The first I knew of the attack was a silver flash of steel on the periphery of my left vision. Then I felt the heavy thud of the blade at it thumped into my chest.
I looked down to see the tip of the blade broken from the (rather expensive) Japanese knife that Jan-Dirk had slammed into my chest as a test of his latest purchase – a stab proof vest. It is something more like one of the full-metal-jacket type of jackets worn by war reporters during the Iraq war. That thing is heavy, but it works. And I’m sure it will give adequate protection against a variety of other culinary instruments including rolling pins.
The precursor to this attack was a speedy trip around Sao Pedro bay in the JaJaPami tender, driven by Jan-Dirk. To the right of the bay is a small fishing community, from whom the JaJaPami crew had bought a fish earlier in the day. And Maria, Chris and I were onboard JaJaPami to share the fish with Jan-Dirk, Jana, and their children, Paul and Michael.
If you want to be close to the airport, you can do no better than this place. The runway is at the front of the bay. Noise isn’t a problem though; there are too few planes for that. But the abiding memory I have taken away – stabbing aside – is the sunset. It was stunning. I haven’t altered the colours in the photograph. That is precisely how it is.
Our evening continued without further incident. Everyone from the Lady Jane crew had a go at being beaten with a kitchen instrument while wearing the jacket. We had a lovely dinner – thanks, JD and Jana. And Jan-Dirk took us back to Lady Jane suitably fed and sozzled.
The bay isn’t the best anchorage in the archipelago. There is a permanent swell coming into the bay. This rolled the boat from side to side and kept the crew awake most of the night. But on a positive note, it did break up the trip to our destination of Ponta do Papagaio on Sao Nicolau, and it resulted in a great evening out.
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