All posts by Tim Good

Crusing Guides, Life Onboard, Sailing

Cape Verde

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In early February, we set sail from The Gambia for Cape Verde. We could have headed straight across the Atlantic to Brazil, but having never visited Cape Verde, it seemed too good an opportunity to miss. There was also a more practical reason for stopping. We saw Cape Verde as something of a ‘quarantine island’, giving us time to make sure we hadn’t picked up malaria or another tropical illness during our travels in West Africa. The chances were slim, but the prospect of falling ill halfway across the Atlantic, several days from medical help and with our young daughter aboard, wasn’t one we were prepared to risk.

Our Route (click to enlarge)

Our first port of call was Sal, the nearest island where we could clear into Cape Verde. A largely arid, desert-like island, Sal is best known for its beach resorts and thriving watersports scene. While its long sandy beaches and reliable trade winds make it a paradise for surfers, wingfoilers and kitesurfers, we found it rather more developed for tourism than we’d hoped. For us, it was a convenient place to complete immigration formalities before moving on to explore the quieter, more traditional islands further west. Immigration is done in Palmeria and the police are polite and efficient. The men managing the moorings however should be kept at arms length. Personally, I would not trust the moorings as we heard of several accounts of them moving and one boat dragging its mooring across the harbour. You’d be much better on your own anchor.

Célestine was amazed it was as big as her!

We moved swiftly on to Sao Nicolau which was a much more genuine Cape Verde experience. Quieter and one of the least touristy islands, lying between São Vicente and Sal. Roughly 45 km long, it is a rugged volcanic island with dramatic mountains, deep valleys and a population of around 13,000. The passage from Sal to Sao Nicolau is around 65nm and often fast with the wind on the beam or quarter. Passages between the islands can be sporty with winds around 20-25kts and gusting a lot more in the acceleration zones. They are however good fishing grounds for good sized pelagic fish like the mahi-mahi since the depths drop right down to 3.5km between the islands. The islands really are independent volcanoes rising up from the ocean floor!

Célestine explored the only canning factory

The main anchorage is São Nicolao is at a town called Tarrafal but we first stopped at the tiny and picturesque village of Carrical. You can go ashore and eat at a very informal little cafe or take a walk up the riverbed and complete a small round. During the 19th century, Carriçal was an important centre for whaling. Later, fishing and a small tuna-canning factory supported the village, although the factory has long since closed. You can still explore the old factory today. There are still a number of local fishermen with their colourful boats, taking pride in their appearance and paint unique names and pictures on the hulls.

Typically for Cape Verde the wind was strong and very gusty in Carrical. You need to be confident using your anchor in Cape Verde if you’re going to sleep at night and be comfortable leaving the boat unattended to explore ashore. A good deal of chain, a long snubber and our anchor riding sail was often used. It’s not like the Canary Islands where the acceleration zones are limited to specific areas or where the southern sides of the islands a sheltered from the wind. In Cape Verde leeward side of the islands are not that sheltered. They suffer from strong gusts, and swell often wraps around into the anchorages.

Lovely walks on Sao Nicolau

As such, row ashore if you can, since pulling the dinghy up on the beach between waves is much easier! If there is any risk of strong wind then you’ll need to take there outboard but don’t risk going ashore if being capsized by a wave is possible. We even saw some boats anchor their dinghy and swim ashore with a dry bag which seemed sensible. A decent set of inflatable dinghy wheels are very helpful to get your tender up and onto the beach as quickly as possible. Not those flip down plastic types which just dig into sand.

Abandoned village of Riberia Funda

From Carrical we sailed to Taraffal which is refreshingly sheltered. On most of the islands there is a small area where the wind meets as it wraps around the island and creates a small sheltered area. Taraffal happens to be right in this spot and perhaps this is why they built the town here and formed a fishing fleet. You can anchor with ease and see turtles swimming around the boat.

Ashore is beautiful and we’d recommend renting a car to get to the lovely walks and abandoned village of Riberia Funda. The island is pleasantly free of mass tourism and provisions are plentiful. Take your time here and spend a least a week. It is one of the more relaxed islands with a calm and free anchorage.

Landing the dinghy is no problem but you will get approached by “Boat Boys” offering to look after your dinghy and ensure it’s not stolen. Now I don’t believe there is a risk of it being stolen or tampered with. But I did wonder what would happen if we didn’t pay the “protection free”. So I coughed up a small amount and made friends with one of them. I was happy to support him and perhaps it made us feel more relaxed when we went ashore to stay a couple of nights in a local BnB. We didn’t feel Shadowfax was at risk here and we informed another yacht nearby we were away for a couple of nights.

Having security concerns may feel alien after cruising in Europe and the Canary Islands but you need to get used to security concerns once you leave Europe, especially if heading to the Caribbean. Interestingly, we felt more secure in Senegal & Gambia than many other places we’ve sailed.

Santa Luzia

From there we sailed to the uninhabited island of Santa Luzia. After another sporty crossing we anchored south of the island just between the shore and Ilheu do Guisinho, a rock about 0.2nm off the beach. Look for a clear patch of sand since you’ll want a good scope of chain out with the strong wind and gusts. After getting snagged once I resorted to snorkelling in search of a patch of sand and directed Emmie where to drop the hook.

Ashore there is a pristine beach with no other humans which feels very special. Be careful for turtle nests where the sand is soft and circular. Another discovery was the snorkelling at the rock (Ilheu do Guisinho). Initially we assumed the offshore side (south) of the rock would be best but it was largely devoid of life. I then swam around to the north side and BOOM! Every fish you could imagine! We do a lot of diving and snorkelling from the boat and I’ve never seen anything like it. A big turtle cruised past and I could barely get a photo for the sheer number of other fish in the way of the camera!

It was now time to make for Sao Vincente and Mindelo. This is where the majority of yacht go, missing many of the other islands, which is a shame. At very least I would recommend taking the route we did from Sal > Sao Nicolau > Santa Luzia and to Mindelo.

For us we would have liked spend more time on Nicolau and Luzia but the carnival was about to begin in Mindelo which was a real treat! For most boats they have already crossed the Atlantic and won’t be in Cape Verde in late February so it felt like a real privilege. For a small town is was quite incredible how much effort was put into the costumes. I figure that at least half the population of Mindelo must have been involved in some way!

Mindelo has a colourful waterfront, bustling streets and a harbour filled with fishing boats, ferries, commercial ships and visiting yachts. Mindelo owes much of its existence to its harbour. Although first settled in the late 18th century, the town flourished during the 19th century when British companies established coal depots to refuel steamships. Colourful Portuguese colonial buildings, lively markets, pavement cafés and music drifting from bars give the town a character quite unlike the quieter islands of the archipelago.

If arriving at the same time as the Arc+ then space in Mindelo Marina is going to be tight! But at any other time I believe you’ll be fine to enter the marina or anchor off. Personally we found the marina to be snatchy and uncomfortable but very convenient for getting on and off during the carnival. So for us we tolerated it! The owner of the marina was little aloof and slightly rude but you just have to roll with it. There is a convenient floating cafe and place to tie your dinghy but the marina will expect you to pay a daily dinghy fee. This is much reduced if you pay for a week or even a month pass. Check the discounts first as you may find 5 days costs more than one month!

Image courtesy of Mindelo Marina

An excursion many visiting yachts do is a trip to Santo Antão. It is arguably the most spectacular island in Cape Verde, particularly for walking, with mountainous, deeply sculpted landscapes where jagged peaks, enormous ravines and towering sea cliffs contrast with surprisingly lush green valleys. Although there is an anchorage there, it’s unreliable as the winds can switch at a moments notice and cause your anchor to drag whilst your ashore enjoying the island. If the weather is particularly settled then fine, but otherwise you’re best to leave the boat in Mindelo Marina and take the morning ferry.

Our accommodation in the mountains of Santo Antao

I would certainly recommend taking 2-3 days over a trip there. A day trip would feel a little rushed! I decided to rent a motorcycle for a couple of days on Santo Antao which was certainly a good way to see the island if you only have a day. For me I was able to get the lay of the land before Emmie and Célestine joined me the following day. We did some walks up at altitude near the volcanic crater and also to the colourful mountain village of Fontainhas where Emmie took some inspiration for her next series of paintings. You can follow her work here @emmievb or www.EmmieVB.com.

The colourful mountain village of Fontainhas

Mindelo is a perfectly adequate place to provision before the Atlantic crossing. Diesel, vegetables and other supplies can be found. There is a simple chandlery and a stainless welding to hand. Check out NoForeignLand for more pointers!
It was now late February and time was getting on. We still had the Atlantic crossing to prepare for, to Brazil via the islands of Fernando de Noronha. The plan was then to leave Shadowfax in Brazil and returning home for 6 months! However, before that we still wanted to see more authentic southern island of Brava. With no airport it is largely untouched by tourism. Brava is one of the smallest, greenest and, with no airport, the least visited island in Cape Verde. It is a place of extraordinary contrasts: mist-shrouded mountains, flowering gardens, precipitous cliffs and small settlements.

Fishing boats of Brava

Perhaps the most unusual aspect of Brava is its long association with New England, particularly Massachusetts. During the 18th and 19th centuries, American whaling ships called at Brava to obtain provisions and recruit sailors. Many young islanders joined these vessels, eventually settling in whaling communities in the US, contributing to the Cape Verdean diaspora in America. Family connections spanning the Atlantic remain an important part of Brava’s identity, and continue to support the local economy. Additionally a botanical study recorded 239 plant species, including 25 endemic taxa, making Brava one of the most botanically diverse islands in Cape Verde relative to its size!

Our anchorage in Brava

The passage from Mindelo to Brava meant an overnight sail, and as we’d come to expect between the islands, conditions were lively. Strong winds on the quarter kept us moving at a good pace, while the confused seas made for a rather bumpy ride. By now, we’d learnt that sailing between the Cape Verde islands was rarely a gentle affair!

We arrived initially to Fajã de Agua but the bay was horribly confused with strong gusts. We quickly aborted that plan and continued around to the south of the island, finding shelter in a bay below the small village of Tantum. Here the accelerated winds on either side of the island meet and form a dead zone. Perfectly still and most welcome after a bouncy passage! The colourful village is perched 400m atop at the cliffs above the anchorage, with only the small fishing fleet on the beach. We were welcomed by a spear fisherman who’s gun had broke. I lent him mine and he returned with fish, which we divided between us!

Lovely cobbled streets are seen in most of Cape Verde

The island was delightfully relaxed. We took a ride in the back of a pickup truck to the Nova Sintra, the main village, and took a walk around the hills surrounding Sintra. There is a super market here if you needed additional provisions, although you’d have to walk it all the way back down to the anchorage. All 400m down the donkey track.

After a few days on Brava, we were reluctant to leave. The crystal-clear waters, snorkelling, peaceful anchorage and unhurried pace of island life made it all too tempting to stay a little longer. But the Atlantic crossing was never far from our minds, and every extra day meant dipping further into our precious stores of food and water. So, with the twin headsails rigged and both poles ready, we reluctantly weighed anchor, turned our bow west and set sail across the Atlantic towards Fernando de Noronha, some 1,400 miles away. But that’s another story!

Adventure, Crusing Guides, Sailing

Sailing in Senegal & Gambia

The sail down the coast to Dakar from La Palmas, Gran Canaria, was fast and painless but relatively tiring since we traversed the shipping lanes the whole way. This just puts you on edge, checking the radar or AIS screen regularly at night. It isn’t like sailing across an ocean when you may only see a couple of ships the entire way. You need to be alert all the time even if you are still 100 miles off shore. Equally we didn’t want to get too close to Mauritania through fear of the unknown. As it happens, apparently it is a safe country and welcoming.

The colour and paint job of your boat in Dakar is an important cultural right of passage.

We arrived into Dakar in daylight dodging fishing nets for a few hours before dropping anchor in a sheltered bay. Going ashore we felt it was a safe and vibrant place. I had images of being hassled and always on the lookout, but that fear was misplaced. We stayed a few days exploring some markets and a famous slave trade island. The cultural and emotional damage of the slave trade is still very much felt there.

Either way we only spent a few days as the main reason we were in Senegal was the spectacular Sine Saloum Delta! It took a couple more days to sail along the Senegalese coastline to enter the delta.
The Sine-Saloum Delta feels like a world deliberately left off the main routes. For cruising sailors used to busy marinas and crowded anchorages, this place offers something increasingly rare: space, silence, and the sense that you’ve slipped into a slower rhythm of life.

You could spend a lifetime in the delta and still not navigate every channel.

The delta is a labyrinth of winding waterways, mangrove channels, and low-lying islands. Under sail or motor, you weave between sandbanks and palm-fringed shores, often without seeing another yacht for days or not at all. Anchorages are plentiful and beautifully protected—flat water, minimal swell, and soft mud holding. Nights are especially memorable: no light pollution, just a sky thick with stars and the distant sounds of drums or village life drifting across the water. For anyone with even a passing interest in wildlife, the birdlife alone is worth the journey. The delta forms part of the Saloum Delta National Park, a UNESCO-listed biosphere reserve.

Birdlife was just incredible in both Senegal & Gambia

Dawn and dusk bring a constant procession of movement—pelicans gliding low over the water, kingfishers flashing electric blue along the creeks, and fish eagles calling from the treetops. It’s the kind of place where binoculars become as essential as your chartplotter. I’d recommend investing in the best you can afford before visiting!

The sailing itself is gentle and forgiving. Tides shape your movements, but currents are manageable and the waters inside the delta remain calm compared to the open Atlantic just beyond the bar. It’s ideal for pottering—short hops between anchorages, exploring side channels by dinghy, or simply drifting and soaking it all in. If you go aground in the mud, don’t worry! Just back up and try to find the channel again. You always get through in the end!

Emmie playing games with children on an island village in the delta

What truly sets the Sine-Saloum apart, though, is the human landscape. The delta is home to Serer people and other communities who have lived here for generations, largely sustaining themselves through fishing, oyster harvesting, and small-scale agriculture. Life is lived close to the water: wooden pirogues setting out at first light, nets being mended in the shade, children paddling dugouts between islands.

Impromptu lunch with a local family whilst out walking

Visitors are often struck by the warmth of the people — simple, genuine hospitality. There are no glossy resorts here; instead, you’ll find small villages where a visit ashore might mean sharing tea, buying freshly caught fish, or watching traditional music and dance unfold under the trees. The culture feels intact, not staged—rooted in daily life rather than tourism. Now here is the trick! You DO NOT have to go all the way back to Dakar to stamp out of Senegal. It is this which deters some people form ever visiting Senegal. The last village you visit will be Toubakouta, an amazing place with provisions, a good anchorage, water and a vibrant safe feel.

From here you take a taxi to the border and stamp out there, returning to the boat in Toubakouta. A local can help you explain to the police that you’re on a boat and need to go back to your boat
before departing.

From here you leave the delta and either go to Gambia, cross the Atlantic directly or sail to Cape Verde. If going to Gambia it is very straightforward and you immediately enter the Gambia River
after leaving the delta. Head directly for Lamin Lodge and use the agent Mohammed for immigration and customs since it isn’t as straightforward as in Senegal.

Sailing along the River Gambia

From the moment you leave the bustle of the coast near Banjul, the mood shifts. The river widens into a broad, calm highway of brown-green water, fringed by mangroves and low forest. There’s no rush here—no swell, very little traffic, and a sense that you can simply… wander. For sailors used to hunting for the “right” anchorage, the Gambia feels refreshingly easy: you can anchor almost anywhere. The holding is good, the banks are soft, and the atmosphere feels relaxed and safe, even for extended stays.

Up the mast and approaching the bridge. We were so close I was able to touch it!

One practical waypoint shapes how far many yachts go: the Senegambia Bridge. With an air draft of about 20 metres, it sets a natural limit for taller rigs—but for many cruising boats, it’s passable, opening up a quieter, less-travelled stretch of river beyond. Our air draft is 20m so we approached slowly, at low tide and against the current. I went up the mast to remove the VHF antenna which was necessary! We passed with around 20cm clearance and I touched the underside of the bridge!

On the way back down river, it was not so straightforward since the current runs downstream at low water. As such we want through backwards to give us a better chance of escape if we could clear underneath!

Above the bridge is where the real magic begins, but if a boat with an air draft greater than 20m, asked me if it was worth visiting The Gambia, knowing they couldn’t go further up than the bridge, I still think I would recommend going. There are many things to be enjoyed below the bridge and the bird life is still very very impressive.

Celestine playing with local children where the river water has now turned fresh.

As you push further inland, the water gradually loses its salinity and becomes fresh. With that change comes a noticeable shift in wildlife. The mangroves thin, replaced by taller trees and more open banks—and suddenly the river feels wilder, more alive. Birdlife intensifies: fish eagles calling overhead, herons stalking the shallows, kingfishers darting like flashes of colour. You may spot troops of monkeys along the banks, and if you’re patient (and lucky), glimpses of hippos or crocodiles further upriver.

In some villages we took art supplies and Emmie would show them her work.

The pace of life along the river is deeply tied to it. Villages appear intermittently—clusters of huts shaded by baobabs, dugout canoes pulled up on the mud, fishermen working nets much as they have for generations. This is not a polished tourist corridor; it’s a working river, where people live largely from fishing and small-scale farming. Going ashore often feels informal and genuine— curious smiles, waves from children, and the occasional invitation to sit, talk, or share tea.

Our friends on another boat anchored close to shore where we visited another village.

For sailors, the appeal is as much about the feeling as the scenery. Days pass in a gentle rhythm as you go upstream: short motors or sails with the tide, and evenings anchored in complete stillness. What makes the Gambia River special isn’t any single “must-see” sight. It’s the accumulation of small moments and a sense of exploration that still feels genuine, accessible, and safe, without sacrificing comfort. One piece of advice I’d give, is to extend your stay. You get 30 days when you check in with immigration. But it is possible to go to the frontier with Senegal at the Senegambia Bridge. Leave the boat anchored and take a 30 minute taxi or ride in a truck to the boarder. Extend your visa and then continue back down towards Banjul. We wish we had done this, since 30 days does feel like a bit of a rush to complete the entire journey to Janjanbureh (formerly Georgetown).

Finally I would recommend you take anti-malaria tablets, use a super sized mosquito net in the cockpit and all hatches, and carry some jerry cans to refill with water. Water from the villages is
clean and drinkable, thanks to many new ground water pumps installed by private companies or governments as part of their CSR initiatives. You can’t run your water maker in the rivers so
remember to pickle them at sea before entering the delta or the Gambia River. If you need any further advice on cruising Senegal and Gambia feel free to reach out to us or contact OCC member Nicky Barker on Blue Velvet as she is writing the 2026 update for the RCC
Pilotage Foundation.

A few more photos below and a YouTube video is going to be posted soon 🙂

Sailing

The passage to Senegal

The video below is a short edit of our 8 day passage to Senegal. It was quite varied with light winds for the first half and quite strong winds for the 2nd. We set off with another boat, Blue Velvet, owned by Nicky and Reg. Amazingly, after 8 days at sea we arrived with a few hours of one another and for most of the passage we could see them. This was not intentional, the two boats we just very well matched.

Approaching Dakar was a little stressful since we were amid the shipping lanes and there are a lot of fishing boats off the coast. Thankfully however, it was daylight when we approached the coast and navigated to the anchorage.

Adventure, Sailing

Madeira & Porto Santo

After a long but successful first leg down to Porto Santo, we explored the island and then moved on to the main island of Madeira where we spent another month. Then finally down to the Canary Islands via the remote and uninhabited Salvagen Islands.

 

Life Onboard, Sailing

The passage from Falmouth to Madeira

Click image for our article in Sailing Today Magazine

Our first leg of the circumnavigation directly from Falmouth to Madeira, skipping Galicia due to the fear of an unwanted interaction with Orca! We also were aware that time was getting on and August can turn nasty sometimes so making as much ground south as possible seemed sensible, even if it was the first time Celestine had ever spent a full night on the boat! Amazingly she did just fine. No seasickness and slept through every night. Full of beans the entire way!

It took us around 8 days in total with varied conditions but generally fine, arriving in Porto Santo first before continuing to Madeira a couple off weeks later.

Below is a video on our YouTube channel of the passage.

 

 

 

 

Crusing Guides, Our Magazine Articles, Sailing

Harbours and Anchorages of Scilly (2nd Edition)

Purchase the published book from Amazon in soft or hardback from (£25)

OR

To Purchase The E-Book (£15)

If you wish to get a copy of the e-book please contact me directly on info@chasing-contours.com. Thanks, Tim (Author)

“Getting a handle on the best anchorages of the Isles of Scilly is vital if you want to fully enjoy and safely navigate these beautiful islands, making this cruising guide an excellent and invaluable companion for anyone planning a trip”

Sam Jefferson
Editor, Sailing Today Magazine

See Inside:

Take a sneak peak at some of the content of the book here:

How did this book come about?

The production of this cruising guide to the Isles of Scilly came about by pure chance. Whilst passing through Falmouth, Emmie and I took a trip over to Mylor and parked our dinghy on the beach there. On returning, the tide had come in and cut off access. We knocked on the door of one of the large houses on the cliff side, which have access to the beach. Answering the door was the well regarded and long time yachtsman, David Eastburn. This chance encounter led to a great friendship and the publishing of the 2nd edition of his book, “Harbours & Anchorages of Scilly”.

Overview:

An intimate overview of some twenty five anchorages throughout the islands, not found in the usual pilot books. This second edition, now over 100 pages, incorporates additional anchorages, references, advice and drone photography by Tim Good. The original author has an unrivaled knowledge of the islands (Scilly local boatmen excepted, of course!) gained over some sixty years of sailing to the islands in a variety of yachts from shallow draft multi-hulls to his beloved El Animado, which had a draft of over two metres. Apart from clear and simple pilotage notes for a number of deep and drying anchorages, this book has advice on anchoring techniques, weather, history and topography. Surely a ‘must read’ for anyone visiting the wonderful Isles of Scilly.

Crusing Guides, Life Onboard, Sailing, Webinars

Webinar: Isles of Scilly

After sailing back from the Azores we planned to sail to Svarlbard for the summer 2021. We spent a long time preparing the boat whilst in Plymouth, mostly improving the heating system and insulation. As fate would have it however, we found out that Emmie was pregnant on New Years Eve 2020! As such we changed the plan and spent the summer in the Isles of Scilly instead. Here is a webinar we gave for the Ocean Cruising Club about the trip!

Click here or above for a recording of the zoom webinar

Adventure, Diving

Scilly Seals!

Around the Isles of Scilly are various colonies of Seals which have come very accustom to people, boats, kayakers and swimmers. They’re super curious and take great interest in people!

Even at anchor or when you’re in a dingy, the seals will pop up only a few meters away to say ‘hi’. So I decided to go diving with them and see how they’d take to me joining them in their realm.

At first I couldn’t find them. I was going around the kelp forest without a sight but Emmie was snorkeling above me in hysterics. The seals were sneaking up behind me and following right on my heels, sometimes nibbling at my fin. I thought I was just catching them on kelp but after a while I realised what was going on!