Having been obsessed with boats and anything that floats for as far back as l can remember , cruising in Brazil particularly Baia da Ilha Grande this season has been an eye opener for us in seeing what a significant role they play in everyday life on the islands . If you don't own a boat of some sort you are at a distinct disadvantage as you will be paying someone else who does own one for whatever service you require .
There is a wide range of designs and styles to suit every requirement needed to sustain life between the mainland ( or the continent as it is often referred to here ) and the various communities living on the islands . Even Ilha Grande has no vehicles so everything from goods , building materials , people , food , you name it is transported by boat and then carried on trolleys to its final destination .
With tourism being the major industry particularly on Ilha Grande , tourists are ferried from the mainland in large schooners and ferries to Abraao which is where most of them are accommodated . Once settled and wanting to see the rest of the island or nearby islands the popular way to get about is on a high powered speed boat . One came past the other day with three 300hp outboards bolted to the transom . The average boat is either kitted out with two 200hp or two 250hp engines and they fly past , flat out with their wide eyed clients hanging on for dear life . Judging by the look on some of their faces , l would swear it was their first time on a boat , net alone one that is barely touching the surface . The more sedate way to see the beautiful beaches and sites is to take a leisurely cruise on one of the traditional schooners , much nicer .
The locals generally use taxi boats to get about or the more traditional boat powered by simple diesel engines that come puttering past us day and night .
The taxis are around five metres in length with narrow beams and are normally powered by a 25 or 40hp outboard and on one occasion when we used one after deciding we had walked far enough , l was surprised how quick and dry they were . They remind me of the Toyota Hi-ace taxis back home , the quicker they can get you to your destination , the sooner they can load more passengers .
The one boat that fascinates us is the ice boat . Every morning there is a queue of boats from large schooners to small powerboats waiting to buy ice for the day's excursion . What puzzles us is that it is not a particularly big boat and yet the volume of ice that he sells to his customers is staggering . How he produces the ice and keeps it solid is an absolute mystery as the boat is permanently anchored .
The first thing we noticed about the islands is that they were litter free and spotless . We never knew where to dispose our rubbish so we asked a local cruiser one day what they did with their waste . He explained that a waste removal boat with a very tight schedule calling at specific pick-up points collected all the waste . The collection points are generally jetties and everyone on the day leaves their bagged refuse to be collected and it works like a charm .
On another occasion we woke up in the wee hours with someone sounding like they were being tortured . Blood curdling screams rang out across the anchorage and while trying to establish whether we were witnessing a murder or something similar , a large official looking motor launch arrived decked out in flashing lights , backed up to a jetty and a bunch of guys in red overalls jumped ashore and a short while later loaded someone on a stretcher onto the aft deck and slowly motored past us on route to Angra dos Reis . We heard later that this poor soul and something rupture internally hence the excruciating pain .
Typically , the boats found in the outer islands are fishing boats including those that trawl for prawns and shrimps . Even today , you will find the traditional canoe still being carved out of a log by hand and we were very fortunate to come across a small shed where two were being built in one of the remote anchorages we visited . A local showed us a traditional paddle with a unique shape to the blade which is also hand carved and their paddling technique allows them to paddle off one side of the boat while still maintaining a straight course . Apparently it is a wrist action that enables
the paddler to pick one side , avoiding having to swop from side to side to keep a straight line .
The Brazilians are very proud boat owners and in general their boats are well maintained in that their livelihood depends on the reliability of their craft .
Allan & Ursula Ward: Port Owen, Cape West Coast, South Africa.
Shearwater 39:
- L.O.A. 43ft (13.22m)
- L.O.D. 39ft (12m)
- L.W.L. 34ft (10.3m)
- BEAM 13ft(3.9m)
- DRAFT 6ft(1.8m)
HOW IT ALL BEGAN .
I placed my order on Nebe Boats on the 19/10/1992 for what was initially planned to be a complete factory built yacht that l would sail home to Durban from Capetown once she was completed. Unfortunately due to the demise of Nebe Boats in the early days of her construction it did not turn out that way, so l decided to truck her home to Ramsgate on the KZN South Coast to finish building her in our garden at home.
For many years we could proudly boast that we had the most expensive piece of garden furniture in town, but at the time l had no idea of how massive this project would turn out to be. As anyone who has built a blue water cruiser will tell you, particularly if she is kitted out with all the systems and the equipment that a modern cruiser has onboard these days, it is a daunting task . Looking at the positive aspects of this project, l know the boat intimately in that l designed and installed the systems, so from a repair and maintenance perspective l have no issues carrying out the work that is necessary from time to time.
The big day arrived on the 29/8/2008 when we craned her out of the garden onto a rig to truck her through to Durban for launching . What followed was three months of preparations to ready her for the maiden voyage to our home port in Port Owen on the Cape West Coast.
We had a fast passage down the South African East Coast including a storm off the notorious Wild Coast and arrived in Port Owen in dense fog. Windward had passed her first test with flying colours and since then we have enjoyed some great sailing on the West Coast.
We had a fast passage down the South African East Coast including a storm off the notorious Wild Coast and arrived in Port Owen in dense fog. Windward had passed her first test with flying colours and since then we have enjoyed some great sailing on the West Coast.
The master plan has always been to go cruising, so our plans are to leave for Brazil via Luderitz and St Helena Island at the end of February 2014. So far everything is on track although the “To Do“ list still grows each day.
The purpose of this blog is to record our adventure for ourselves, family and friends. Although it will probably end up being a brief summary of events while we are cruising, we hope you will enjoy and share some of our experiences with us.
LIVING THE DREAM .
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment