I am back in Paraty Brazil , back on board Windward and back to the cruising life .
After a six month break back home in South Africa reuniting with our family and reconnecting with friends it is now time to get our boat shipshape and ready to sail north . I leave for Sao Paulo tomorrow to meet with our Brazilian sailing friends who have offered to get me to the airport to pick up my partner in crime , my sorely missed wife . We decided to delay her return for three weeks to allow me to turn the boat upside down , not literally but to be able to service the engine and systems down below without the need to repack tools and equipment at the end of each day . Its a male thing , we don't mind using a socket set as a pillow and preparing a meal amongst filters and other bits of equipment .
Apart from the annual servicing l am also installing a couple of new toys which include an AIS transponder . We decided last season that it is one thing to be able to see all passing traffic , but it was time for all passing traffic to see us albeit that this feature is confined to vessels equipped with AIS equipment .
I am also busy preparing for a haul-out at a local boatyard Porto Imperial where l will complete a full inspection and do all the necessary servicing while she is out of the water . We have a fancy prop that needs to be serviced and lubricated and this exercise can only be done out on the hard . Once the work is complete we will launch , provision , refuel and sail for Rio stopping off at Ilha Grande to say goodbye to one of our favourite beaches , the beautiful Lopes Mendes .
Part of our strategy in delaying our return to Brazil was to take advantage of the winter cold fronts that move up the coast from Argentina in the south . A similar situation occurs on the South African east coast where the general rule is to go south in summer and north in winter and we are going north . Bearing in mind that we get a six month visa per calendar year so timing is important if you want to make your passage north as comfortable as possible . Cruising yachts are a bit like migrating birds , we like to go in a similar direction as the wind and not struggle against it .
Our overall plan this season is to sail up the Brazilian Coast as far north as Cabedelo , visiting as many anchorages and ports that we can find on route .
I have managed to pre-arrange a berth for Windward in Jacare' to leave her at the end of October when we will travel by bus south through Brazil to its southern border with Argentina where we will spend a week at the famous Iguassu Falls and then its a second bus ride to Bueunos Aires where we will spend a second week in the famous city before flying back home for a break .
Sounds great to me .
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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Good to hear you are back on 'Windward' Sounds like she is in good condition & was looked after well. Dont work to hard :) :)
ReplyDeleteGood work. Keep updating, please, as we enjoy sailing with you
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear your news and sailing plans. Sure you will have a fantastic time !
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