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.