We liked the marina and the city of Mindelo, the capital of the Cape Verdean Islands right away. The berths in the marina are a bit “rolly”, because there is a swell in the bay (anchoring or mooring is probably a good idea here), but overall we have good impressions. The Marina team is very friendly and well organized.
We especially liked the Cape Verdean music. There is a lot of it in the whole city and in most bars and restaurants live music is offered. We would like to come back here and stay a while longer.
Practical things: Clearing-in and clearing-out was quick and uncomplicated. The offices (Immigration and Marine) are closed on weekends. Since we wanted to continue sailing on Sunday, we cleared in and out on the day of arrival.
In the marina there is good water from a reverse osmosis system. According to our impression the water has a very good quality. But during our stay there were problems with the water supply from time to time. Therefore it is probably a good idea not to fill the bunkers just before the planned departure.
There are no washing machines in the marina. But there is a self-service laundromat and a laundry service nearby that doesn’t cost much more than the self-service laundry, but is much more comfortable. One can bring the laundry in the morning and pick it up in the evening washed, dried and nicely folded. Price according to weight (approx. 220 ECV per KG for the Eco-Service). It is only 2 minutes walk from the marina. The information can be found on the notice board in front of the marina office.
Internet is available in the cafe next to the marina office (unfortunately not at the pontoon). Internet is not always fast and the password is changed regularly. The food is good (bistro-like) and relatively cheap.
Besides this, we were in the restaurants “Elvis” and “Cocktails”. Both are good and not far from the marina. Near the Postflliale there is very tasty ice cream!
On Sunday many things are closed, including supermarkets (almost all), markets, gas station and laundry service.
