle. Åse, 14, just missed a look at our rasta-twined blond Swedish neighbors.

When there's less cups and plates on the table the guitars and flute come out. Geir from "Lille Blå" is fabulous, very musical and very good at tuning and re-tuning the brand-new strings on my guitar. More Evert Taube tunes, folk songs and lullabies. Even Christmas songs for Mia!

0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Thursday, November 10, 2005

Sailing Recipes

A little summary of the sailing recipes gathered and invented on the trip:

Chicken with Serrano ham, cheese and mustard.
And thinly sliced onion, leek and green pepper. And small mushrooms sautèed in butter. And white wine. The chicken merinated in white wine vinegar, pepper, herbs (provence). Then slice into the chicken pieces and put the good mustard, ham. Fry, then add the cheese, cover and simmer. With a certain amount of juggling between one of the dinner plates and the big skillet it can be made in one frying pan.


"PAELLA ÁLA BABETTE"
Make Spanish rice: First warm up a deep skillet, with about 3tbs. oil. Add rice, stir. Ther rice pops, like popcorn. Keep stirring! Then dump it in twice the amount of water (than rice), with fish bullion, safran, s&p. Simmer for 15 min. Slice and sauté a couple onions, mushrooms and tomatoes, zucchini squash, garlic (that´s what we had in stock!) Then add "mixed seafood", bought at Pingo´s: shrimp, clam oyster, mussels, squid rings. Add a little white wine. Cover. Simmer for a bit. Add the rice, simmer some more. Eat with a good Portugese red wine, under the Bimini and enjoy the sunset, then the full moon.


"CHILI CON CARNE ÁLA BABETTE"
Slice and sauté 3 small onions, a small package of bacon , 3 or 4 potatos, about 8 mushrooms, garlic, 2 large tomatoes. Add chilibeans (one can) and a can of diced tomatoes (and herbs). Simmer 10- 20 min. Eat with , relatively, cold beer, as the distace to Madeira decreases.


Bacalao from the Norwegian dried cod
Shannon makes bacalao today, from the Norwegian dried cod, bought at the Portugese markado. One skillet dish: sauté onion, leek, remove, sauté sliced potatos,garlic, replace onions/leek. Add soaked (24 hrs.)cod, add sliced tomatoes, lemon, pepper,a little white wine; put a tight lid on it, steam on low heat for 20 min. of so. Eat with a good red wine. Enjoy!

0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Getting into a sailing mode

The wind has whistled in the masts, rocking the boats about, all night long. And we´re trying to get in a sailing mode again. We check out Theyr.net and Windguru.cz for the latest wind and wave forcasts. Looks like the 6-beaufort area around the Canaries will abate a bit on Saturday late, and Sunday.

The plan then is to sail to the Cape Verde Islands then,on the 12th, 13th of November. That takes about six days. Then sail around there, in the northerly, windward islands, starting at Sal. The islands are known for there good music, for their poverty, compared to the Canaries. But perhaps it´s better to compare them with other parts of Africa. They are what the Caribbean islands were. They say.
This will be our longest continuous sail to date. That´s exciting. And our first landfall at a third world port-of-call. Also exciting.

We have new neighbors! A tiny Swedish boat, named "Dolores". It´s 6 meters, less than 20 foot! Aboard are two tall, blond Swedes.

With dreadlocks and festival armbands.

0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Trimming Oernulf´s beard. Beard?


Yes, now Oernulf has a proper beard. With his solid tan and worn cotton cap he´s become a proper ol`sea dog. So today´s big event was a trim and a hair-cut forward on deck, letting the wind blow the cuttings away.
The rest of the day evaporated at the cyber-café. Over 20 machines here, I´m the only costumer, but VERY difficult to convince the spanish-only manager to let me use one with an "enter" key. Finally, on the nett the bank in Flekkefjord doesn´t exist any more. At least not online. Great. I guess I get to try again in Barbados a couple weeks before Christmas. Sorry if you don´t get any presents, kids!

0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

A watch-parrot at the Casa Creativa


We wave good-by as "Christina" slides out of the harbour. The Cape Verde Islands about six days ahead. Will we meet up with them there?

Meanwhile, it´s a beautiful clear sunny day, perfect. A rent-a-car day! Time to take a spin around little La Gomera. We wind our way up into the mountains, from one "Miradora" to the next, snapping shots of the deep green ravines, the towering "Roques". The last lava to leave the volcanos got stuck in the hole: a plug. Later, oh, maybe 17 million years or so, the rest of the volcano more or less eroded. These plugs stand alone, like monstrous trolls. Frozen stiff while marching across the deep ravines?

We´re on our way into Garanjonay National Park, in the middle of and at the top of volcanic La Gomera. The very top, Alto De Garahonay is 1,487 meters high. And an easy walk, 2 to 3 km from the road. Even the steeper short-cut is very civilized with steps edged with logs. At the top the view is spectacular. The mist to the North is at a minimum today, the sea hazy. So Mt. Teide at Tenerife is just a blue shadow, and we can´t even make out the island of El Hierro. But, no rain or fog at the top today; it´s a t-shirt and shorts sunny day at almost 1500 meters!
And who do we meet at the top - "Lille Blå"! The four of them, with girls 7 and 14 years old, have also rented a car and are touring the island, too.

For us the next stop is La Laguna Grande. A great place for kids, there´s a huge playground and fields here. But we choose the nature-walk and read all the signs posted. They tell us about the Fayal-Brezal woodland we´re seeing. Despite the green mossy tree-trunks we´re apparently in the drier southern slopes. Myrtle and Heather-tree (humongous heather!) like it here. The light on the forest-floor lets Canary geranium flower in spring.

So, on to Vallehermoso, Lovely Valley. Steep ravines plow through the mountainsides; the towering Roque Cano, head in the mist above. The hills are terraced with row upon row of tall, solid rock walls. An amazing feat. They make vinyards, banana plantations possible. They almost turned the island into an African desert, destroying the water-retaining "Laurisilva" forests. These incredible greenwoods, hanging with Spanish moss, the laurel, holly. They face the prevalant northeast winds and are semi-tropic rain-forests. They grab the clouds on their way over, shrouding themselves in a continual white cover of mist and fog. Making agriculture at all possible here.

Next stop, Agulo, down by the sea. A cosy, brightly painted village, narrow sleepy lanes. The town is like an empty film-set in the siesta. The occational cat slinking along on the shady side of the street, a dog barking.

Further on to Hermigua. The valley is terrased and the banana plantation reaches right out to the harbour. Up the valley we stop at the Casa Creativa for a cup of coffee. A definite ambience to the friendly café. Around back, down the steps to a patio, full of wooden verandas and flowers, we get a surprise. A squack, a CLICK-CLICK, a whistle. A parrot doesn´t let anyone by without some noisy display.

A watch-parrot, brilliant!

0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Monday, November 07, 2005

Bacalao and Evert Taube songs

Light winds and a bright sunny day in San Sebastian. Errands and boat-work occupy the morning hours.Ørnulf is able to order a new diesel filter "glass cup" from Tenerife. It will come tomorrow. (Tomorrow in Spanish is "mañana"!) My broken glasses had to get "re-framed". I feel pretty framed myself, having to pay almost 3000 euro for their cheapest offer. Ouch.
Our wall-to-wall living-room carpet got a wash today. Ørnulf took pity on it. And I have a new sewing project: a rope along the edge of the sprayhood. Along the rope there will be handles to grab, when the boat bounces and lunges out at sea. There can never be too many handles.

So, at 5pm, we all meet up, "Lille Blå", and "Babette", for a teary goodby and lots of waving to "Blue Marlin". We hope to see them in the Caribbean before they turn left into the Panama Canal. And now they disappear behind the pier wall.

But no time to weep. Except over the onions. We´ve invited "Christina" (Swe) to a Bacalao dinner on "Babette" at 7pm. At 6pm there´s a ham-radio meeting for the boats on their way to Cape Verde Islands. Jan from "Christina" will also be broadcasting. Oernulf fiddles with the radio-reciever we have: beep- buzzz- boop-boop. Then a certain southern Swedish twang, must be Jan. Meanwhile I´ve got a whole collection of little bowls filled with the chopped onion, garlic, leek, lemon, lime, potatos, tomatoes ready to sauté, just add the now wet dried-cod. By the time it´s bubbling away the sky is black,the lanterns lit, A big cod stew, a dark Spanish wine, and good sailing- buddies on the eve before their launch into the Atlantic, heading towards the Cape Verdes.
We get out the guitar and flute and the Evert Taube songbook. And soon Taube songs are floating out over the dark waters.

1 comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sounds heavenly. Wish I were there. Wish you were there when I was there. Love Sonja

Thursday, November 10, 2005 10:26:00 PM  

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Sunday, November 06, 2005

A fun Farewell dinner for "Blue Marlin"


The wind is still whistling in the masts, competing with the local sport here, El Silbo. Like yodelling in the Alps, the Gomera whistling helps in communicating over deep ravines in the mountains. There´s a whole phrase book of different whistles, not just, "Hey, good-looking!"

The sailboats masts say, "strong wind". The deeper the tone, the more knots (wind speed). We measure up to 38 knots, in the marina!
Despite the wind Christina is up our mast today again. The genaker halyard will hang outside the mast, it's decided. And husband, Jan, has a huge wash drying, flapping about on the various lines. Everything that doesn't blow away will dry in a jiffy.

After some more boat-sewing work Ørnulf and I walk up to the beautiful Hotel Parador, atop the vertical cliff rising from the harbour. The stylish chalk-white and dark cedar walls contain cool dark rooms, patios with palms and fountains, a beautiful restaurant, all crystal and linen, with a view out to the gardens. The gardens are lovely. Palms, cactii, Dragen Blood trees, flowering bushes arranged in patterns of colored lava rock. The view from the cliff edge. The town, its houses clinging precariously to the cliffs, terrased farms, the harbour, the white-capped sea. Spectacular! We can spot our boat in the marina.
And someone climbing into the cockpit!

Someone with a black rucksack on. Who looks remarkably like: Idun from "Blue Marlin". So, off we go, rushing down the almost vertical cobbled streets and stone steps, to the harbour and "Blue Marlin". It turns out we're all having a farewell dinner this evening, the "Blue" boats and "Babette".
At the palm-branch roofed pizza place, Plazar, there´s no room for a group of 11. So, up the road, at the much tinier restaurant, La Bodegòn, they push most of their tables together and welcome us. We´re a noisy lot. Despite the kids arranging whisper games around the table. We seem to be tolerated. The regulars, looking more like old sea salts than any of us, giving the kids a wink as they limp by on their way to the bar. Their specialty is beef steaks from Brazil, with any number of good sauces. And Spaghetti for the kids. Perfect. And a jug of the house red-wine.
A fun last evening with "Blue Marlin", who will leave us at La Gomera, sail back to Gran Canari, to the ARC trans-atlantic sailing regatta.

1 comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Shannon!

I'm just discovering your web log. This is absolutely jaw dropping what you are doing. When about are you headed across the ocean? Will you be able to keep up with this blog when away from land?
Looking forward to checking in on your progress.
Very best wishes to you and Ornulf! -Becky

Thursday, November 10, 2005 12:08:00 AM  

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Saturday, November 05, 2005

Menus and Medicines

The market is bustling this morning. Booths for Aloe Vera and leather-thong jewelry, Indian cotton blouses are set up around the fruit stands. I buy some good homemade German rye bread and nut-cake. The German population in La Gomera is considerable.

At a café table outside the cyber-café Idun from "Blue Marlin" and I get a chance to compare ship-medicine lists. What do you have for sun blisters? For keeping stomach problems at bay? We compare menus and food-lists for the Atlantic crossing: How much water? Eggs? Will you turn them over each week? What vegetables last longest? How much time will you save boiling rice in the pressure cooker? There are recipes to be copied. Marie from "Lille Blå" is busy on their portable computer, logging on their home-page. She has a whole book of good "family recipes" to share.

Back at the boat Ørnulf has a bad day. Changing the oil filter, a part, a glass cup, has fallen and broken. Where to get a new one? And when will a part ordered from..wherever.. arrive? Later, I break my good expensive "progressive" glasses while, admirably, polishing them. Oops. Remember, I´ve already had the perscription sunglasses stolen. Ørnulf is still thinking: motor. So to the broken glasses he says, "oh." And then, "Too bad".

A late evening coffee-chat on "Blue Marlin" helps. Ørnulf talks motor with Rune. Idun and I are on different wavelength.

0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide

Friday, November 04, 2005

The view from the Miradoras: White


A four hour walk in the mountains is the plan. "Blue Marlin"s, "Lille Blå"s and "Babette"s six adult crew have their backpacks packed. The bus should be here any minute now, at the fuel berth quay. It was here it was supposed to leave from? At 11:05? No bus. After some confused running, scattering, re-gathering we converge on the long line of taxis. A new confusion of Spanglish conversation, and then we´re off. Two taxis, one for the guys, one for the gals. Up, up, up, switchback by switchback, into the green, leafy woods. And into the clouds. And the mist. And then into soft, later pouring rain.

No Miradores. The view is all white. Fog. We arrive at a wet path. Hmmm. The two taxi drivers decide the next Spanglish dilemma. They take us over the mountain and down the beautiful Valle de Gran Rey, "The Big King´s Valley". Terrased vinyards on steep mountainsides appear from the mist. The sea sparkling blue at the far end of the ravine. Rainbows crown the valleys.
Really.

We eat our rucksack lunches at a little chapel patio, by the black-sand beach. In the sun.
It´s been a great day. We bus back from La Playa, up again into the still rainy, foggy mountains, down again into the still sunny, windy San Sebastian.

And re-cap it all at the cosy "Cuatro Caminos" restaurant over Canarian food: Gazpacho soup, grilled tunafish, squid.

0 comments:

Post a Comment!

<< Hide