We knew we will not have much wind, but not at this point ! Africa somehow didn’t want us to leave. There was already no gas oil for 3 weeks in Bubaque, our last call in Bijagos islands, the hull of Skøiern, well cleaned by the fresh water of Gambia started to look as a tropical garden, and no wind. Then we waited, took advantage of the squalls to go on, regretting the current which put us some days back, but we were granted : Sowerby’s whales, furtives, the manta ray stucked to the hull at dawn, the metalic blue of the dorado jumping over the wave or on our lure, the night sky which change step by step, letting us discover the Southern Cross, the rain water we collect every shower, the bath on the deck, the most wonderful bathroom of the world, even if we use only salt water…The pets take the crossing very well, Zoé on watch when the weather is fine, Dick looking for his friends the dolphins and both claiming their flying fish every day, fresh of course.

As we go trough Equator we leave the Horse latitudes and after a few days running in the South East trades the echo sounder find at least the bottom, and we had to leave the high sea to go back into civilisation. 24 days of sailing, we were OK for more but Skøiern needed too some rest. Here at anchor in Jacare  ( Cabedelo and Joa Pessoa), we have time to take care of him.

The mangrove is near, it looks like Africa, but the jet skis and other tourists boats put us back to reality : We are in Brazil.

Bubaque, last african call before being alone on the ocean. It’s hard to detach from this continent, and they are not the few days we spent here that will help. First Cacheu, well hiden behind sand banks, defended by its Portugues fort orned by enormous bronze sculptures  : Henri the navigator, Staline, Lénine…then Bolama, ex ruined capital in the shadow of giants “fromagers”, where we set the world to rights, drinking red wine in company of the Province Governor, the Port Captain, the Fishery Director…then the Bijagos islands where we anchored just in front of where a ceremony, forbiden to non iniciated of course, was about to be. Strange these islands, where women conduct the ceremonies, where iniciation last 3 years for the women, 8 for the men ( they have to divorce and go into the wild). We came at the end of this period, when the men would be at last free, and at full moon the bombolong sounded all night. The women are in grass skirt, head shaved for the ocasion, the King of the neighboring village is here, the other one died and will perhaps be replaced….It’s hard to believe all that, but there is restricted places, as the wood of the defunct daughters, and in the crucial evening we had to change of anchorage, and you could smell the “cana” miles around. Ibrahima the fisherman explained all to us, him who came to this island more than 15 years ago.  We left him and his family loaded of more than 50kg of grapes, oranges, bananas…..It’s dificult to imagine that it will soon be Christmass, we will be ta sea, not too far from Brazil, we hope so. May will you have some snow ?

Two weeks sailing up the river Gambia for 150 miles, and we are back to Banjul, ready to go to Guinea Bissau and Bijagos. What a beauty Gambia ! More salvage nature, animals, birds…the mangrove reaching more than 20 metres, laterit trails…We have learnt to live like the river inhabitants, doing our washing with the river water, eating what we could find, and as  it’s the dry season, then winter, sometimes there is not much. But we always could find water, bread, and the  kindness of the people. Plenty of kids, thousands it seem, coming in dugouts or swimming when we stop, quite before we can drop the anchor. Dick is always the star, Zoe hunt bats that she put with delicacy in my boots once killed….We wandered in the bush, have seen varans, chimps, monkeys, hippos ( from far), birds we don’t know the name, a very nice snake, swimming in the river…The crocodiles stay hidden, never mind. It’s less hot, the last part of the night and morning are even cool, 21-23°C. Difficult to leave from here, one more time, difficult to leave people who have nothing and give nonetheless.

Allo Europa, here it’s Africa! It’s true that here we are in another planet. Dakar and Hann bay, so beautiful but so polluted, the old town which  seems not to have changed since 50 years, and time do its work, surburbs with rutted streets, small shops like shanty town, crumbled taxis, the nonetheless crumbled “fast buses”, the inumerable lines  of overloaded lorries…And there is life, small jobs, kids, extraordinairy birds. After 2 weeks doing the unavoidable repairs, formalities, curing the influenza, for sure we cought in the clear water, and  enjoying  the Cercle de la Voile de Dakar, we take the heading to the mouth of the river Saloum, in company of the pirogues, where the men seem to be standing out of the sea……We were told it could be difficult with our draft , but we went trough the 2 passages, in and out, without any problem. The same for the Casamance where we take taste in sailing with imprecise, if not false charts, with the help of  the informations of residents and on the color of the water. It’s wonderful the Casamance, with villages as you could imagine, huts of palms roofs, well maintained folds and yards, the kids everywhere, leading us to visit their domain, hens that Dick try to catch, goats….There is Elinkine, with its pirogues being built, its fish market and shanties where you can always find what you are looking for.. Ziguinchor, demeaning city, where all goes to abandon, paradise for birds which grow in the trees, but where, here also, you can find everything. People are kind, especially in the villages. In towns life is harder, there is nearly none infrastructure, no cleaning up…It’s hot, between 35° and 38° C, we are sweating day and night, but we made the choice ! Soon it will be Tabaski (Aïd El Kebir), and all the sheep which are grazing and bleat will soon be butchered, we will hide somewhere….You can understand it, we love Africa, she bewitch us.

Soon Gambia,  then Bijagos islands, and then it will be time in thinking of crossing.