TOUCH DOWN
Lisbon is the gateway to Cabo Verde, flying in on TAP Portugal. The flight is a milk run for the island, and you generally need to reserve space in the hold for one’s gear. With just two surfboards and a few sails to add to my collection, I was at ease. Kevin looked in control with his one big bag containing all his kit. Si was the one who seemed to have the biggest challenges, with his new drone, multiple lenses and housings, tripod and cameras. He was at the gate in Lisbon with his coat full of extra lenses and looked a bit like some sort of underground black market guy selling camera gear on the street. The agents had fun checking him in no doubt. Before we knew it, wheels down with a sudden arrival and eventual taxi to Santa Maria where we were up early the next morning with the swell hitting full on.
While we were not 100% sure of it upon arrival, we soon learned Josh Angulo also factored in this mission – and no epic trip to Cabo Verde is complete without Josh in the mix. Far and away the best guide with intimate local knowledge, able to call Kevin and I into waves we may not have seen the same way, Josh hooked us up at his Angulo Cabo Verde center, the best on Earth. Taking a break from his Boston residence, Josh truly needed these sessions that we scored and you could tell even though he was due to return to the USA, he stayed as long as he could, even longer kind of by accident.