In early November 2013, Sila arrived in the Cape Verdes after a seven day passage from the Canaries. We spent a couple of weeks in Mindelo before sailing out into the Atlantic, bound for the Caribbean islands. In early April 2015, Sila arrived in the Cape Verdes after a forty-two day passage from South Georgia. We have spent about a week in Mindelo this time before we sail out into the Atlantic tomorrow, bound for the Azores. Our visit to the Cape Verdes in 2013 was in some ways nearly the same as in 2015 but there were a few noticeable differences.
In November, the trade winds, a steady wind at about fifteen degrees North, are picking up and there is still plenty of time to check out the Caribbean before hurricane season. As a result, there are hundreds of boats that cross the Atlantic at that time of year, which meant we were in a full marina. Most of the boats had French kids, annoying since Jack and I enjoyed meeting kids but couldn't necessarily communicate. Now, in April, when there isn't much time on the other side of the Atlantic before hurricane season, so the few boats at are here are tied up for a few months with no one aboard. The few people that are here are heading in various directions, but there are no kids, French-speaking or otherwise.
The year that we crossed the Atlantic, the trade winds were very far South. The Cape Verdes had no wind. Now, as we sit in the Marina, wind howls through the rigging. It is not as strong as in South Georgia, but it is still a considerable amount. In November, the marina smelled because of all the stuff in the water and the lack of wind to suck the smell away. It was also very hot but now, with tons of wind everything is relaxingly cool. And both visits were filled with a lot of excellent fresh fruit. I think in general, I liked the November visit better because we snorkeled and hung out with some nice French kids. But this time, the fruit is even better since we have not had any fresh fruit since early January. I am excited about heading to the Azores tomorrow. - Porter
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