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 .
Sunday, July 27, 2014
BOATS OF BRAZIL .
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| BRAZILIAN BOATS ARE BRIGHT AND MULTI-COLOURED . |
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| PRAWN TRAWLER . |
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| THE ICE BOAT WITH A CUSTOMER COMING ALONGSIDE . |
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| HIGH SPEED TAXI , THE EQUIVALENT OF THE TOYOTA HI-ACE IN SOUTH AFRICA . |
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| ANOTHER SATISFIED CUSTOMER HAVING JUST LOADED HIS ICE FOR THE DAY . |
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| A WORKBOAT LOADED WITH BRICKS , STONE AND CEMENT . |
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| BRAZILIAN NAVY . |
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| SOMEONE'S PRIDE AND JOY . |
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| BOATS OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES LYING AT ANCHOR OFF ABRAAO . |
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THESE SCHOONERS HAVE BEAUTIFUL LINES . |
Sunday, July 20, 2014
NATURE ABOUNDS IN BRAZIL .
From a very early age in life l have always had a great appreciation for the outdoors and everything to do with nature in general . It probably stems from being born in an era where TV , computer games and the like were not a distraction and l was very privileged to have grown up on the fringes of the Palmiet River Valley in Westville on the outskirts of Durban . Today my old stomping ground is now a proclaimed nature reserve .
The one aspect of Brazil Urs and l have really enjoyed , are the long walks we have had in probably the remnants of true Atlantic rain forest which thousands of species of plants,birds,reptiles,amphibians,insects,fish and mammals call home .
Ilha Grande's dense forests , mangroves , rivers and lagoons are teeming with life and to quote from an article which l read , it claims that up to 1000 different species of insects maybe found in a single tree crown , while the Atlantic rain forest as a whole has probably sheltered about one million species . Amazing stuff .
Sitting in the forest as an avid twitcher ( bird lover ) and listening to all the different bird calls and seeing some of them has been a joy . Butterflies with incredible colours and wing patterns are everywhere .
We have had some interesting encounters with a number of larger species including a boa constrictor and we are 100% sure , a yacare caiman referred to in Africa as a crocodile , albeit a smaller species than the nile croc .
While walking through the forest , what sounded like a breaking branch falling alongside us turned out to be a decent sized boa constrictor and we watched it climb back up a tree to regain its lofty perch .
In the case of the caiman , we were walking alongside a stream in the forest when suddenly something large launched itself into the water with a loud splash . We spent sometime trying to establish what it was but eventually continued with our walk . Not thirty metres away was a large sign with a picture of a crocodile and the word CUIPADO on it , which we read later in our dictionary means caution . That killed Urs's pioneering spirit dead in its tracks.
We have seen many marmosets and squirrels and have virtually heard howler monkeys everyday on the island but up to a couple of days ago had never seen them . The other day we managed to do a 18km hike and on route back to the boat we heard close up the raucous sounds of these monkeys probably set off by ourselves . Fortunately we were able to spot them high up in a tree, a small group with a couple of youngsters .
On a lighter note , while diving the other day giving Windward's bottom a good scrub a very inquisitive turtle arrived on the scene , fascinated by me scraping the hull . He/she hung around for a while then decided this was boring and disappeared into the blue yonder .
If nature and all its wonders blows your bush hat off , then Brazil has it in abundance .
The one aspect of Brazil Urs and l have really enjoyed , are the long walks we have had in probably the remnants of true Atlantic rain forest which thousands of species of plants,birds,reptiles,amphibians,insects,fish and mammals call home .
Ilha Grande's dense forests , mangroves , rivers and lagoons are teeming with life and to quote from an article which l read , it claims that up to 1000 different species of insects maybe found in a single tree crown , while the Atlantic rain forest as a whole has probably sheltered about one million species . Amazing stuff .
Sitting in the forest as an avid twitcher ( bird lover ) and listening to all the different bird calls and seeing some of them has been a joy . Butterflies with incredible colours and wing patterns are everywhere .
We have had some interesting encounters with a number of larger species including a boa constrictor and we are 100% sure , a yacare caiman referred to in Africa as a crocodile , albeit a smaller species than the nile croc .
While walking through the forest , what sounded like a breaking branch falling alongside us turned out to be a decent sized boa constrictor and we watched it climb back up a tree to regain its lofty perch .
In the case of the caiman , we were walking alongside a stream in the forest when suddenly something large launched itself into the water with a loud splash . We spent sometime trying to establish what it was but eventually continued with our walk . Not thirty metres away was a large sign with a picture of a crocodile and the word CUIPADO on it , which we read later in our dictionary means caution . That killed Urs's pioneering spirit dead in its tracks.
We have seen many marmosets and squirrels and have virtually heard howler monkeys everyday on the island but up to a couple of days ago had never seen them . The other day we managed to do a 18km hike and on route back to the boat we heard close up the raucous sounds of these monkeys probably set off by ourselves . Fortunately we were able to spot them high up in a tree, a small group with a couple of youngsters .
On a lighter note , while diving the other day giving Windward's bottom a good scrub a very inquisitive turtle arrived on the scene , fascinated by me scraping the hull . He/she hung around for a while then decided this was boring and disappeared into the blue yonder .
If nature and all its wonders blows your bush hat off , then Brazil has it in abundance .
Saturday, July 19, 2014
THE ABUNDANCE OF NATURE IN BRAZIL .
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| PLANTS GROWING ON THE TREES IS A COMMON SIGHT IN THE FORESTS . |
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| MAGNIFICENT TREES . |
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| THE DIFFERENT BIRD CALLS IN THE FORESTS ARE AMAZING . BIRD LOVERS PARADISE . |
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| TO AVOID BEING EATEN , YOU WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT GREY WOULD BE A BETTER COLOUR OPTION . |
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| WALKING IN THE RAIN FOREST IS COOL , LITERALLY . |
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| BLACK VULTURES , ONE OF THE MOST COMMON BIRDS WE HAVE SEEN . |
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| HOWLER MONKEYS , MARMOSETS AND SQUIRRELS ARE PLENTIFUL . |
Thursday, July 17, 2014
POUSO . ENSEADA DAS PALMAS . LOPES MENDES .
Pouso Beach was our first anchorage in Baia da Ilha Grande when we sailed in from Rio , although the night that we arrived we had gale force katabatic winds tearing down the mountain and driving rain to greet us . It was only the next morning that we were able to appreciate its beauty in perfect , calm , sunny weather , a far cry from what we had experienced the night before .
It is now one of our favourite anchorages and is also the start point of the 1,5km trail over the hill to the Atlantic side of the island to Lopes Mendes Beach , considered to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world .
The blinding white sand squeaks when you walk on it and it stretches for miles and we were the only people there until the first schooner arrived at 11.00am with the first load of tourists . We don't mind sharing a special place like this with other people but if you do prefer peace and quiet without another soul around , arrive early or after 16.00 when the last schooner leaves taking everyone back to Abraao .
Lopes Mendes is also well known as a good surf spot and schooners arrive with surfers from all around the world to surf the various breaks and when its working and the tide is right there are some great barrels to be had . I chatted to an old surfer who grew up on the island and he reminisced about the days when he and his mates had Lopes Mendes all to themselves . He now rents boards to the tourists and when he found out that we were from South Africa , he leapt up shouting Jeffery's Bay , Jeffery's Bay while pointing to the hairs standing up on his arms .
Friends of ours back home who cruised this area two years ago , tipped us off about a place at the far end of Lopes Mendes where they had found some very nice mussels.
Good on you Bert , we found them and they are really nice .
It is now one of our favourite anchorages and is also the start point of the 1,5km trail over the hill to the Atlantic side of the island to Lopes Mendes Beach , considered to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world .
The blinding white sand squeaks when you walk on it and it stretches for miles and we were the only people there until the first schooner arrived at 11.00am with the first load of tourists . We don't mind sharing a special place like this with other people but if you do prefer peace and quiet without another soul around , arrive early or after 16.00 when the last schooner leaves taking everyone back to Abraao .
Lopes Mendes is also well known as a good surf spot and schooners arrive with surfers from all around the world to surf the various breaks and when its working and the tide is right there are some great barrels to be had . I chatted to an old surfer who grew up on the island and he reminisced about the days when he and his mates had Lopes Mendes all to themselves . He now rents boards to the tourists and when he found out that we were from South Africa , he leapt up shouting Jeffery's Bay , Jeffery's Bay while pointing to the hairs standing up on his arms .
Friends of ours back home who cruised this area two years ago , tipped us off about a place at the far end of Lopes Mendes where they had found some very nice mussels.
Good on you Bert , we found them and they are really nice .
POUSO . ENSEADA DAS PALMAS . LOPES MENDES .
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| POUSO BEACH . NOTE THE FLOATING BAR . |
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| THE TRAIL TO LOPES MENDES . |
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| BROUGHT BACK FOND MEMORIES OF THE TRANSKEI WILD COAST . |
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| THE BEAUTIFUL LOPES MENDES BEACH , ALL TO OURSELVES . |
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| THE OFFSHORE ISLAND GEORGE GREGO . |
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| THE MOST ORNATE MOORING BUOY I HAVE EVER SEEN . |
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| WE FOUND REALLY NICE MUSSELS JUST AROUND THE CORNER FROM HERE . |
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| MANY MOONS AGO AS A YOUNG APPRENTICE , I DREAMT OF THIS VERY MOMENT THAT I COULD WANDER ABOUT DRESSED LIKE THIS ON A WORK DAY . |
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| PREPARING A MUSSEL POT . |
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| IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE , WE CAME UPON THIS LITTLE ABANDONED CHURCH . |
Monday, July 14, 2014
ABRAAO .
Abraao is the main centre on Ilha Grande offering just about everything you might need while cruising the island . Restaurants , bars , dive operators , kayak and bicycle hire and everything centred around tourism . Reasonable shops and a great little bakery / eatery where we often sit and enjoy the day's special with one of Brazil's amazing fruit juices , nature's own Red Bull .
The town has two large piers extending off the beach from the waterfront and there is a continual stream of ferries transporting goods and people to and from the island from the continent . As there are no cars on the island , everything is transported from these piers by trolley to whichever shop or establishment have ordered the goods .
We have learnt that the town only wakes up at night and it takes on a whole new character with shops even the chemist closing late into the evening with tourists from all parts of the world packing the restaurants and bars making the atmosphere very festive . Standard dress is T - shirt , baggies and slops and we have even spotted people particularly men sitting have a meal in a speedo feeling quite comfortable that he is appropriately dressed , not that the proprietors seem to have an issue with it .
Abraao also marks the start of most of the island's many hiking trails and it has a number of historical sites close to it including the Lazaret ruins and the stone aqueduct that used to supply it with water at a rate of 1 million litres per hour . The Lazaret was a quarantine house where immigrants were kept as Cholera was a major problem in Europe in the 19th century and it could accommodate up to 1000 people at a time . It served 4000 ships before being converted to a political prison during several episodes of Brazilian history when it lost its importance as a quarantine house . Walking amongst the ruins it has a feeling of sadness and misery and is very out of place compared with the surrounding beauty of the island and the holiday atmosphere that pervades the nearby town .
The town is also one of my little wife's favourite haunts and she loves browsing in all the shops while l catch up on world cup games in a local pub . I have noticed that the cruising kitty gets severely whacked everytime we call in at Abraao .
The town has two large piers extending off the beach from the waterfront and there is a continual stream of ferries transporting goods and people to and from the island from the continent . As there are no cars on the island , everything is transported from these piers by trolley to whichever shop or establishment have ordered the goods .
We have learnt that the town only wakes up at night and it takes on a whole new character with shops even the chemist closing late into the evening with tourists from all parts of the world packing the restaurants and bars making the atmosphere very festive . Standard dress is T - shirt , baggies and slops and we have even spotted people particularly men sitting have a meal in a speedo feeling quite comfortable that he is appropriately dressed , not that the proprietors seem to have an issue with it .
Abraao also marks the start of most of the island's many hiking trails and it has a number of historical sites close to it including the Lazaret ruins and the stone aqueduct that used to supply it with water at a rate of 1 million litres per hour . The Lazaret was a quarantine house where immigrants were kept as Cholera was a major problem in Europe in the 19th century and it could accommodate up to 1000 people at a time . It served 4000 ships before being converted to a political prison during several episodes of Brazilian history when it lost its importance as a quarantine house . Walking amongst the ruins it has a feeling of sadness and misery and is very out of place compared with the surrounding beauty of the island and the holiday atmosphere that pervades the nearby town .
The town is also one of my little wife's favourite haunts and she loves browsing in all the shops while l catch up on world cup games in a local pub . I have noticed that the cruising kitty gets severely whacked everytime we call in at Abraao .
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