Genevieve
Cabo Verde on 14/02/11
| Rating: |  |
| Board: | 88 litres |
| Sail: | 4.2 |
Could have been on a much smaller board. BUT, having just got off the plane and it was already 4pm, thought we would take on as much as we could handle. This was great fun. point break waves and good wind. The smile could last forever....and the whole week stretched ahead of us -hooray! Josh's wind genie was working hard already
Cabo Verde on 02/03/09
| Rating: | |
| Board: | 88 litres |
| Sail: | 5.7 |
Morning session before the airport/plane experience. My favourite way to travel. A bit of a tearjerker to leave just as the wind and waves seem to be building up again...and just to leave paradise and daily warmweather sailing really...The waves are just making it on the point again, and the wind is just tipping round into the good strength and direction. We have a lovely morning and then do the airport dash feeling we can carry the good vibes for a while. Envy and jealousy of the superlucky Adam and John who are staying another week. But my hands, which have lesions where my callouses normally were before the triplets, probably wouldn't last. And my sunburnt feet would start to play havoc with the footstraps. And I would probably have to have a day without sailing, which would ruin my winning streak. So, best to not rebook the return journey. But I seriously thought about it. In any case, Juan would freak out at yet another week of babysitting while I windsurfed my heart out. Have to get round to admitting that I am not quite single and fancyfree but have a few little responsibilities. Anyway, there is always next time.
Goodbye, so long and thanks for all the fish Cabo Verde - you have found a special place in my heart, near to Fuerte and Hawaii and home in oz. And this wasn't even your finest hour. I am sure the photomontage won't do you justice. Except for the photo with the champ, of course.
Cabo Verde on 01/03/09
| Rating: |  |
| Board: | 105 litres |
| Sail: | 6.2 |
The morning session, despite a respectable breeze and lovely bay and day as usual, seems a little dull after the adrenaline rush of the adventure to Caleta Funda. But the word on the beach gives no hint of any other location having waves, and so the risk would be to take a cab and find out with no strong chance of success. The duck gybes get pulled out again. YAY! Even a duck tack. But only one. I think and plan a 360 but never get round to attempt it. The siesta snooze really seems the best thing since sliced bread. The evening session has added excitement as the champ gets out some big race gear - so he isn't just all about waves, but is versatile and thinking of slalom... interesting...
Cabo Verde on 28/02/09
| Rating: |  |
| Board: | 95 litres |
| Sail: | 5.7 |
The good old Angulo GU in it's various sizes has proved extremely versatile. However today, we went to a new beach. I had a choice of a sail and board, and no knowledge of what there would be at the other end, so took the biggest wave board, angulo 95l, and then a 5.7 which seemed to be the average of what I had been out on so far. This was thrown into the back of the cab (what is known in oz as a ute, in other places a truck, nice and shiny with 4 seater cab and then the tray for all the gear or spare outdoor seating) with all Beth's gear and off we went.
Caleta Funda was offshore. But a good windstrength, and some swell on the point. It was a rocky bay, which had two sandy shores, separated by a rocky ledge point, and we were dropped on the right hand shore. Not a single person around, but a persistent cat that quite liked Beth's sandwich of breakfast fare from the buffet - it found it before she noticed, while we were rigging. The launching would have been ideal from the left hand beach, but a bit of faffing and we got there. The excitement and nerves of sailing on our own in the middle of nowhere in an offshore wind, with no car or phone was quite addictive. The point swell was not really breaking, but was very enticing, and as the tide went it started to rise a little more over the rocky underwater ledge a bit off the point. After a reasonable sail, which was fully powered up - the wind was really funnelling - I got a bit of a fright when something fairly large and shadowy near me when I was waterstarting made a bit of a splash as it did a rapid descent -I went in for a while and collected some shells (chicken). But our 3 hours were also up, and so I went in to derig and collect the stuff together for the cab. A Frenchman and his family had rocked up in a 4*4 and he went out for a sail, clearly seeing the good time we were having- which made us feel like locals - the first to arrive and catch the wind etc etc. Beth hadn't noticed the cab turn up until the last minute but in the end she came in and we packed in for the day. Returning to the Angulo centre, we found we had the best wind and sailing of everyone, so we were quite chuffed about our little adventure. The beer sessions had a new topic!
Cabo Verde on 27/02/09
| Rating: | |
| Board: | 116 litres |
| Sail: | 6.7 |
A nice morning sail planing nicely but the wind is dropping off. Also, my energy levels have bottomed out, as the hangover and lower fitness levels struggle with the daily minimum of 5 hours of sailing. The daily siesta time looks to be extended. An exploration of the Santa Maria Bay is carried out in place of the afternoon session, and Beth and I walk from the Angulo centre along the whole length of the bay, along the full length of the white sandy beach, right round the point past the RIU holiday town and on round the point to close to punta preta. Weirdly, the breeze formerly behind us is suddenly stronger and right in the face as you come round the point, and the point itself while still sandy has some nasty meeting currents that make triangular vertical chop, with underlying rocks. Punta Preta has no waves. But there is one guy out on an a blue NeilPryde (either old or terribly new reflecting the fashion for 80's style), having a good old bash (good sailor too). The RIU spot looks quite good for some waves, in the right wind, but it would probably have to be perfectly cross-shore wind. Punta Preta looks interesting, but not in it's prime.
Cabo Verde on 26/02/09
| Rating: | |
| Board: | 116 litres |
| Sail: | 6.3 |
How to feel great on a birthday milestone - go sailing! Interestingly, the focus on numbers ending in zeros (round numbers) is a Roman superstition, at least them if not others. Priding myself on being a slightly modern girl, I am defiant of these sorts of things. Hah! What an absolutely brilliant day. Glorious sunshine, a sweet seabreeze - in fact, exactly the sort of seabreeze I first learnt in, not too little and not too much, but just right as goldilocks put it. Getting back into the saddle this was perfect and today I challenged myself a little more, given the context, and got round some duck gybes etc. Speedy tacks are working out ok now that the practice has paid off. They will help when the waviness comes back. A good beer or two on the beach on the walk home, relaxing sitting in chairs on the sand watching the water or locals playing beachfutbol has become our habit (funny how quickly good habits form on holiday, only to be lost when you leave paradise). And this night the caipharinhas came out in force.
Cabo Verde on 25/02/09
| Rating: | |
| Board: | 88 litres |
| Sail: | 5.7 |
The Angulo centre rules dudes! What a cool hangout- it has all the desirable beachpad properties -shade, brilliant location, great food, a bit of music and atmosphere, heaps of gear and people who rig it for you, a smiling and cheerful down-to-earth host who is the reigning wave world champion, willing to give advice and chat about the weather - even a hot-tub on the beach - although we couldn't see any water or use in that. Reminds me of my preferred dream home with no walls. Again today, a little less wind and less wave. Have decided the Angulo boards really suit these conditions. The cross-off wind is gusty on the inside when you leave shore, so you need a bit more volume. They are smooth and have a responisve shape. Bad news - Got sunburnt feet and it rubs in the straps. I definitely need factor 40 fully waterproof creme. We are near the equator.
Cabo Verde on 24/02/09
| Rating: | |
| Board: | 88 litres |
| Sail: | 5.3 |
Nice intro to the cabo verde soft style waves on the punta lema of santa maria, sal. Beautiful colours of blue and aqua, warm water, warm winds - very nice. An easy wave to access as you sail in cross-off winds, launching off the beach at the centre where there is no shore break or pounding wave sets to get through, the wave is about 500-800metres away on the point and you head slightly upwind to get into the swell behind the point, then turn and come very close into the point and ride the waves that wrap onto the point - a point break. Then you sail on into the protected bay where you can do all sorts of things on the smoother water and then when you are ready, turn round and do it all again. Nice.
