If you type "Boa Vista" into Google you are retuned with about 16.5 million hits. If you modify your search to "Boa Vista knarly kitesurf" then you are returned with about 16.5 million hits. Boa Vista is a kite surfing Mecca that we have just happened to stumble upon. There is always heaps and heaps of offshore wind, a vast expanse of shallow water that goes on for miles and big breaking waves for these super cool dudes and dudettes to play in. These three ingredients are great for kiting, but make just the worst the combination for living at anchor, you are only able to leave your home for short stints, when you do leave you get soaked on the long long dinghy ride and there is then the lottery of making it onshore, with you and the dinghy, the right way up after negotiating the waves. Once you do make it onshore however Boa Vista is so cool it's arctic.

With Dominique returning to Ruffian just a wee bit later than planned it was time for a race against the clock to get to Boa Vista from Sal. We had to get in before sunset as this remote archipelago has few navigation lights, and those they do have are rarely working. If we didn't make the anchorage before dark, we'd be at sea for another 90 miles making for the next nearest anchorage. After the fastest sail Ruffian has ever given us we negotiated the offshore reef, the outlying rocks and confirmed that the pilot book was correct when it said our electronic charts were wrong, very wrong indeed! The hook then went down into the sea at about the same time as the sun was extinguished on the horizon.

Whenever you reach another island you've got to check in with the local police. This usually involves a search for them in a tucked away location at the far end of town, but before that, we had the long long dinghy ride across the kite surfing playground to negotiate. With the wind and waves up and with kiters buzzing around us we got gradually wetter and wetter until finally we knew that we'd be squelching our way across town and into the police office and squelch we did. Iain was still so damp when we arrived that he took himself off to rinse off the salt water and wring out his T-shirt before refusing the offer to sit as he didn't want to leave a 'wet patch' in the office.

There is a little off-lying island at Boa Vista that protects the bay from the swell and it's written in our guide book that that there is nothing there. We had to confirm this as it looked full of promise from Ruffian and was actually a shorter dinghy ride than the ride to Boa Vista. Again we braved the elements, this time in our swimming gear and made for its white sandy beach. Onshore there was a fort, complete with cannons, that needed playing in and a path enabling us to once again be circumnavigators. The circumnavigation, after the fort, took in lighthouses, crashing waves, a natural bay full to bursting with plastic bottles and birds of prey. We watched in awe as the huge bird flew above us, splashed down into the sea and returned with his dinner clasped in his talons, if only we found fishing as easy as that. The guide book couldn't have been more wrong, there was plenty here.

We also had to take in some of the chilled out knarly kite surf dude atmosphere that was to be found on the shoreline and also had to source some bread in Boa Vista. After being shown to the bakery by a super friendly chap (both Iain and Fiona thought that he'd want paying as they are such cynics but he waved away our advances) we tried our Creole and asked for some bread. The chap got the bread bit but it was all then a bit difficult. He disappeared out back to show us his wares and was gone forever. Iain then commented "Cripes. What's he doing? Baking the stuff?" Seconds later he returned with bread fresh out of the oven. Yep he'd been baking it!

With the sand dunes taken in, chilled out beach coffee bars visited, and a long walk on the beach it was time to wave goodbye to all the cool dudes with their cool kit and overnight we'll be making for the next island, Sao Nicolau, with a dawn arrival planned.

Woo hoo. Hold onto your hats. A super fast sail from Sal to Boa Vista.


The anchorage in the middle of kite and windsurf Mecca.


Iain ones again challenges Fiona to a 'sword' fight.


And once again is defeated.


The wind blown plastic makes you realise the damage we are doing to this planet of ours.


We finally see a huge bird of prey up close and this time he's even gone out for his fish supper. We wonder how he'll carry his chips.


Haha. Prepaid rescue. You've got to love it.


Sundowners. This is a world away from where we started.


Sunset and shelter when the breeze finally dies is in the evenings.


Such a lot to think about. "Shall I go for a walk, shall I have a coffee, shall I have a swim?". Hmmmm it's a tough life.


Does this remind you of anywhere? Answers on a postcard.


Beware all ye who enter. English reef catches another Englishman.