We have now left The Gambia and sailed out to sea towards the Cape Verden, to the island of Sal, the most northeastern island of the Cape Verden. It is 430 miles sailing and we expect to sail more than three miles. Again we sail together with the Barbarossa and also the Tangaroa will follow us after they are cleared in Banjul. We look back on two fantastic weeks in The Gambia. The combination of a very different culture with nice people, the warmth/heat, the beautiful nature with all the animals we have seen and sailing together with the Barbarossa. But now it's time for a new adventure and we feel like going to the Cape Verden where we will meet the Valentine again. We expect good wind, a bit of light at first, but from the right direction.

Well, let's look back over the last few days in The Gambia. When sailing down the river it gets a little less warm every day and there are clearly less small (and also big) animals. The previous report ended at the anchorage just outside the National Park where we indeed ate delicious pizza's of the Cobb at the Barbarossa in the evening. The next three days we sail back to Banjul in long daytrips, mostly on motorbikes due to a lack of good wind and only the last day a few hours of sailing with wind from behind. For the night we anchor at Horse Shoe Island, close to Tendeba and past Banjul in the creek towards Lamin Lodge. It are long days of sailing and therefore it is very nice and cozy to spend an hour or so with the Barbarossa before the evening / night begins. The last day of sailing we put the spinnaker on for a while and that is also very nice and very easy to set with our fixed tree construction (to be able to fix one lap of the spider well).

On Tuesday Nov 24 (yesterday) we will go to Banjul, the capital of The Gambia. What a shocking experience. It is more a big village than a real city. And what a huge hustle and bustle and a dirty mess. Many of the roads are not asphalted and full of potholes. That makes it a very dusty place in the whole city. It is also very busy and you can see the sewers running open along the roads. Real poverty, almost unbelievable. But strangely enough almost no begging people, maybe because everyone here is poor.
When we have landed at the harbour complex we first go to immigration to clear out. That was done in a few minutes, not comparable to the few hours Toine and Jan needed to clear out. Everywhere in the streets goats are being sold for the Muslim party (for their Christmas) on Friday. The main street has many small shops on both sides. There we buy beautiful fabrics and for the men real African suits. At the end of the main street is a very big market where we want to buy fruit and vegetables. But that is not easy. First we are escorted by (what seemed at first) a friendly man to a bar to have a drink (we really need a cola). But then it turns out to be about getting a beer, he gets drunk quickly and we hardly get him away from us when we decide to go to the market ourselves. Then fortunately another really friendly man comes to help us this time. He chases the drunk away and accompanies us to the fruit and vegetable stables at the market, zigzagging across the market. We just couldn't have found that so quickly. We buy potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, apples, bananas, tangerines, cake, bread and watermelon. That way we'll get through the coming sailing days.

Once back on the boat we immediately jump under the shower to cool down and to rinse off all the dust. Then we sail for an hour to Lamin Lodge for a relaxed last night. In the morning we had pulled Sinterklaas ditches with our own family with the idea that everyone can buy a small present at the market in Banjul. But it is so crowded there that nothing came of it. So we go for the last Dalasi's (currency Gambia) we have in the souvenir shop at Lamin Lodge. Ellen helps our girls with negotiating (no fixed price). And so at the end of the day we spent all our Dalasi's and the Sinterklaas presents in the house.

In the evening we eat a delicious steak with fries at Lamin Logde, again at the top of the lodge with a beautiful view over the mangroves and the anchorage. Afterwards we sit for a while at the Barbarossa and Koen plays bass guitar and sings Giel's own invented rap songs. Really a great last night in The Gambia! A period of two weeks with very nice memories we won't forget in a hurry. The photo album of Gambia is already ready but we need a good internet connection to put it on the site. Hopefully in the Cape Verden, otherwise it will only be in Suriname.