First of all, in general, travelling by sailboat instead of by plane is a much more environmentally friendly and adventurous way to cross the Atlantic. For me, being on a sailboat in the middle of the ocean and seeing nothing but water around me is absolute freedom. This way you also get a different impression of how big our earth is and how much of it consists of water.
Of course, you should think carefully about whether this kind of travel is right for you, and it’s not a bad thing if it’s not. Not everyone can imagine being in such a confined space for a long time and I have heard of people for whom the Atlantic crossing was not good. For example, some people get sick quickly and then a sailboat is not necessarily the most suitable place. Be aware that this kind of travelling cannot be planned. You don’t know when and where you’ll find a boat. And you will be on a boat for several weeks that you can’t get off.
But if you can imagine it, I think you’ll have a fantastic time! And let me tell you, there are many other people who have travelled like this or are travelling like this right now. In Gibraltar alone we had about 20 seekers on site when I left and in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria we currently have over 50! There are different age groups represented from 19 to over 50, but most are between 20 and 30. And there are people from a wide variety of countries, most of them European, who have decided to try the same adventure as I have. Some have even done it before. And you also meet many families who do the Atlantic crossing with their children – but not hitchhiking but on their own boat 😉

Tips for Atlantic Crossing

The most important thing to keep in mind is when sailboats cross the Atlantic, because it doesn’t happen all year round. Especially in the summer, it is hurricane season and only those who are tired of life cross the Atlantic with a sailing boat.
The best time is from the beginning/middle of October to the Canary Islands and from the end of October/beginning of November from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean. At least until January/February is the Atlantic crossing season, so you don’t have to start directly in October.
Almost everyone actually takes the route via the Canaries, as the winds are best on this route. From Portugal/Spain to the Canaries it takes 4-8 days, depending on the boat and the wind, if everything goes well. A good place to look is in La Linea near Gibraltar, I’ll write about my experience below. Other ports I’ve heard of but not checked out myself are Cadiz in Spain and Faro and Lisbon in Portugal.
If you want ideal wind from behind, you continue from the Canaries via Cap Verde and then to the Caribbean, but the route is a bit longer, so many sail directly from the Canaries.
There is one big regatta that currently starts 3 times a year from the Canaries to the Caribbean: the ARC. This is interesting for hitchhikers for several reasons: Firstly, there are simply a lot of boats leaving at the same time. Secondly, there is an accompanying programme both beforehand on Gran Canaria and later in the Caribbean, and I imagine that you can get to know yachties well there. And thirdly, the ARC is accompanied, so you can get support more quickly and easily if something happens. However, my impression in Las Palmas this year was that almost all the boats for the ARC were already full, so it was difficult to get on a boat. Most people plan their crew for the ARC at least half a year in advance.
This year the first ARC+ over Cap Verde started on 6 November. The main ARC started on 20 November from Las Palmas and then there is a late one in January. You can find all the information about the ARC here: https://www.worldcruising.com/arc/event.aspx

Tips for Searching for a Boat

There are a few qualities that are helpful when you want to find a boat, but I think the most important thing is that you are open and dare to approach people.
If you have sailing experience, that’s helpful. However, most of the people I’ve met so far had little to none and still found a boat! In general, almost everyone who was patient enough found a boat.
Languages are also helpful, especially because it’s important to speak to people in port and it’s often easier in their mother tongue. In La Linea, it was mainly German and French crews that set off. But that is changing, of course. And on the Canary Islands it is already much more diverse and, for example, there are also many Scandinavian boats on the way.
Apart from that, there are many skills that you can bring with you, and of course it is different for every crew what they want. For me, it was very helpful that I have my guitar with me and can play music, and that I love children, because both boats in Gibraltar that I was in close contact with have children on board. But of course it is different for many others. Both in personal conversations and on notice boards, it’s best to try to work out your strengths. But be honest. Here are a few tips:

• If you are in southern Spain, look for a ship heading to the Canary Islands. Since almost everyone sails via the Canary Islands, you can also look for a ship across the Atlantic and it’s good to get away from mainland Europe first. If your boat then continues on to the Caribbean, you can check out for a week whether you want to travel together for longer and then decide 🙂
• Talk to people – all of them! As with normal hitchhiking, the search works much better in personal conversation than with a simple cardboard sign. My tip is that you also chat to people who tell you they can’t give you a lift. The more contacts you have in the ports, the better. You can also ask them to let you know if they hear anything. I’ve also given a lot of people a little card with my contact on it, and they can just pass it on when they meet someone who has space.
• Be friendly and not too direct. Try to get into conversation with people. Inquire about their ship, their plans, etc. Don’t barge in if you can help it. I usually didn’t ask “Can you take me to the Canary Islands or the Caribbean?”, but “Have you heard of boats that go to the Canary Islands or that cross the Atlantic?” Everyone can answer this without feeling pressured.
• Go to different ports. If there are several ports near you, go to all of them. Talk to the people and staff and other hitchhikers and you will quickly find out which ports are the most promising. In Gibraltar, there was one port where the staff told me that all the ships were staying for the winter. That’s a good way to save yourself the trouble.
• Make posts. Print a clear! DINA4 sheet on which you introduce yourself and work out your advantages for a possible crew. Be honest, take a friendly photo and include your contact. Even though most people find their boat in a personal conversation, this is little effort and can’t hurt. Post the note wherever yachties are, i.e. in the marina office, wash house, etc. Don’t bring all your stuff with you.
• Don’t bring all your stuff to the harbour. It is sometimes helpful not to be noticed as a hitchhiker at the very first moment. I felt that people are more likely to talk to you if they feel that you “naturally” belong in the port.
• Talk to people when they have time. When they arrive, for example, they are always very busy and may find you more of a nuisance. Otherwise, most of them are really super friendly!
• It’s good if you come to the jetty with the boats. I did that whenever possible. It’s important that you don’t get on their nerves, but walk around relaxed and talk to the people. And if in doubt, leave the jetty when asked to do so.
• Try online sites like “findacrew.net”, “crewbay.com”, etc. and Facebook groups like “Atlantic Crossing East -> West 2022/2023”, “Crew Finder”, “Atlantic Ocean Crew” or “Sailboat Crewfinder Worldwide”.
• In the app Navily you can write to boats that use the app. Navily provides sailors with lots of helpful information about ports and anchorages, which is why many use it! You should actually have a boat to sign up to it, but you can just leave out the boat info.
• If you like swimming or can get a dinghy from somewhere, you can go out to the boats at anchor and talk to the people there directly. Otherwise, look where the dinghies are moored in the harbour when the crew goes ashore and talk to them there.
• Bring time with you. Somehow clear, but I at least got impatient very quickly. The way we travel doesn’t allow for time planning.
• Take a break. Go hiking, explore your surroundings, go to a museum. It won’t do you any good to look too hard, and it won’t necessarily make you faster. It’s also okay not to talk to a few people.
• Don’t just take every boat! Even if you already feel a bit pressured or disappointed of your search, only take an opportunity where you feel comfortable with the boat, the skipper and the crew! You will be with them for a long, long time and there are also boats crossing which are not really safe. So ask about their experience, their equipment and so on. If possible, try to already spend some time with them while in harbour, then you could still figure out if it doesn’t fit or you don’t feel safe.
• Be nice to the other hitchhikers, be happy with them when they find a boat. Firstly, they deserve it, and secondly, the contact with them will be helpful to you.
• Don’t give up! You can do it, definitely! You will meet people who tell you otherwise – ignore them! I’ve met many more people who have said it’s a good route and that one can definitely find rides between October and March. So you’ll find one too <3

More tips you’ll find here: https://www.theoceanpreneur.com/crewing/how-to-find-a-sailboat-ride-boat-hitchhiking-tips/

Tips for Gibraltar

I write of Gibraltar for simplicity. This refers to both Gibraltar and La Linea de La Concepcion on the Spanish side. Both cities have harbours from which boats regularly leave for the Canary Islands.

• Ports. The most promising port, where most hitchhikers stay, is “La Alcaidesa” in La Linea de La Concepción. Most of the people I know have found their boat there. Unfortunately, you are only allowed on the jetties if you are a yachtie, but sometimes there are opportunities to go on the jetties. Since yesterday, the harbour staff have been trying to keep the hitchhikers away, but I hope that will be cleared up soon.
• You can put up notices at the entrance, in the wash house, in the toilet block and at the cafeteria. You can only get into the toilet block with a card, sometimes one of the hitchhikers has one and can lend it to you, otherwise you can slip in behind someone.
• There is a private yacht harbour to the right. You can’t get to the boats there, but you can put up a notice at the registration desk.
• There are two marinas in Gibraltar: Ocean Village and Queensway Guay. In the first one, which is just over the border, there are mainly boats that spend the winter there. So it’s not really worth spending much time there, although a mate of mine was successful with his notice there. The staff are really friendly, they’ll put up your notice in the wash house and they might be able to tell you if there are any boats there that are only staying for a few days.
• More promising is Queensway Guay. There are regular boats leaving for the Canary Islands. The boats are rather fancier, because the harbour is much more expensive than on the Spanish side (but fuel is cheaper). Here you can put up a notice in the harbour office and when you get to the toilet facilities, there is also a notice board there. You need a code to get into the house or onto the pontoons. Exchange codes with other hitchhikers, usually someone has the code if it hasn’t just been changed.
• There are more harbours further towards Algeciras and I can’t say whether they are worth a try. But I have mostly heard from the locals that “La Alcaidesa” is the most promising.
• Accommodation. There is a small forest called “Jungle” right next to the port “La Alcaidesa” where some hitchhikers camp. Otherwise, there is a cheap hostel in La Linea called “La Esteponera” where you can get a single room for 16 euros.
• Entertainment. Even if you don’t camp, go to the jungle. The exchange with the other hitchhikers is very helpful and we spent some nice evenings together. In La Linea there are some cool bars in the centre at Plaza Cruz Herrera. In Gibraltar, there is karaoke at the Hendrix Pub on Fridays and Saturdays.

Hints for the Canaries

I have not been to all of the Canary Islands and have actually only searched in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria – the main spot to look for boats. However, in exchanges with hitchhikers, harbour staff and sailors, I learned a few more things.
Those who sail from the European or African mainland towards the Canary Islands usually first arrive at Lanzarote, the offshore island of La Graciosa or Fuerteventura. However, most of those heading for Cap Verde or the Caribbean start on Gran Canaria, Tenerife or La Gomera. Here are a few tips on the various islands. I’ll report in more detail on what I visited on the islands in the next few days.

• La Graciosa: This is a small island off the coast of Lanzarote. Many people anchor here when they arrive on the Canary Islands – also because the harbours on Lanzarote are usually overcrowded in the high season. La Graciosa is definitely worth a trip, I found it super nice! But you shouldn’t look for a boat across the Atlantic here. Depending on whether the ferry is OK for you, you can easily get to Lanzarote or maybe just wait until your sailing boat goes there.
• Lanzarote: There are two harbours in particular that I know are worth looking for. One is in the capital Arrecife and the other is in Marina Rubicon near Playa Blanca in the south. Here you can look for boats going to the other islands, but if you’re lucky you’ll also find a boat going on to the Caribbean. Some people (like me) have also taken a ferry to Gran Canaria to search there.
  In Playa Blanca, there is currently a camp near the harbour where some hitchhikers spend the night together. If you get in touch with them, you’ll soon find out about it.
• Gran Canaria: Not only the ARC starts in the capital Las Palmas, but also other regattas. A lot of boats leave from the large Las Palmas marina for the Caribbean, so you’re sure to have good chances here. Of course, this also means that a lot of people are looking for a boat here. There are currently about 50 of us here. But I’ve found that to be nice because it feels less like competition and more like people are supporting each other, and when you hear that someone has found a boat, it gives you confidence that you can do it yourself!
  The sailor’s bay bar in the Marina is a hotspot for sailors, so being around there and speaking to people works well. Also here the jetties are only accesible by card but you can go in with others sometimes.
  I don’t recommend the Christopher Columbus museum in Las Palmas, but you can get up to the cathedral for 2 euros and the Canary Islands Museum is supposed to be very good, as is the Free Tour.
  I stayed in the Lua Lua, Kyo and Atlas hostels in Las Palmas and can recommend all three. I liked the Atlas hostel best, because the hostel also offers accommodation to refugees and there are some joint events and projects!
  I also stayed a few nights in a tent on the beach Alcaravaneras, there is a big community organising there right now and it is mega nice!
• If you don’t want to look in Gran Canaria, you can also consider going to Tenerife or La Gomera. A lot of boats leave from the port of Santa Cruz Tenerife and it’s a good place to look. San Sebastian de La Gomera is a smaller port, but it is an absolute transit port, where many people make a last stop before crossing. And what you can do in any case, is to advertise boats on Tenerife and La Gomera on Navily.

Hints for Cape Verde

There are 7 inhabited Cape Verde Islands, but not all have ports. The starting point for most Atlantic crossings is Mindelo on the island of Sao Vicente because it is the westernmost port. I was there for 2 weeks and met many hitchhikers there. Finding a boat across the Atlantic from Cape Verde is definitely also possible and my impression was that those of us who looked there found something as quickly as in the Canaries or Gibraltar.

• The boats are practically all in the harbour of Mindelo or anchored there. So it only makes sense to search there. Of course, it’s very practical that it’s so central.
  The bar in the harbour is called Floating Bar and is a very good place to meet skippers and crew! If you have a dinghy or like to swim, it’s definitely worth going to the boats at anchor. Otherwise, practically all dinghies moor directly at the Floating Bar.
• Accommodation: As far as I know, there is no camp in Mindelo and it is not recommended to camp wildly there. Several people have warned against this! I can’t say what it’s like outside Mindelo, but it might be possible.
  Of course, it is most relaxed if you are on a boat like me, but otherwise there is at least one good hostel where hitchhikers stayed.
• Food: There are several food trucks in the city that have cheap and very tasty sandwiches. We especially liked the egg sandwiches! The best and closest food trucks can be found at Praca Nova. For cachupa, the traditional food, I recommend La Pergola restaurant, which also has some vegetarian options. For pizza, U Sabor is a good place to go!
• Entertainment: I wasn’t blown away by the city’s museums, but the nature is really beautiful. You can find some nice beaches on the east coast of the island. There are many turtles on the beach of Sao Pedro, but they are fed by the locals. Swimming with the turtles was quite a highlight though!
  What we liked best was the neighbouring island of Santo Antao, which is easy to get to by ferry and where you can go hiking!
  Otherwise, there is a lot of live music in Mindelo and if you follow our rule, you will have a good time: When you hear music, follow it until you get there!

Hints for the Carribean

In the Caribbean, especially until May, there are many boats that go from island to island or even to the mainland, so hitchhiking is also possible there! Of course, it depends on the island, the bigger the island or the port, the better the chances of finding a boat. But I think for now, wherever you go by sailboat, you’ll get away again.

• As the season progresses, more and more boats head for the mainland to shelter from the hurricane season. From May at the latest, it should be quite possible to find a boat to the mainland. Before then, most boats stay on the islands and so it is easy to hitchhike, especially between the islands. Of course, you can find boats going to the mainland at any time. Just maybe not so many.
• There are definitely big harbours and good opportunities in Le Marin on Martinique and on St. Martin/St. Maarten. I’ve only been to a few Caribbean islands, so I can’t say anything about all of them. There are certainly other islands and ports that work well. On Grenada, for example, there is also a lot of boat traffic.
• You can find travel reports on the individual islands in my other blog posts, feel free to have a look and otherwise feel free to contact me with your questions at any time!

Day 1:
We started 😍 my dream comes true! With a sailboat across the Atlantic and that as a hitchhiker! I’m happy: that I’m back on the ocean, that it goes on, that I will soon be in Latin America and that I can do it without a plane 💪.
The departure from Cape Verde was unbelievably beautiful. We sailed into the sunset and could admire the volcanic landscape of São Vicente on port and that of Santo Antão on starboard 😍
Just I have my first shift, which starts right with the sunrise ☺️
Now that Peter is still with us, we have 2.5h shifts and then 10h break. Very comfortable 😊

Day 2:
The first whole day was very quiet. I slept for a long time. Parts of the crew still need to get used to moving again a bit, while other parts need to catch up on sleep from our shore leave – especially me ✌🏻
The wind is relatively constant and blows us west at a good speed.
The waves are ok, so not as high as at the end of the last trip where not much was possible and we barely cooked. So we can cook quite well and have already eaten delicious. I made pasta with a vegetable sauce, yesterday we had salad and we still have fresh bread. Soon we will have to bake some and hope that the sun will give us enough power.
However, the waves are also not as low as we had them when everyone was chilling on deck and we played, cooked and ate together. At Christmas we had that and I am still thankful for it ☺️
We had several fish on the line today, but they were either too big and jumped on or they were too small and we threw them back in 😊
When I say we I mean Fedi and Siro of course. I have no idea about fishing and actually think it’s pretty good.

Day 3:
Today was cloudy but we still produced enough power. Haven’t had to fire up the engine to produce power yet 💪.
The wind has decreased significantly. We are now sailing with the wingaker, our downwind sail. This is a large sail that we stretch in front of the boat and that can only be sailed when the wind comes fairly from behind. Also, there must not be too much wind for it, because the sail area is very large. But then the sail is a real game changer and we were suddenly significantly faster than another sailboat next to us 😊
By the way, apart from the boat that also started from Mindelo at the same time as us, we haven’t seen any other. A few flying fish we see every now and then and I still find the sight fascinating!

Day 4 & 5:
3 other sailboats around us! With two we started at the same time in Mindelo and had lost them at times. In between we can see them sometimes with binoculars or naked eye, but most of the time they can only be seen on the AIS.
AIS stands for Automatic Identification System and is a system that transmits ship data between ships. Very handy to know which ships are around you, which ones are on collision course etc 😊
Currently, thanks to our wingaker, we are significantly faster than the other boats and are outpacing them ☺️
We have now completed a quarter of the distance, we are making good progress!
The overall mood is good and optimistic. But you can see that some people get bored and others find the boat too crowded with so many people. After all, we’ve been together for a few weeks now. With me is still neither of the case😊 I learn a lot of Portuguese, watch series and make music. Am quite creative currently ☺️💪

Day 6 and 7: Rotten vegetables, stable fruit and green bananas.
Time goes by fast and I’m fine 😊 every day the shifts shift by 1 hour. Currently I have midday and midnight shifts of 2,5h each. Soon I will get the full night shifts 🙈
The day before yesterday we had to take down our wingaker because we had over 20 knots of wind. With so much wind we are but also with the normal sails pretty fast. Since yesterday, however, we have pulled up the wingaker again and are making good progress. Have already almost half 💪 on average we drive 5.6 knots so a little more than 10 km/h 😊
We produce a lot of electricity with the solar panels. However, we sometimes have to start the engine briefly at night when we use the water maker during the day or cook a lot.
We have eaten a lot of delicious food the last few days: couscous salad, hummus, pasta with pesto, chili sin carne and always fresh fruit 😊
Unfortunately, some of the veggies didn’t last long…. I suspect this is due to 2 factors: 1. The conditions on board are not ideal for storage, it’s really warm and we don’t have enough fridges to store the vegetables there. (in the meantime we are replacing the freed up space more and more with vegetables). And 2. on Cape Verde 90% of the food is imported. In Mindelo it must have been 99%, as dry as the island is. We don’t know how long the vegetables were already on the way and lay in some storerooms. Some was already bad on the second day.
So unfortunately we lost some vegetables: 3 peppers, some tomatoes, half of the eggplants, 2 carrots and a zucchini. Really hurts, I usually don’t throw away that much in a year.
But we can’t ignore that we bought vegetables for 7 people for 2 weeks, so a large part has held up so far. Especially the zucchini and cucumbers still look top 😊 squash, potatoes, onions, garlic and sweet potatoes also still look top ☺️ carrots and peppers have to go soon, but are good in the fridge hopefully for a few more days.
We then also froze frozen veggies and a large portion of precooked veggies.
The fruit keeps mega well, by the way! We haven’t had to throw anything away yet.
Only the bananas cause us problems: we bought a whole bunch and they are still all green. I have already taken some off and put them in the sun for several days but my feeling is that they all ripen at the same rate. So we are afraid that in the second week we will suddenly have to eat 70 bananas in 3 days or so 😂.
I’m looking forward to shakes, banana bread and co but it’s unclear how the effects on our digestion will be.

Day 8: Half 💪
Since today it is closer to the Caribbean than to Cape Verde☺️
The wave is currently really pleasant and we have relaxed days. The weather is really top, in between it is a bit cloudy but the sun comes out a lot and it is 25 – 30 degrees during the day, so shorts weather 😍☺️
At night it cools down to 20 degrees, so I always wear sweatpants and a shirt on my shift (besides the life vest, which we always wear even in calm weather when we are alone on deck). Right now I have night shift and enjoy the starry sky, which is only partially covered by a few clouds. Otherwise, the sky is incredibly clear 😍
A sailboat is on the AIS in front of us since yesterday and we have seen it in between by binoculars.
Tonight we are going to saw it. Fedi says one boat is called sailing, from two it is a race ✌🏻

Day 9: Starry night
When I just came to my shift, I was flashed by the starry sky! The last days we always had some clouds, now you can just marvel at the complete night sky and there is probably no place in this world where there is less light pollution than here. So we can observe several planets, see the Milky Way well and discover new star images 😍 do you know e.g. the big dog? 😊
I would love to take photos, but it’s difficult 😃
Just imagine how magical this is right now, I keep the moment firmly in my memory 🥰
Today during the day we have suddenly had 3 fish at the same time on the fishing 😳 the first was quickly off the line, the second has Fedi brought on board and the gold mackerel was really big!
With the third I was allowed then times ran. And the fish was really big, because he pulled very strongly and pulled a lot of line. After about an hour of strained pulling, we could then see why it went so hard: it had caught seaweed on the line, the fish was off for it 😃
Well, a fish is enough for the others completely and the days Jakob and I prepare the seaweed, I’ve also never eaten 😅 in a sailing book but it says that you can eat. Am already curious.

Day 12: Construction sites on the Atlantic
We are now 3/4 of the way there and so far nothing worse has happened. So it looks good that we will arrive safely in the Caribbean. (I interrupt writing to knock on wood quickly).
Nevertheless, a few things have broken and minor construction sites have opened up. There are several problems with this: 1. in the middle of the ocean, you can’t get spare parts that you don’t already have on board. 2. you can’t google how to solve something. (in case of need we could get information via satellite phone from an external person who either knows or googles for us) 3. it is rocking all the time, that doesn’t make repairs easier and we rather have problems with the sails than people overboard.
And so we struggle with the following problem(s):

• one toilet is clogged, so that we use one to 7.
• at our mainsail at a sail batten a fuse has loosened, so that we could not use the complete sail area.
• shortly after we solved the problem at the sail batten, a reefing line broke. The reefing lines allow us to reduce the sail area when there is too much wind. Now we have to reduce the sail area if then very much because we are missing an option.
• our radar still does not work. This was supposed to be repaired in Cape Verde, but unfortunately it did not work. Many boats cross the Atlantic without radar, so it’s ok, but the radar not only helps to detect objects in the water early (for that we still have the AIS, floating containers I think are more from movies than they are a real danger). But the radar also helps to predict thunderstorms and strong winds in the surrounding area by cloud movement. That would be handy, so we’d be warned a little sooner.
• Since the cable fire at Christmas, our generator has not been working, so we use the motors to generate power when the solar panels don’t provide enough. But the motors are not very effective at generating power and one of three solar panels keeps shutting down…. So electricity is scarce and we always have to ask if we can use the kettle. In case of need we start the engines to be able to cook warm. So also half so wild.
• There has already been a bit of broken crockery. We regularly come across glasses or cups when opening the flaps. And not everyone has as good reflexes as I do, who has seen a wine glass fall open. (replace good reflexes with luck 😂)

All in all, however, as I said, it runs really well and all these little failures are part of it and are good to cope 😊

Day 16: Arrival in the Caribbean
We arrived last night on Martinique in the Caribbean. The first views this morning were already fantastic. There is very blue water, great beaches and lots of palm trees, it looks like!
Now the next part of the trip begins – quite a lot lies ahead of me!

Cape Verde – a mixture of Portuguese and West African influences with lots of music and dance

Before the Cape Verde Islands were discovered by various Portuguese navigators in the mid-15th century, they were uninhabited. Diogo Gomes christened them “Ilhas de Cabo Verde” (Islands of the Green Cape) and began to settle them. I don’t know how he came up with the name, which doesn’t seem very appropriate to me: most of the volcanic islands are more brown than green and there is a cactus growing every few metres. Maybe he was standing on the volcanic crater on the island of Santo Antao, which we also visited when he came up with the name: a lot of vegetables are grown there in the crater and Santo Antao is actually very green – at least in the northwest. The island is also called the Garden of Cape Verde and is located in the far west of the archipelago.
After settling the islands, Portugal quickly began bringing the slave trade to Cape Verde. For several centuries, the country was a stopover for slave transports to America, and over the centuries a culture developed that is on the one hand shaped by Portuguese influences, but has also absorbed much from various West African cultures. Last but not least, there are many parallels to Brazil.
Cape Verde consists of 9 inhabited islands and 16 other small islands and is located about 570 kilometres from the West African coast. The islands are divided into the windward and the leeward islands. We are moored by boat in the town of Mindelo on the island of Sao Vicente, which, like Santo Antao, belongs to the windward islands in the west. Mindelo has the only real marina in Cape Verde, presumably precisely because of its location in the west as a good location for the Atlantic crossing.

Cesaria Evora and Amilcar Cabral – two ikones in Cap Verde

The country has been independent from Portugal since 1975 and has developed into one of the more stable and prosperous countries in Africa. Nevertheless, poverty is still a big issue here and you are also approached by many people in the street asking you for money or something to eat. About 90% of the food has to be imported, and a large part of the fishing is given to foreign fleets. Tourism is on the rise and now accounts for about 10% of the gross national product.
Probably the most important face of the Cape Verdean independence movement was Amilcar Cabral. As the son of Cape Verdean parents, he grew up first in what is now Guinea-Bissau and later in Cape Verde. After a longer stay and education in Lisbon, he returned to Guinea-Bissau and organised the independence movement of the two countries from the 1960s onwards, which was closely linked not least because of him. After the Portuguese had tried to kill him several times, he was killed in an assassination attempt in 1973 when parts of his own party turned against the strong Cape Verdean influence in Guinea-Bissau. Thus, he himself did not experience Cape Verde’s independence. For 15 years, the West African country was ruled by a de facto one-party dictatorship with failed, bloody coup attempts – until 1990, when a constitutional amendment led to the democratisation of the country and the opposition suddenly got 78%. Before that, it had allegedly achieved 5.5% in every election.
Cape Verde is a parliamentary republic with a directly elected president as head of state. The parliament consists of one chamber with 72 deputies – the German Bundestag should be told that 😀 However, Cape Verde is also very small and has a total population of just under 500,000. The capital Praia is the largest city with 125,000 inhabitants, but Mindelo, the second largest city with 70,000 inhabitants, is considered the cultural centre of the country. Probably also because Cesaria Evora came from Mindelo and ended her life here after her career. The Cape Verdean is considered the founder and most important voice of morna – traditional music on Cap Verde. Morna is played with guitars “cavaquinho” (small four-string guitar), violin and a 10-string guitar. The mood of morna is melancholic, based mainly on poems by Eugénio Tavares’, who is regarded as the founder of Cape Verde’s own literature.
Cesaria Evora comes from a family of musicians and made music all her life in the bars and restaurants of Mindelo. At the age of 47, she got her first record contract and became a world star in no time. She won a Grammy, played world tours and rose to become the undisputed icon of Cape Verde. It is impossible to visit Mindelo without encountering her likeness on every other street corner. I like the music very much. Have a listen, you’ll find it on every major music platform.

Our time in Cap Verde: Music, Turtles, Music, Nature and Music

The importance of music in Cap Verde became clear from the moment we left our boat in the harbour and set out to explore the city! There was loud and soft music everywhere – from loudspeakers or live with instruments and singing. On the very first night, I spontaneously played music in a small bar and everyone started dancing with us. Even though I didn’t play music as much as I did in the Canaries, I still had the guitar in my hand a few times.
Already on the first evening, a rule came up for us that my buddy Arnaud, whom I met again here, came up with: whenever we hear music, we have to follow it and see where it comes from. So we have already discovered many great places and had good encounters.
Probably especially the first evening was so intense because we had been on the water for 8 days before and then suddenly we were thrown into a foreign country with different currency, different food and different culture – a wonderful feeling! Just having different money in your hand, having to get a SIM card and hearing a different language around you was incredibly good! This was the first country outside Europe for me on this trip and I’m really looking forward to the many countries I still have the chance to explore.
So I really enjoyed just wandering around the city, meeting new bars and restaurants, eating sandwiches at street stalls (Jakobs and my favourite was the EI sandwich for 80 cents), chatting Portuguese and listening to music everywhere. Mindelo is truly a colourful, inspiring city that is rightly the cultural centre of the country. By the way, the weather here is very constant – we had about 25° during the day and 20° at night. In the sun it sometimes got very warm, in the evenings I sometimes wore long trousers because of the wind.

Not only did I meet Arnaud again here, whom I met in Gibraltar and with whom I have already explored Lanzarote and Gran Canaria. I also met many other boat hitchhikers here. Almost every day another boat arrives with someone I know from Gibraltar or Las Palmas. It’s a really great community and it’s always really nice to meet the familiar faces again! So Jakob and I met up with other hitchhikers again and again and always had a good time. Of course we also spent a lot of time with the Baici family and especially with the kids we went on several trips. Twice we went swimming at the beach in Mindelo and splashed around a lot, played and built sand castles.
An absolute highlight was our joint visit to the south of Sao Vicente, to the beach of Sao Pedro: a whole colony of turtles lives there. We were able to go out on a boat and swim with the turtles. At times there were up to 20 turtles around us and they touched us carefully. The animals are simply incredibly majestic and can swim really fast if they want to. Most of the time, however, they don’t want to and swim through the water in a very chilled manner. A fantastic sight that I will never forget!

Another highlight for Jakob and me was the visit to the neighbouring island of Santo Antao. As briefly mentioned above, the island is very green in the northwest and it was exactly there that we went on a long hike including an overnight stay in a hammock and tent in the forest. What looked like peanuts lying on the ground at night turned out to be coffee beans the next day – we had set up camp in a small coffee grove 🙂
The next morning we looked at a banana tree so fascinated that the family living next door approached us and invited us for breakfast. In general, the people here are incredibly open, sweet and hospitable! On Santo Antao, when we were hitchhiking, no car drove past us while we were sticking our thumbs out!!!

Along the coast we went back to Porto Novo in the east of the island and from there we took the ferry back to Mindelo. On the way, we met a guide from Mindelo who had just been on home leave on Santo Antao: Elvis. Through him I was able to learn a lot about Cape Verde and it was exciting to see how he lives. His mother cooks very well!
I am really happy to have had so much time to get to know this country and to explore the two islands. But now I’m also looking forward to travelling further soon and I’m already excited about which country I’ll tell you about next!

By now, I know a lot of people in Las Palmas through the questions in the harbour, through the hostels and through the music and it almost feels like home – I didn’t want to stay here that long, but well: it’s still cool to go to a bar and actually always know someone. I also met some friends from Germany.
Hella recommended a super cool hostel in the mountains, the Mountain Hostel Finca La Isa, where I spent two nights. The view was simply phenomenal and that right after waking up 🙂 What I also liked there was that everyone got together in the evening in the common room. In hostels in cities, everyone kind of scatters in the evening because some are in bars, others are at the beach and others stay in the hostel. It was a really cosy get-together and of course I played the guitar and we sang together. Unfortunately, I just missed Hella there. Back in Las Palmas, however, I met her and we went for a drink with some of the people from her hostel in the bar where you usually end up in the course of the evening: the Bar San Remo.
In the Bar San Remo the next day, I happened to meet Martin from the Sea-Eye group Jena, who was on holiday here.

When it became clear that the departure would be further delayed because of the weather, I decided to join the Baici family on the catamaran again, so that I could be with them on Cap Verde over Silver Easter and then sail on. There is also room on the boat for my long-time buddy Jakob.
I then used the second week of my hesitations to go surfing in Las Palmas: In 6 x 2 lessons I really learned a lot and noticed a lot of progress. In the end, I was on the board in almost every wave and it was great fun. So now I have a basis for surfing every now and then during the trip!

Then, when my surfing time was over and the departure at Baicis was unfortunately delayed by waiting for two packages, the right coincidence came at the right time. I met Manuel and Project Atlas, where I spent several days and, among other things, went on a hike that took us out of the city via the only remaining hiking trail. Gran Canaria is riddled with ravines on all sides, furrowing into the mountains in the middle, so the island resembles a giant lemon squeezer.
After 25km, we arrived at our destination – La Atalya – where we visited a clay workshop and saw how gofio is made – a typical Canarian roasted cornmeal that the Canarians eat in many different forms – on bread, in soups or as tortillas.

Associación Atlas

The Atlas project has only come into being in the last few years. The founder, Manuel, also called Manolo, lives from tourism like so many people on the Canary Islands. A few years ago, he took over a house where he rents flats to short and long-stay travellers.
In 2020/2021, when the number of refugees in the Canary Islands increased sharply and the authorities partially failed, so that many people ended up on the streets, the civilian population stepped in and Manolo also took in some refugees. Since then, several refugees have been staying with him continuously, who can find accommodation for a symbolic rent in order to arrive and look for work. This is not easy for them, because unemployment is very high in the Canary Islands, especially among young people: Among the under-24s, it is over 50%. This is also due to the many immigrating Germans and English who, as “native speakers”, take the jobs of tour guides, diving instructors, receptionists, car rental employees or hotel managers away from the locals.
And finding a place to live is also very, very difficult for the refugees. Because tourists and especially the digital nomads who move to the Canary Islands drive up prices. Unfortunately, the prejudices against refugees are also very big here, so many prefer to rent to tourists or digital nomads. Manolo says that he sometimes feels helpless about the situation for refugees on the Canary Islands and the thought that many don’t even make it to the Canary Islands and drown first.
It is all the more important that people like Manolo are there for the refugees. The project shows that they can be enriching: currently there are several Senegalese in the hostel and there is regular Senegalese food, music and much more.

Part 1: Switzerland to the Canary Islands (December 2022)

I have been on the road for 2 months now and have already made a lot of music. Since I was in Gibraltar, actually every day. Mostly just with young people in hostels, on the beach or similar. But I’ve also done a lot of music on the street and in bars, especially in Gran Canaria, and I’ve already been able to earn about 400 euros.

I notice that I’ve learned a lot: I’m not as nervous as I was the first few times, I understand more and more where I can stand, and I’m developing my own way of making street music. I have a laminated piece of paper that I usually stick to my guitar, on which there are 20 songs to choose from, so people can request a song. Via QR code, people come to my website www.jukaibox.com and find a songbook with over 100 songs. If you don’t know it yet, please have a look.
It often goes down well, especially when I go to bars. By the way, I don’t like to just stand in a bar and start playing, because then people don’t have a choice if they want to listen to the music (on the street they can keep walking). Instead, I approach people and ask if they want to listen to music. Many say no and that’s ok, but if they say yes, then they also feel like it and give money of their own accord without me having to beg (something I also don’t like and don’t do).
I made my first attempts at street music in Winterthur and Zurich. There I was still extremely nervous and hardly dared to do it. But then quite a bit of money came together (thanks to Switzerland), which really gave me a push!
I donated the money I raised in Switzerland to the organisation Suprise, which my friend Barbara recommended to me. Suprise supports socially disadvantaged people through employment opportunities, offers to participate in social life and low-threshold support. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time in Zurich to do one of their social city tours, but this gives me a reason to come back. They also create meeting places, a magazine with homeless people and much more. Go to Surprise here.

The money I made in mainland Spain was relatively little. In Barcelona, I let myself be very restricted by the regulations there, something I wouldn’t do today. So far, the police haven’t turned me away anywhere and I don’t think they do much more than that. In Granada I had a lot of competition from flamenco guitarists and I let them intimidate me a bit (great musicians). In La Linea near Gibraltar it went well and I got support from some boat hitchhikers who gave me a real audience.
I donated the money from mainland Spain to the organisation SMH, which operates sea rescue in the Mediterranean with the ship AITA MARI and whose ship I visited in Burriana in October. Here is the link to SMH.

Gran Canaria is where I’ve had the most fun so far and where I’ve also raised money. Especially in the bars, some people are very generous! And it’s great fun for me. I don’t think I’ve ever made as much music as I do here right now and everyone who meets me here actually only knows me with a guitar on my back or in my hand 😊.
Here on site, I will support a project for refugees, because many people from different African countries arrive here on boats. I currently live in a hostel where refugees also live – Atlas Gran Canaria. The whole thing is based on an association that does different projects for and with refugees. I will support one of these projects, but I will let you know which one.

Day 0: We’re ready to go!

Tomorrow we start! Actually we wanted to leave today, but then it got late for various reasons and we’re staying another night. Just mixed cocktails (my bar scored) and then cooked broccoli pasta. (Am now on board with an Italian and can’t say pasta anymore).
First impressions on both sides were not deceiving: we get along very well and will have a good time together! Fedi and Silke were in Mexico 20 years ago and we share a love of tacos and mariachi. And the kids Stella and Siro like to play card and board games, so we’ll definitely be doing a lot of that.

Day 1: Finally on the sea!

Sitting on my first night shift right now from 3am – 6am. I am happy that they trust me directly and that I can help. But that was also their condition, that they take someone with them who knows about sailing boats (actually they didn’t want to take anyone with them).

There is not much wind yet, so we drive our motor. But we are all looking forward to the moment when we set sail.
I used the reception from Spain today, now there’s radio silence – that’s nice too! I gave Siro some guitar lessons, played Virus (a great card game) and watched a great sunset. The moon is full tonight, so I can keep a good lookout. I am happy!

Day 2: The freedom of the oceans

This morning the wind came up and we were even a bit faster under sail than under engine. Now towards the afternoon it has died down again and we need support from the engine :/
The land has been out of sight since tonight, so we only see a ship now and then next to the Atlantic. It’s so nice to be surrounded by water. I feel free! Stella said yesterday that you’re a bit cramped in a small space, but I’ve never thought of it like that. I don’t know where you can feel freer than I do here. It’s also really nice not to have reception.
We’ve put out the fishing rods but haven’t caught anything yet. Instead, Stella, Silke and I painted our toenails today. In my family, that’s been compulsory for years when sailing. And since we don’t do things by halves here, we took 5 different colours.

Day 3: Egg-laying Woolly-Milk Quay

We still haven’t caught any fish. But we saw dolphins and how. Today, some swam with us for about 4 hours. We were even able to watch some jumps. I missed the highest one, but Fedi got it on the GoPro!
Yesterday I already made music and we sang together. Today we got Fedi’s electric guitar and my amp out and I played some songs. We recorded a few too – by far the coolest setting I’ve ever had for song recording!
Silke called me “Egg-laying Woolly-Milk-Kai” today because I bring everything she wants in a fellow sailor. That made me very happy! I also feel super comfortable here. I get along great with the kids, as well as with Silke and Fedi. The boat is simply very spacious and as a catamaran we also have other possibilities when sailing. So I’m positively surprised, I thought a catamaran might be a bit boring because it doesn’t lie down in the wind (it doesn’t), but there are other cool things and simply a lot more space than on a sailing yacht like the ones I’ve sailed before.
It’s almost a bit of a shame that we only have 3 more days together until we reach the Canaries. But let’s see, I think we are all thinking a bit about whether we don’t want to sail together for longer. But it also depends on how our plans fit together.

Day 4: Carnival and birthday

If I don’t spend 11.11 in Cologne, I couldn’t spend it more beautifully. It was Siro’s birthday today and we had a wonderful day! We tried out different constellations of the sails and even started the engine for a short while in between. The weather remains super nice with lots of sun, the wind could be more.

In the morning we had an extensive birthday and carnival breakfast and listened to Cologne music. The birthday dolphins I promised Siro arrived around afternoon and how many!!!
We caught our first fish today. But hardly one person would have had enough of the small mackerel, so we released it again.
Several birds passed us on the boat, probably on their way further south. A small green bird has made itself comfortable in the ship and is now sleeping.
Besides a few sailing ships, we see a tanker or a container ship every now and then.
Until just now we lay together on deck and looked at the stars. Since the moon hadn’t risen yet, we could marvel at a super clear starry sky and see the Milky Way super clearly! We also saw Mars, Jupiter and Neptune! And I learned a few new constellations: including the eagle and the dolphin.

Day 5: Relaxed Saturday

Today was the first day without dolphins. We all did a bit of our thing today. I sorted out pictures, cooked and played music. Now in the first shift from 9 – 0 pm I have the ship to myself, the others are in bed so they get enough sleep.
As long as the moon hasn’t risen yet, there are an incredible number of stars in the sky.
Tomorrow, depending on the wind, we will arrive sometime during the day 😊

Day 6: La Graciosa

There was a bit of action early this morning. I had adjusted the course early to pass a fisherman with enough distance of 2sm, but all of a sudden he turned and went on full collision course. So I pulled out and turned the boat. Suddenly there was real wind and waves. Up to 20 knots of wind and we were able to sail a really nice, rocking am-wind course.
Tonight we arrived at La Graciosa and anchored in a bay here. Tomorrow morning we can look over to Lanzarote 😊
At the same time, we are directly confronted with the EU’s isolation policy: I overheard an emergency call yesterday. South of Lanzarote, 45 people were in distress in an inflatable boat. Boats from various African countries also frequently arrive on the Canary Islands.
I’m going to enjoy and explore the Canary Islands for a bit now, but I’m also going to start looking for the next boat across the Atlantic soon. I’ll keep you posted!