It was a sad moment as we watched the old city slip away over our stern rail when we set sail for Palmas , Ilha Grande . Paraty had been really good to us .
This World Heritage Site has a fascinating history with churches built in the 1700's , cobbled streets which were laid from the stones that were used as rock ballast in the ships that would arrive to replace the stones with gold . They would sail back laden with their gold cargo although many would fall victim to the pirates who lay waiting amongst the islands in Baia da Ilha Grande .
These cobbled roads flood on the high tide in certain parts of the old city adding to the unique character of this amazing place with all its quaint shops and restaurants lining the streets . We loved the place and had some great times there .
The only method of transport permitted in the historic city are horse-drawn carriages otherwise it is walk and see more . By sheer chance we happened to be in Paraty for both the 2014 and the 2015 Bourbon Jazz and Blues Festival which buzzes for three days with staged venues and street acts . We heard some really good blues being played , even a one man band who played about four instruments all at the same time . Apart from the muso's there were all sorts of different acts taking place on the streets from jugglers and dancers to people playing some very different instruments and this carried on right through the nights that the festival was on .
Paraty also turned out to be the right place to leave our boat when we returned home last season for a break from the cruising life . Marina do Engenho took good care of her and apart from some heavy growth below the waterline she was in perfect nick when l returned . After an expensive but successful haulout at a local boatyard she is as good as new with all new anodes , polished topsides and a silky smooth bottom ready for another season of sailing .
Apart from our special Brazilian friends that we met last season , we have also met some really nice people while in Paraty . One young couple who liveaboard their yacht Atlantis , Gustavo and Paloma with their cute little girl Catarina went out of their way to make our stay as comfortable as possible while we were in Paraty . When l arrived back at the marina from South Africa , Gustavo greeted me with their car keys dangling from his finger and announced quite emphatically that while we were staying in Paraty their car was " our car " and that we had full use of it whenever we needed transport .
The one thing we have learnt about this cruising life is that you meet some really nice people but no sooner have you met you are saying goodbye again when you sail off to the next destination . The special ones will hopefully remain good friends for at least the length of this lifetime .
Paraty will always remain a special memory for us .
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