Setting Sail on the Silver Wind

ere at the Salobre Sheraton Resort on Gran Canaria, a man-made green golf spot in what appears to be a barren volcanic landscape, where the only plant life seems to be Canary Island palms – surprising? And in this notoriously dry Spanish island in the Atlantic, it has to be bucketing down rain when we visit.

Silver Wind at anchor at our first port of call, Porto Novo on Santo Antão in the Cape Verde Islands (300 miles off the West coast of Africa)

We board the ‘Silver Wind’ at lunch time and then have two days at sea before our first ports of call in the Cape Verde islands; Porto Novo on Santo Antão, and then Praia on Isla de Santiago. Dakar Senegal the next day is the first port in Africa. Going ashore on three days in a row – oh well!

But then I have three more days at sea before Takoradi in Ghana. I’ll know a lot more about the history of the slave trade, greed and human misery after visits to these West African centres. I’d always imagined that it was the Americans who started this inhumane transportation, but I’m already learning that European powers did battle for supremacy in the seaports along the West African coast and in the Cape Verde Islands from as early as the 15th century to get the upper hand. Stronger African tribal chiefs also profiteered by capturing people from weaker communities and selling them to the Europeans.

I can dwell on this sailing on down the coast for four more lazy sea days before hitting Namibia with the Skeleton Coast and high sand hills, and finally, Cape Town in South Africa.

All at sea

More photos to follow when internet speed improves