Rush

Sal Island is a tiny bit of arid land off the Western coast of Africa.  We sailed 1000 miles from the Portuguese Island of Madeira to this fascinating stop before crossing the Atlantic to South America. The people of Sal are poor. Most of them live in crumbling apartments or makeshift shelters with flapping fabric doors. This, however, does not detract from their happiness.  Upon our arrival, we were welcomed by the locals who offered us freshly caught tuna and invited us to enjoy home cooked stew as they played music, sang, and laughed with us.  

This photograph was taken on the main fishing dock in the largest town on the island. The dock was bustling with people of all ages speaking creole, weighing and cleaning freshly caught fish, whipping lines into the water, and wheeling barrels noisily over the wide planks. All the while, the sun beat down and the teal water around us sparkled. The image captures the energy of the island that I came to love in only 4 days before we cast off to cross the Atlantic.