We docked in Porto Grande Bay. 310 miles off the coast of Senegal. São Vicente is one of the smallest of ten islands (nine inhabited) referred to as Cabo Verde. Even though the name means “green cape” the island is barren, receiving only 5” of rain per year.
Mindelo is the largest city in the archipelago and 90% of São Vicente’s 81,000 residents live in the city, half are under the age of 25.
Cabo (Cape) Verde was colonized by the Portuguese during the 15th century and gained its independence from Portugal in 1975.
The islands popped out of the ocean via volcanic rock some 40-50 million years ago.
Click to enlarge photos.
It’s getting warmer as we head further south. On this bright day fishermen a long the shore line were busy cleaning and carving fish. Each working with a different variety. This man below was scaling his fish using a tin can with holes poked through the bottom. Genius!
The large open air seafood market was not real busy by the time we got there. However, sidewalk vendors selling fish and small amounts of vegis seemed to gather a crowd.
From the turquoise water with bright white sandy shores to the candy colored buildings from the flats to the tops of the hills, this island was a pleasant stop on our way to Africa.
