As my primary language is not English, there are probably some mistakes in my translation.
Remember that the person who speaks here is NOT me, Vincent Celier (
Hive account@vcelier), but Marc Allaria (
Hive account@marc-allaria), a French guy.
DESERTAS -> CABO VERDE
My time at the Desertas being counted, I must now leave, as if chased by a parking meter which no longer allows me to stay where I do not bother anyone. But by leaving these last Madeira Islands, I also know that I am leaving Europe and all this system doomed to contempt and failure. Certainly, the Canary Islands are still on the road for Maesha, but I will not stop there. Tired of seeing my existence overstretched by rules that corrupt the very meaning of life at sea. But if I blame the people, I have nothing to reproach to the locations, and it is not without a certain nostalgia that I leave these incredible islets which I am sure, still hide many secrets.
Maesha raises her mainsail two hours before sunset. The sea is smooth, the wind gently pushes the two hulls of my beautiful boat straight to the south. At this rate, you would want to sail many weeks as the movement is regular and gentle. But obviously, if the sea was always like this, there would be many more people sailing! At the second sunrise, the road leads us straight to the Canary Islands. An area which can present a few mood swings in the wind with accelerations which can become serious and spontaneous. The wind rises slowly, the sea also, but the whole is carrying so that by using only the front sail of Maesha, the boat advances to the comfortable pace of 8 to 10 knots between Las Palmas and Tenerife. We pass in less than 10 hours the last European archipelago of the eastern Atlantic.
The rest of the road will, as often, be a war of patience. I try to impose regular activities, intellectual, manual, physical, and important household activities in order to maintain the boat in a pleasant state of life and the psychic always positive. Very few freighters will be crossed on this route, it radically changes from navigation in the Mediterranean Sea! This allows me to sleep more quietly in 45 to 60-minute increments. On the 7th day, I see the first razed peaks of the island of Sal, Cabo Verde. Even though it is not my first arrival, the fact remains that seeing the land after several days at sea always makes me as happy as a child in front of good ice cream! Common sense dictates that it is always better to arrive during the week and during the day in order to avoid the vagaries due to the dangers of night arrivals and the holidays of border officials. We are Sunday, it is 6:00 pm and I will arrive in a couple of hours ... I missed again!!
