Category: Adventures by Popeye & Olive Oyl 🫒

Popeye’s Story

Picked up brand new Catermaran in Las Palmas, set course for the Caribbean, diverted to Capo Verdes with a rudder bearing issue and ended up stranded in Sao Vincent for a month with very broken boat.

After too many adventures for this post but making the most of being on a remote south Atlantic island, with highlight becoming a certified dive master, diving with turtles, sting rays, lobsters, eels and the most eclectic shoals of reef fish I have ever seen along the way.

All new found friends for life all about to leave together with their repaired boats (no one come to Mindelo as its to usually too for south for the trades unless they have a major boat issue) leaving me behind. Was about to come home when……

I met a new skipper in the bar that afternoon just in delivering a brand new Bali 4.6. Saying goodbye to my amazing compadres and left within the hour for Atlantic crossing to St. Maarten. 14 days twin head sails, avg 7.3 knots in 14 days..

Mahi Mahi, Tuna, Baraccuda, Wahoo and Grouper all devoured within mins of being caught.. each fish fed us for days..  I was so excited to reach Caribbean, but funnily, we all just wanted to go back to sea within a few hours after partying as druken newly fetched sailors inevitably end up.

Delivery is not cruising it was decided  so time to leave within 48 hours bound for Miami via Tortola and St Thomas. Another 4,500 delivery miles in the log book.!

There is not enough words in my vocabulary to express what the last few months have meant for my soul and the now soon to be professional opertunities on the ocean wave that now present themselves..

The right people always make it something more. The folks I have met on this trip, the stories we have shared, the silly times and laughs when we are going crazy with still miles and miles of ocean to cross and the many many first experiences shared will stay with me forever.

Some I will meet again soon on our similar delivery routes as we criss cross tracks and ports around the worlds sailing mecas and hotspots. I’m blessed to have met and learnt from them and can’t wait to hook up again through the doors they have opened for me.

Pics tell more than words can…

• Instagram