This almost totally enclosed bay with an entrance that is difficult to spot from a distance is probably the calmest waters you will find in any anchorage anywhere . The cruising guide suggests that it is the perfect place to catch up with mast work or paint jobs as the boat is as steady as being on the hard .
It gets its name because the water being like a mirror , reflects the stars at night making it a very peaceful place to hangout for a couple of days , apart from the fact that it has a very convenient water point attached to a mooring buoy to fill the boats tanks .
History has it that it was also a popular pirate hangout and their modus operandi would be to ambush passing ships on route from Paraty laden with gold and other valuable resources .
There are a number of restaurants including a floating bar and a very upmarket pousada/restaurant called Coqueiro Verde where Urs and l decided to treat ourselves to a day/night ashore as this would be only the second time that we had slept ashore since setting sail from SA , the first being by default when we spent the night ashore in St Helena's only hotel " The Consulate " after missing the ferry back to our boat . We both enjoyed the break while l was able to catch up on World Cup soccer games and Urs her beauty treatments . It was quite strange peering out the window and seeing our boat lying at anchor .
We had also prearranged to meet up with our good friends Phillipe and Frederique while at Saco da Tapera and after spending a couple of days together there we continued onto Saco do Ceu and enjoyed some quality time there with them as well . This couple , both professors in physics at Sao Paulo University are also mad about sailing . Earlier this year they took two months accumulated leave and set sail for Capetown , South Africa onboard their 32ft Sparkman Stevens sloop also having a skirmish with the same storm that devastated the Cape to Rio fleet . They then spent five days sorting out formalities and reprovisioning their boat , hopped back onboard and sailed all the way back to Brazil . A mean feat in anyone's book .
They have been very good to us and have assisted us with so many things making our lives a lot easier in a foreign country like Brazil where the lack of English spoken amongst the locals can make things quite difficult at times to communicate although Urs and l have become masters at sign language . We ate out at a number of restaurants and it was wonderful to have someone interpret the menu for us and explain what each dish consisted of as against guessing and then waiting with bated breath to see what arrives on your plate . While in Rio with Rob , Urs and l killed ourselves laughing when after ordering his lunch with great confidence , he received a large plate of cheese . You should have seen his face when the waiter explained that this was all he was getting unless he wanted to order something else .
We ended our time together with a hike to Abraao and then after an enjoyable lunch together , we caught a high speed taxi ( a boat ) back to our yachts in Saco do Ceu .
They have invited us to visit them in Sao Paulo , an offer we would really enjoy before we set sail for Northern Brazil next year .
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 .
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