Posting from Rene & Danny - Cat Mousses - 24/05/2013

Hello Silvio& Lilian,

Finally, I have taken the time to write my comments on our visit to Brazil.  We are just about to arrive in Bermuda.  Our plans are to stay there for one week and then set sail for Canada. We are all very excited to get back home.  Hope all is well with both of you!

General

One aspect of our preparation to visit Brazil (which we did not fully appreciate until we arrived on site) was the word translation exercise that we did with you on our SSB NET underway. It is essential to enjoy a visit to Brazil to have at least some knowledge of the basic words in Portuguese because we rarely found someone that would speak either French, English or even Spanish.  We carried our word list with us everywhere and it proved to be extremely useful.

We obtained our visas from the Brazilian consulate in Cape Town and the process, although long (10 days), was easy to follow.

Fernando de Noronha

It is a nice place to stop en route from St-Helena.  The only problem is that they now charge outrageous amounts of money to cruisers to visit the island.  A detailed list of charges can be found on noonsite.  I have talked to many cruisers while there and they all cut short their visit because of the price of visiting.  We were supposed to stay there 5 days and only stayed 2!!  The anchoring fee is the most expensive I have ever seen in the whole world for one of the swelliest bay I have visited!!!! 

There is a bus to get to the closest town for shopping but renting a dune buggy is the best way to get around.  When we rented the dune buggy we realized that to get to the nicest beaches you had to have another permit, which you had to purchase for around $50 US per person.  You could only buy a 10 day pass, (nothing for casual visitors) so we ended up not visiting those beaches. It is a little sad considering that cruisers we met did not stay more than 2 days.

Although far from mainland Brazil, it was fairly easy to get fruit and vegetable from the main store, nicely welcomed after this passage from St-Helena.  It is a shame that Fernando has become expensive this way because it has so much to offer, but you can't appreciate it because of the overall price to visit. 

Natal

We decided to visit Natal because we had to bring our crew back so he could catch a flight to go back to Canada and chose to stop there based on Silvio and Lilian’s good comments about that place.  When you are around 30 NM from Natal, you start meeting a flotilla of fishing vessels and it is essential to be on the lookout when you arrive at night, we met many of them anchored in 120 feet of water.  It was an easy entrance into the river.  The anchorage close to the marina is very safe security wise and offers good holding. 

The marina staff were very helpful and we were allowed four days free usage of their facilities which included showers and internet.  Starting day five you had to start paying to use their facilities and it was not cheap.  There is a fresh fruit and vegetable market within walking distance but to do some serious shopping you have to take a bus which is taken just outside the gate.  We were told that it was unsafe to walk around the neighborhood at night so we didn't.  It is a large city with everything one may need, as long as you can make yourself understood. 

We visited a fort close by and got there walking during the day.  Our best experience was the dune buggy ride in Genipabu.  We organized a trip for the seven of us that lasted all day.  They picked us up at the yacht club around 09h00 and we came back around 17h00.  It cost 300 Reais (R$)  per buggy and was a day well spent being driven by  a chauffeur in the local dunes.  Thanks for the advice!

Conclusion

We really enjoyed our visit to Brazil and wished that we could have stayed longer.  This visit was just our first visit and we will be coming back but this time with a better knowledge of Portuguese.  Away from the cruising routes, Brazil is worth exploring but one has to keep in mind that it is not a cheap destination.

René, Dany and the Cat Mousses

Posting from Barry & Ann from Cat's Paw VI - 21/05/2013

Brazil

We were happy to join the BRally as my husband Barry always wanted to see Rio de Janeiro and joining the rally would add safety and companionship to our voyage to Brazil.  We had a good sail from St. Helena to Brachui, about 60 miles south west of Rio. The entry point of Brachui was a lovely setting but not very practical, there was no ATM to get local currency, there was only a very small store for groceries and you could not buy a SIM card of get independent internet access, although there was free Wifi at the dock.  Our stay at the dock was more expensive than anywhere else in the world and for that reason I would recommend that the landing site in the future be at Angra Dos Reis where you can anchor for free, take a mooring ball or go to a dock. 

We set off to Isle Grande to enjoy one of Brazil’s premier cruising grounds.  It has numerous anchorages located around a hilly forested island.  The waters are clean and the swimming was great.  We really enjoyed hiking the well kept trails that wind around the island from one anchorage to the next.

 The Lopes Mendes beach on the south east side of the island is not to be missed, it is superb.  We thoroughly enjoyed our wander from one end of the beach to the other. We visited the heritage town of Parati with 3 other boats from the BRally and enjoyed exploring, shopping and eating out with them.

 We headed up to a more remote anchorage and found a waterfall that was described in the cruising guide.  We had to beat our way through the forest to scare away the snakes, but were rewarded at the end with a lovely fresh water swim in the pool below the waterfall.

We headed off to Rio and were so happy that we had made the trip.  The harbor that the city of Rio is located on must be one of the most beautiful, protected harbors in the world.  The setting of the city surrounded by rock pinnacles and beautiful beaches is second to none.  We lovely all the old colonial buildings in the downtown area and were fascinated to read the rich history of the city and the state. On Easter morning we wandered through a deserted downtown and visited four beautiful old churches as they prepared for their services. 

We needed to head home to Canada for the northern summer; we planned to leave the boat in Trinidad at the end of May so it was time to go.  We knew our sailing trip would be tough up the coast in early April and we were right.  The first bit around Cape Frio was the worst, pounding into waves and current, making little progress.  We bit the bullet and put on the motor whenever we needed to in order to make the progress that was required. 

We had a short but wonderful stop in Salvador. It is a city with a rich history and culture and although we only touched the surface we really enjoyed the area. Our last stop was Fortaleza and we were happy to be there.  It is at the top of the bump of Brazil and once we started sailing westward, it was smooth sailing.  We had the wind and current with us and were pushed along at great speeds.  The weather co-operated and we just flew along. Fortaleza was easy to check into and out of and soon we were off to Trinidad our Brazil adventure was finished. The one thing I regret about our visit to Brazil was that it was too short.  We did not get to take a trip inland or do any other extensive exploring.  One thing we found very difficult in Brazil was our inability to communicate; only about 1 in 10 people speak English.  We were very thankful to Silvio on Matajusi for teaching us a few rudimentary Portuguese phrases on the radio schedule on our trip from St. Helena to Brazil.  One of the things we enjoyed the most were the Brazilian people.  They were so helpful and friendly wherever we were. In Isle Grande a local cruiser came up to talk to us and wanted to know all about our travels. At the dock in Niteroi, across the bay from Rio, a woman gathered us up and took us to her favourite shopping center and drove us up the hill for a look at the gorgeous view.  Shop keepers were patient with our lack of knowledge of their language.  All in all we had a very positive trip to Brazil and have no regrets and lots of good memories to take with us through the years.

Submitted by Ann Lange

First Mate

s/v Cat’s-Paw IV

Posting from Garry & Vicki, SV Mojombo on 20/04/2013:

We have been in Recife for a month now.  We arrived with some trepidation!  The clearance bureaucracy nightmares, the muggings, murders etc that we had all heard so much about had us somewhat on edge.  But none of it has so far eventuated.  Brazil, rather like Australia, is almost entirely mono-lingual - and folks here are clearly not used to the presence of foreigners such as us who speak a rather bizarre and abstract sign/'pictionary'/pig Spanish/English language. However they are almost universally enthusiastic to assist and share a laugh. 

So sure, in this context clearing in was a little difficult.  But certainly not more so than many other countries.  The officials were polite and helpful and the process was free! Since being here we have never felt even slightly threatened.

The main marina here, Cabanga Late Clube, is expensive, but at least all inclusive.  We are paying R71/day, but they are offering 5 days free for BRally boats.  For your money you get free water (although considered not drink water quality), free electricity (but again not great quality), free internet (usually works ok in the morning), two pools, good quality but expensive restaurant, assorted bars, an air-conditioned lounge area, showers and excellent safety and security.  Shopping and connectivity to the rest of Recife is good, with handy, relatively inexpensive bus and taxi access.  Entrance can only be made at high water, and is best by prior arrangement as they are currently undertaking dredging operations.  The berths are shallow and we sit in the mud up to our seacocks at low water springs.

The highlights of our visit have included:

-           old Recife Island

-           the San Antonio market/shopping precinct

-           Olinda

-           the beaches, and

-           the bike riding opportunities.

Old Recife Island includes many fine old public and private buildings, many of which have, or are in the process of being renovated.  There is an excellent craft market at Marco Zero (the centre of town) that is more like an art gallery, with a very high quality of presentation and featuring really talented local artists.  On Sunday afternoons and evening the old town has a large outdoor craft market, music and special events.

The San Antonio shopping precinct is a maize of narrow cobbled streets and small squares featuring grand old churches, jam packed with tiny shops, stalls, and roving vendors selling everything imaginable.  It is where the 'ordinary folks' shop (by the zillion) - its distinctly Portuguese flavour is just wonderful.

Olinda, one of the oldest towns in Brazil, has in modern times been engulfed within the urban sprawl of Recife.  Yet it is still an intact Portuguese village featuring a mix of extraordinarily old, richly ornamented church buildings, museums, public building, simple but colourfully painted houses, restaurants and a vibrant art community.  It is so special it has been inscribed onto the UNESCO World Heritage List.

If you're in to looking at beautiful bodies in teenie-weenie bathers, then the beaches of Recife are the place for you to head.

One of the nicest things about Recife is that every Sunday they create a long linear bike path through much of the city (it goes right past the yacht club). They do it properly, closing off an entire  road lane with witches hats and manning intersections with traffic cops - and the people of Recife turn out in there hundreds to go bike riding.  Its a wonderful way to see the old city and the beaches.  We love it!

If folks want more details on the marina, yacht facilities etc, they can email me at garyW@y7mail.com

That's it Silvio.  If you want a few photos I can send some.

Cheers, Gary

Hi Silvio

Gary has provided you with a summary for the BRally site which left out information that may be of some interest to BRally participants.

Night time entry into Recife is straight forward, with the chart recommending anchoring off Pernambuco YC. We found our anchor held well in the sticky mud. We were approached by a small-boat fisherman and asked to move closer to the other yachts, we could only guess we were in his favourite fishing spot. We had no problems with the local fisherman at night always ensuring we were on board before dark.

We investigated Pernambuco YC for cost (R50/day)and convenient access to Recife, The YC has yachts tie bow into a floating pontoon with no side pontoon, aft secured to buoys. They have showers but no potable water. The only disadvantage was the cost of using the local ferry/fishing boats to run backward and forwards across the river R5 per person each way. We were able to get them to run from Marco Zero to Mojombo for the same cost because there were four of us (total R40 each day). Boat security seemed good. They also had two buoys available (taken when we arrived).

From Pernambuco YC Gary dinghied to Cabanga at low tide to view the course from here down the the marked channel to the Cabanga YC yacht basin. We would recommend this approach if there is no-one in the yacht basin that you know already. Cabanga do not monitor VHF 9. The dinghy ride also allows a view of the situation with the floating pipeline for the dredging and get a agreement from Cabanga on the time of your arrival so their staff can be on hand to assist with tieing up. Whilst we have been here dredging has started at 7.30-12.00, lunch rest till 14.00, start dredging at 14.00-16.30 hours. They do not stop dredging during operational hours for yachts to enter or exit no matter when the high tide falls.

We arrived at Cabanga YC at almost full moon so had 2.5 metres high tide. In the channel the lowest depth was just outside the YC entrance at ~2.5 metres. Cabanga YC appears reluctant to let any yacht in that is close to or deeper than 2 metres.

As you may be aware Canbanga ties boats between poles and buoys, and buoys and tie eyes in the sea wall. Some berths have floating pontoons to access the shore, we have had to use our dinghy. Yachts are moored bow-in because of how far yachts sit in the mud at low tide. The YC will position the boat to ensure it is not too close to the seawall. Once the low tide is ~.30 above lowest chart dartum we turned off any pumps, whether day or night, so that mud did not get sucked in. At spring tides this becomes really important (.10 low water). Also at low water the mud gets pretty smelly.

Regards, Vicki

Status - BRally 2013 - April 20, 2013:

This first run of the BRally had 16 boats and other 3 joining from Brazil:

Matajusi - Brazil

Mr. Curly - England/Australia

Phrynee  II- France

Milo One - France

Cat's Paw IV - Canada

Cat's Mousses - Canada

Mojombo - Tasmania

Silver Cloud - South Africa

Emily Grace - England

Twister - USA

Priscilla - USA

Octobasses - Spain

Deamon - New Zealand

Margareth Anne - South Africa

Muneera - Australia

Unwind - Netherlands

The group crossed the Atlantic divided and landed on different locations. Starting from the South, Octobasse landed in Florianópolis, Matajusi, Mr Curly, Phynee II, Milo One, Cats Paw IV, Unwind, Silver Cloud (landed in Salvador and sailed South to Angra), and Deamon, came to Angra dos Reis, Priscilla landed in Cabedello, Cat Mousses landed in Fernando de Noronha going to Recife next, Emily Grace, Twister  and Mojombo landed in Recife and Muneera and Margareth Anne have not landed yet.

Their comments on the visit to Brazil will be posted on the next postings.