We visited Cape Verde and the Marina in Mindelo in late August 2016, while delivering SY Natascha to Brasil.

The beacons, described on the charts didn’t seem to work (at least we could not make them out) so unless you are familiar with the area, we wouldn’t advise entering at night.

First Impressions. The Marina is almost empty – our guess, they are preparing for the season? As we’ve experienced, mooring at the pontoons was comfortable and safe. We couldn’t observe the swell people have referred to, in earlier reports. Very cool, the floating marina bar. The marina staff was very friendly and helpful, something which we unfortunately often were missing in European marinas.

The Marina is monitored by multiple cameras and watched 24/7 by guards, which certainly adds to safety but always leaves always an uneasy feeling.

Very positive: The small service company located inside the marina. They had repaired our generator professionally and in no time. Since we left Southampton, these were the first technicians who were able to fix our problem. Cesar and his crew were amazingly proficient and helpful.

Provisioning: Be prepared, prices almost everything in Cape Verde is comparable to European prices, sometimes even more expensive! A welcome exception is diesel fuel at the marina-pump (60 EUROct/litre).

Finally, the Islands: We could only visit 3 islands too (Sal we visited for our crew change, San Nicolao and Mindelo). Palmeira, on the island of Sal, we personally found not very appealing. It is an open industrial port. Nevertheless, Sao Nicolao and S. Vincent (Mindelo) are very beautiful and worth a stay. In any case, one should visit Santo Antao, but caution: The locals told us, that the anchorage in Porto Novo on Santo Antao is unsafe! That’s why we preferred to have our boat in Mindelo and took the ferry boat. A short 45 minutes ride. Why bother? Well, St. Antao is simply beautiful, a real jaw dropper. Our rating: 5 stars: A Must See!

Resume: A very nice stay, with lots to see, nice friendly people and unexpectedly good repair facilities. Those on their way across the Atlantic with a few days extra time or with technical issues should absolutely pay a visit in Mindelo.

Juri & Magda

s/v Nasachata