Ilhabela Part 2

Whilst walking down the waterfront promenade we noticed a fairly sizeable catamaran anchored off one of the beaches.  When we got closer, we saw it was HQ2, and our friend, Ian,  was all alone on there. Jason and I motored Ciao Bella around to say hi, and invited him round to moor off YCI with us. We had dinner and drinks on what we came to name the "Hotel Quebec" for a few nights in a row. I tell you, it makes the world of difference in this heat waking up on a boat with A/C. Ian was super hospitable and we all had a good time.

José put us in touch with his handyman, Junior, who took Ric and I to town to sort out all our boatwork requirements.  The trip to town took and extra 45 minutes because Junior took us to the end of the island on a guided tour. We didn't complain. We managed to get batteries for less than half of what the chandlery was asking, as well as spare engine oil, coolant and pretty much everything we needed. He even managed to get the gas bottles refilled - something that NOBODY in Rio was able to do for us.

Raf and Traveena have hopped off Ciao Bella for a while. They are going to hit Florianopolis for Carnival and meet up with us when we arrive there. I'm chilled with that. It'll be good to spend a bit of time off the boat.  Ric might go spend a week or two with his cousin in Brasilia. Im happy to stay on the boat for the duration.

In Ilhabela we bought a chokka lure to catch some squid. Can you imagine fresh calamari for dinner? During one of the nights, two squid (lulas in Portuguese) jumped ONTO HQ2.  With the freeboard on that boat, they must have cleared at least 1.8m to get on board. So we decided to give it a try. Raf caught the first lula, and that was all we got that night. The next day we left YCI after fixing a seized winch, and went around the other side of the island in tandem with HQ2 to find some more lulas! We found a bay with a lot of fishing boats who had their bright chokka lights out, so we anchored nearby, and turned the underwater lights on HQ on (boet!). It was a lula fest! Dave pulled out 5 and I got 2. So we fried up the fresh calamari in garlic, lime, pepper and a LOT of butter for starters. Ric prepared us a roast beer-chicken with roast veg, and Jason had bought a cake for pudding. Lo and behold - our first three course meal in ages! And probably our last, so we appreciated.

One word of warning from our trusty cruising book which we didn't heed was of the little insects native to the island called barrachudas (or something like that). These things are like mozzies, but make you bleed more, and the itching lasts for days.  We thought that we'd be safe on the boat, but those lottle buggers zappednthe hell out of us. Everyone on the boat has big red sores on their feet and ankles and can't stop scratching. Brings a new meaning to itchy feet.

Ilhabela - A Breath of Fresh Air!

After a few days in Ilhabela, we have decided that this is the place to be, and the next South Atlantic Race must come past here. In fact, we decided that only a few hours after arriving. The friendliness that we have received from the locals here is (thus far) unprecedented for us in Brazil. These guys all seem to be happier and more jovial. Most of the Brazillian people who we've met so far have had the attitude of the lady who sits behind the counter at the licensing department or the dept. of home affairs in South Africa. Not all of them - but most.

Yacht Club Ilhabela is much smaller than Iate Clube do Rio de Janeiro, but I think it works in its favour. We have been allocated a swing mooring, as well as a few days of free access to the club. We have been signed in as the guests of our friends Jose and Maia who we met in the Rio race. They were on Mussulo, and are perfect examples of the hospitality that we have seen in Ilhabela. Great chaps. The club has a swimming pool and a restaurant right next to a deck overlooking the sea, as well as a little stretch of beach. There is a buffet breakfast on weekends which (I would go so far as to say) is the best I have ever had. But that may be swayed by many days/weeks of eating boat-food. The waiters and security are courteous and friendly, and really try. There is no bullshit or rigmarole getting in or out of the club, they just greet you with a smile and wave you in. I left my tablet charging in the club when we went out for dinner one night, and when we arrived back at the club, the security knew it was mine from the background photo and the guy called me over to give me my tablet which had been handed in. The legends even put it on charge for me!

We haven't done much exploring of the island yet. We've been told that there's a lot to see. The last few days have been dedicated to spending a bit of time off the boat, enjoying the club facilities, and arranging some of the boat stuff that we need (mainly batteries and gas). We also have decent internet, so everyone has been doing some catch-up on Facebook and e-mail situations. I have done a bit on my Masters, but need to apply some concerted effort now.

With Carnival time about a week away, we were toying with the idea of going back to Rio and getting in the thick of things, but the consensus now is not to backtrack and to carry on moseying down the coast. There seems to be a really nice vibe here. They have decorated the church with ribbons and flags, and there's a stage with live music on most nights in the town square. It does get a liiiiiiiiittle bit crowded when the cruise ships offload all their passengers, but who am I to complain?

Thinking about you all back home, and missing you!

Bren

Paraty Time!

It was a very short sail from the west end of Ilha Grande into the bay of Paraty. We skipped out on Angra dos Reis under the advice of our friend José, who said it was a disgusting place. We had to dig out our fouly jackets for the rain that was imminent. The scattered rain showers hung around for two days.

The bay is a beauty to sail into, with mountains in the background and small islands scattered all around. The marinas were all very much pricey, and we found the one recommended in the Brasil Cruising book. We were having difficulty communicating with the marina via radio, when lo and behold a familiar accent on the radio calling Ciao Bella. It was our friends from Alley Cat who we had met during out boat prep in Durbs. After we anchored a chap named Al came and fetched us on their ducky. Hoorays for not having to do the dreaded 2 person SUP!!

The mission was then to get into town, which was a 4km walk. We saw buses passing us the whole way, but no bus stops. We weren't too concerned at the time though, as the rain had been holding off for the better part of the morning. We found a guava tree on the way which had one or two ripe ones for us. We also found a chandlery on the way where we could get most of the boat stuff that we needed, as well as a nice razor sharp panga for skinning our coconuts.

While we were stopped off on our way to town, Gina and Max didn't wait up, but ventured ahead. The 'old town' is very tiny, so we really fancied our chances of bumping into them later. But we didn't see them for the whole day! We ask no questions. Just before the old part of town we found a supermarket where we could get some freshly baked pastries and cold drinks for breakfast - what  a treat! Just before reaching the old town the rain began to bucket down, sk we took shelter in a little pub. It wasn't actually a pub. It was a bottle store with two plastic tables under an afdak. When the rain abated we did the last bit of trek into the old town.

We knew we were there because the roads were chained off to restrict entry for cars.

Ilha Grande

Watch this space!

Rio de Ja-Flipping-Neiro

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