Boat services in Cape Verde

[GHA]

Always a hundred & one little jobs to do & stuff to make on a cruising boat so just thought, why not pop down to Mindelo & chill out for a bit there while chipping away at the list & get sorted out for a while offshore/off the beaten track again. Looks nice for cruising the islands as well for a change of scene.

Pretty much self sufficient but how is it for stainless fasteners & sandpaper, day to day kind of stuff? Not really in need of any chandlery expensive stuff.

Also what about back street fabricators who could rustle up some little brackets & the like?

And anyone had stuff posted down? Is that realistic? Thinking specifically of getting some circuit boards made up and sent to UK then forwarded. Small letter size.

In Canaries ATM which is nice but been in the first world far too long, time to move, doesn't take long to get down there.

 

[Sea Change]

I'd be pretty cautious about relying on getting anything important done there. We cut our stay there short as we were starting to use up the provisions we'd bought in the Canaries and couldn't easily replace them. Ok we didn't see anywhere outside of Mindelo but I don't imagine it gets a whole lot better.

Glad we stopped (great music scene) but the constant 30kt wind and worries about security don't make it somewhere I would choose for an extended stay.

 

[GHA]

I'd be pretty cautious about relying on getting anything important done there. We cut our stay there short as we were starting to use up the provisions we'd bought in the Canaries and couldn't easily replace them. Ok we didn't see anywhere outside of Mindelo but I don't imagine it gets a whole lot better.

Glad we stopped (great music scene) but the constant 30kt wind and worries about security don't make it somewhere I would choose for an extended stay.

Thnx. It's just sandpaper & stainless nuts & bolts maybe the like, though I'll check the stash of studding.
Boat is pretty much self sufficient these days for keeping it seaworthy.
And back street fabricators might be nice if there are any. Last time I can remember getting someone to do welding was a guy in a beach shack in Dakor who stuck the gooseneck back together for a Euro 15 years ago. Still going strong
Music sounds good though, missing gigging.
I thought the markets looked pretty good for food....

 

[Sea Change]

I've heard of people getting things done but it was out of necessity, not choice.
Most of the food is imported so expensive and with short shelf life. We did pick up some veggies which lasted a couple of days. I've heard of market vendors ripping off yachties- €70 for a bag of veggies. But the fact that they actually paid that says more about the yachty than the vendor

Mads (Sail Life) did some work there so it would be worth looking up his videos. He also got mugged though!

 

[GHA]

I've heard of people getting things done but it was out of necessity, not choice.
Most of the food is imported so expensive and with short shelf life. We did pick up some veggies which lasted a couple of days. I've heard of market vendors ripping off yachties- €70 for a bag of veggies. But the fact that they actually paid that says more about the yachty than the vendor

Mads (Sail Life) did some work there so it would be worth looking up his videos. He also got mugged though!

Ain't my first rodeo
Looks fairly sizable town so must be some handy guys in the back streets. Still lots of talent in the world, watched guys rewiring starter motors & alternators by hand before in backstreet shacks.
Anyway, worth a look I reckon. Last time I was there came from Senegal into Praia & being stupid ignored the warnings about the anchorage so woke up with some possessions less. Thankfully slept through it. Mindelo looks OK with just light fingers on shiny things compared to down there.
Thnx.

 

[jdc]

It's a few years ago, but the markets in Mindelo were excellent for fruit and veg (and rum;-), much better than the Canaries for yachts in my opinion for the simple reason that nothing will have been refrigerated. Thus the produce keeps in a hammock aboard much longer: we kept it going all the way to Brazil.

But I was a little disappointed by an apparent lack of African inventiveness and ingenuity I had grown used to, and very much admired, when I lived in W Africa as a young man (in Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Zaire and Angola). It seems that stores selling Chinese tat to cruise ship passengers has taken over in Mindelo, and we wandered miles looking for a small sheet of Aluminium and other small bits and pieces. On the other islands it might be better, San Antão is a fantastic day-trip by ferry anyway. But there are some stalls in the 'African Market' which do bicycle repair and electrical repair which are helpful, and the not to be missed stall (I hope she's still there) run by a lady called Mercy Cole who makes flags; helpful for the next steps of the voyage.

But in general, go to Mindelo, and try to go for 'Carnaval', ie Shrove Tuesday: the whole place shuts down and goes partying, and anything goes!

FWIW: Some of our blog here.

 

[capnsensible]

Passed through Mindelo a few times over the years and seen a big improvement in repair services at the 'new' marina. Slow but good quality.

Not had a problem with victuals either... or watching football and rugby! Cooking gas especially cheap.

I like Mindelo but appreciate not everyone will.

 

[Sea Change]

I wonder how we would find Mindelo on a repeat visit. It was our first stop outside of Europe so a bit of a shock to the system in some ways ("what do you mean there's no Lidl?") I think that after a year in the Caribbean it would seem less daunting.

 

[GHA]

It's a few years ago,

FWIW: Some of our blog here.

Thanks! Getting excited now, been far far too long in the fat rich west.

And another blog to go through, some great pics. Funny how every carnival you come across says it's the "biggest outside Rio"

Was there any live Fado in the backstreet bars?

Just put on some Evora Cesaria to get in the mood

 

[Sea Change]

Passed through Mindelo a few times over the years and seen a big improvement in repair services at the 'new' marina. Slow but good quality.

Not had a problem with victuals either... or watching football and rugby! Cooking gas especially cheap.

I like Mindelo but appreciate not everyone will.

We got two 4kg Calor bottles filled for €10. Only problem is that, despite walking past the buildings with the blue tanks to visit the place with the orange tanks, and despite specifically asking for propane in my orange bottle, the man in the orange boiler suit sold me butane. I only found out when I got the receipt.

It might actually work, but seeing as we last changed gas bottle in April I haven't needed to find out yet.

 

[GHA]

... or watching football and rugby!

now don't go tarnishing my blind optimism

Guy in Las Palmas let me borrow a full 13Kg bottle (€19) a couple of times to decant in the anchorage into the ships bottles & a 907 so that's not far off a years worth.
Propane, butane, mix... whatever you can get.

Every day ashore is more rice & uht milk & kitchen roll. Little by little that's how we victual.
Starting to feel like cruising again!

 

[rogerthebodger]

Men at work in Mindelo, Sao Vicente Island, Cape Verde.​

so there are and you an find the same in most parts of rural africa as repair is a skill needed in the bush

 

[capnsensible]

Can get Guiness tho.

Great Irish bar - Review of Simpatico Sports Bar, Mindelo, Cape Verde - Tripadvisor

 

[GHA]

Can get Guiness tho.

Great Irish bar - Review of Simpatico Sports Bar, Mindelo, Cape Verde - Tripadvisor

Ta, yeah saw that. Funniest thing happen couple years ago now though, a few days off the sauce post new year just carried on! Not a drop since. Surprised me. I was good at it
Looks like that bar does music as well, irish bar, would do.

And just dawned on me, in Arguiniguin which was where I left from last time 2008. Different world now. Different world, same outboard
I was all so incredibly new & exciting back then. Better now in some ways but kinda miss the newness, been new for so long it's normal now.

No way would I go into Dakar at night now

 

[BobnLesley]

There were some good backstreet metal fabricators when we were there ten years ago. Glad to read that the marina services have improved and hope that's true as they were absolutely dire when we were there

 

[Roberto]

Glad to read that the marina services have improved and hope that's true as they were absolutely dire when we were there

+1
They sent us in a berth where the mooring chain of the pontoon was oriented transversally, a little swell and it grinded away a good chunk of our rudder aft edge before they were eventually convinced that was not a suitable berth for a sailboat.
Also, a couple of days later it was "The ARC is coming" so all the non-ARC boats were moved to the end of the very long pontoon, likewise fuel, engineers etc all was booked for the ARC boats. It was also the one and only place where we all got dyarrhea, among several tens of other remote countries visited by boat or land.
Admittedly, Mindelo is more geared to nightlife, live music, concerts, etc rather than for families with young kids, but at least for me never again.

 

[GHA]

So Roger, maybe you know a bit of the country - maybe not for Cape Verde ( or maybe) but the Gambia & Guinea Bissau are definite maybes, what would be good to take as gifts for the people living there? Kinda thinking fishing hooks / line & blank school books / pens. Would that be like a good thing to do? Don't want to be condescending but would like to help.

And must dig out your photos again for some inspiration, there's a vague in my head "should make one of these one day" list & just remembered the cooker would be much better with an industrial pivoting bracket instead of that thin pressed plate.

On offshore passages does everyone else spend days staring and thinking of things to build/change/add on the boat. Steel is perfect for that. I can just weld off the inverter in the anchorage with skinny 1.6mm rods but it's so cool being able to. Need a tie down point? Chop a stainless chain link in half & weld it onto the deck.

 

[jdc]

SA was definitely off limits when I lived in W Africa in the 1980s, but I guess even yarpies are allowed to travel to Gambia or Senegal nowadays.

Chinese consumer goods, such as fishing lures and smart-phones are everywhere today; Africa is not so backward! And it's certainly populous, did you know the population of Congo (of "Mr Kurtz - he dead" infamy) is more than 100 million today!

You need take nothing but good humour, respect for individuals and their trades (this is a universal: remember 'the labourer is worthy of his hire"), plus a willingness to stand your / all the round(s) in a bar and you'll be fine. I know no other content so welcoming of strangers. You won't find beads useful...

Sorry, a mite sanctimonious...

 

[GHA]

SA was definitely off limits when I lived in W Africa in the 1980s, but I guess even yarpies are allowed to travel to Gambia or Senegal nowadays.

Chinese consumer goods, such as fishing lures and smart-phones are everywhere today; Africa is not so backward! And it's certainly populous, did you know the population of Congo (of "Mr Kurtz - he dead" infamy) is more than 100 million today!

You need take nothing but good humour, respect for individuals and their trades (this is a universal: remember 'the labourer is worthy of his hire"), plus a willingness to stand your / all the round(s) in a bar and you'll be fine. I know no other content so welcoming of strangers. You won't find beads useful...

Sorry, a mite sanctimonious...

Was thinking more villages way up the Gambia but don't know so therefore the question

Will certainly stash a carton or 2 of cheap cigarettes though

Think Dakar was the only place I've ever been where there was a little "surcharge" at immigration and we both knew the deal. And he was huge with a gun just as big
Only a fiver.

Edit: Some time on google seems up the river schools lack of money is a real problem so books/pens etc might well be very welcome. And solar powered calculators which I would never have thought of. Few Euros up the Chinese shop here might actually spread a tiny little bit good in the world.
Seems generally agreed giving money direct & not through agencies doesn't really help.

 

[rogerthebodger]

Since 1994 The relationship with the rest of Africa has changes. To give an example I used to travel into Africa on my UK passport without an issue but my staff with and RSA passport needed an visa.

This has changed as I needed a Visa if I use my UK passport but no Visa for a RSA passport. I then applied for naturation to get an RSA passport to make traven into Africa easer. Not been to west Africa at all so have little knowledge.

As far as gifts take pens pencils and school books and clothing (tee shirts and shorts are always welcome I found are always welcome. The big think is to respect the local culture and learn the local greeting and protol as old colonial ways are not liked. Also remember that African time is very different to UK and EU time

Hope this will help