Full moon.

Some time ago I met someone who declared unequivocally that Atol das Rocas was the most beautiful place on earth. So being an overnight sail from Fernando de Nora, we decided to go and see for ourselves. We googled it first and were disappointed to find that it fell into the same restricted Marine Reserve as FDN, but as it was en route, set sail there anyway. As we approached we kept a close surveillance with binoculars, but if we thought we had any chance of staying there it was quickly thwarted when we were apprehended on the VHF, asked why were were there and told in no uncertain terms to keep going straight on by. Atol das Rocas is made up of two small sandspits with a few scraggly windswept Cassaurina trees, two basic lean-to shacks and a huge aerial. It is surrounded by reef and rocks, but no coral and teeming with bird life. Pretty, but not heartbreaking to miss. We were treated to a squall, a rainbow, and a breaching dolphin that of course we couldn’t get on camera.

Learning the correct way to fillet a fish.

We approached Fortaleza a couple of days later in the early hours of the morning. A fat waxing moon set over the city like an orange ball, its glow being diffused by the smog to create an eerie yet beautiful sight with the huge city skyline silhouetted below. In the pitch dark we crept through the hazards of Fortaleza harbour (plenty of unlit wrecks and shallow areas) in the general direction of the marina and dropped anchor to await daybreak. We noticed 2 things in the light of dawn – we had dropped anchor alarmingly close to a submerged wreck, but also right in front of the marine entrance, neither of which were on our nav system. We moored up in the med style very professionally but must have done something offensivebecause the French yacht alongside us instantly moved further down. This initiated our hypothesis on…

The Reasons why the Frenchies moved:

1. Because they are French…
2. Saw the RSA flag and thought we’d steal off their boat.
3. Saw the RSA flag and thought we’d steal the whole boat.
4. They were worried that Kate and myself would become to attached to their cat.
5. Saw the RSA flag and thought we would eat their cat.
6. Were daunted by Katlyn’s sleek lines & utter elegance beside their shoddy yacht.
7. Politely moved so as not to spoil our view.
8. She thought she noticed her husband ogling Kate.
9. She couldn’t resist ogling Doug. (Don’t worry Doug doesn’t read the blog)
10. Who cares, they’re French. (Jokes Yvanne 🙂 )

Fortaleza is an absolutely gigantic city, skyscrapers piece the sky for as far as the eye can see, the roads are congested, the population huge. Like any big city poverty and wealth exists side by side. There are stunning architectural masterpieces flanked by smelly, derelict, graffitied hovels and designer dressed yuppies stroll by the destitute. Crime is rampant, everywhere we go we are warned to be extra vigilant.

All the buildings are tiled, since tiles are made in brazil and work out to be more cost effective and longer lasting than plaster and paint.

We are today at the Iguatemi Mall which would equal or better any mall worldwide, but on the way to catch the taxi here we crossed the road and saw a homeless person who had set up home in the culvert under the road. Why is it that South African poverty seems to headline world news?

Brazil has a palpable vibe and energy to it and we have enjoyed being part of it. The Marina is in front of a large hotel over flowing with Brazilian tourists. The swimming pool is clean and surrounded with four poster day beds draped with chiffon and bikini clad Brazilians. It should be noted that the American diet seems to have ‘spread’ south to Brazil. We spent an afternoon browsing at the local market which equates to 5 stories of spiraled staircases and walk ways filled with stalls overflowing with everything imaginable. It was fascinating. We also paid a visit to a incredible gothic church whose sheer size was impressive but its interior was an utter marvel with stain glass windows to rival the Notre Dame, which no camera can do credit to.

The local market place is 5 stories of endless shops and bargains.

Beautiful gothic church.

Brazil is such a large independent country that nobody needs to speak English… and nobody does. English seems as foreign here as Xhosa. All in all a worthwhile stop, a new piece of culture and an opportunity to clean and restock Katlyn for the next leg.

A photo shoot on our boat in exchange for a free day in the marina.

More pictures in the gallery.

– Val

Fortaleza, Brazil
(Bustling, Contrasting, Skimpily clad)
Bargain: The tastiest, cheapest pawpaws ever! Particularly to yatchies in need of fresh produce.
Irritation/Quirk: Having to watch your back and backpack the whole time.
Cost of a coke: R$4.00 (Reals) at the Pub, R$1.69 at the supermarket.

A 7 day trip from Ascension with twin head sails at night and the spinnaker up every day, averaging 7 knots and up to 11 knots on occasion. The most impressive thing I have seen to date happened on our 5^th night just after I came on watch at 1:00am. The phosphorescent plankton had always kept me occupied but I kept seeing larger and even brighter patches in the black water. They got bigger and bigger, my excitement mounting as patches 6m X 4m, and endlessly deep were passing right next to the boat. Thankfully I had the sense to harness myself on as I scuttled from one side to the other and watched this with fascination, particularly when we went over a section bigger than Katlyn and we were lit up like an eerie soccer stadium. Well, I couldn’t resist, I belted downstairs and woke everyone up. According to Dad they were probably phosphorescent jellyfish. Think ‘Life of Pi’ when the whale is feeding – Surreal.

We arrived to pristine blue waters and picturesque beaches, and spent a lazy afternoon catching up on sleep and swimming under the boat with the resident barracuda. As surprising as it may sound, this was the first time that a real sense of cruising set in, with a emphasize on enjoying life and the surrounding culture and forgetting the pressures of what should be done (fixing, washing, seeing) and just doing whatever we came upon. I’m sure you all laughing this outlook of mine!

We headed to the ‘Capitania dos Portos’ for customs and immigration and spent an interesting morning playing charades with the extremely hospitable port office officials. We were shocked to discover the $125 daily charge and the numerous restrictions of where you may go on this small island, but being the holiday Mecca for all wealthy Brazilians, it was to be expected. After being drilled about the punishable offense of touching the dolphins and swimming without payment in the protected areas, we were unfortunately disappointed in the snorkeling and reefs. This is perhaps from being spoilt with incredible underwater gardens from a young age that my expectations were too high, but nonetheless the water was warm, clean and fun. There were endless tourist boats back and forth accommodating first time divers and the never ending parties and booze cruising. The most interesting contraption was a cross between a hover craft and what we could only imagine was a glass bottom boat.

The island itself is breathtakingly dramatic with smaller surrounding islands, inlets and beaches stretched along the coast. Its tiny airport does not stop, with planes in and out and beach buggies piled high with beach clad tourists. The shabby chic houses are painted in a multitude of colours, 50% of which are restaurants offering a host of island style cocktails, with a main meal ranging anything from R250 and up. There is only one main tarred road that covers the basic 7 km length of the island, the rest are sand, dirt or more commonly cobbled in a rough, higgle dee piggle dee way. Hammocks are strung up, locals run on a leisurely island time and if you don’t have a beach buggy, a scooter or a horse is a peachy alternative.

The ‘Policia Federal’, Walter and his team took us under their wing, giving us lifts and showing us the local market, before inviting us to ‘Jingas’. This resident open air restaurant/club treated us to a slice of Brazilian life, with live Portuguese music, local cervejas (beer), general joviality and ‘Felicidade’ a toast to happiness!

Check out the rest of the pics.

– Kate

Fernando de Nora
(Sun, Music, Siestas)
Bargain: Never having to worry about what you look like, or wear, if you in fact choose to wear anything at all.
Irritation/Quirk: Ridiculously expensive, with an average main meal costing R300 and a beer costing R50.
Cost of a coke: R$5.00 (Reals)

View from Green Mountain

Having not stopped at Ascension on our previous crossing on Finesse, we have decided that this time around we will. It is an uncomplicated downwind sail of about 4 and a half days from St Helena, the trades are kind and consistent and we settle into an easy routine of 3 and a half hour night watches and easy going day times, interchanging between spinnaker up and twin headsails depending on the strength of the wind. I am grateful to have Kate along, she is young and energetic and Doug can rely on her to be his first mate when it comes to sail changes.  I of course am galley slave.  Only on our last day do the trades die down and we decide to put out the rod in addition to the two handlines which have fed us on passage. We are rewarded with a big wahoo which requires that the entire freezer be repacked to fit in ten meals of fish.  A further five meals go into the fridge, some of which I pickle using Glee + 2’s delicious recipe from Chagos days, and the rest we eat for lunches and suppers.

Dinner and some.

We are escorted in by shoals of black fish ‘Durgeons’, and are enthralled by their sheer numbers. Ascension is not a cruisers paradise in terms of anchorage, getting ashore, maintenance and provisioning.  Scott and Nikki on The Beach House have given us the run down by email, but in practice it translates into a much more adventurous  undertaking. We arrive on a beautiful calm afternoon and wonder what the fuss is about, the bay is flat and the water crystal.  But overnight a northerly swell builds and by the next morning we have a better understanding of the hype surrounding ‘getting ashore on Ascension’.  One dinghys in towards the pier head, a large concrete promontory with a steep stairway cut into it and a landing platform at the base with several thick knotted ropes hanging like nooses off an overhead bar.  There is a wooden fishing boat about 30 meters before the pier head which is tied bow to it, and stern to a series of other boats and mooring buoys. To this one ties ones dinghy, and then transfers crew and paraphernalia to the fishing boat.  Once aboard one smiles confidently up at the gathering spectators before pulling the fishing boat in to the landing platform using its mooring line.  Sounds simple enough, but factor in a huge swell and an uncooperative fishing boat, protruding rocks at the base of the pier head, and a 20 knot wind.  Once at the landing platform the boat lurches and surges up to two meters and more against the concrete, smashing the wooden bow and protective car tyre around it, it mounts the platform and then gets dragged back off it, at some stage one has to position oneself on this angry bow, grab a knotted noose and launch oneself onto the swirling platform with a measure of calm and dignity, and clamber up the staircase before being washed off again.  Once everyone is safely ashore, the boat with ones dinghy attached is released and pulled back off shore using a block and pulley system.  Now try to do this all with four 25 litre water containers, laptops, provisions etc!  Islanders and visitors alike love to watch this debacle.

Thwarting our Nemesis.

Georgetown is a neat but uninspiring village set among volcanic gravel with a few indigenous trees spotted here and there. The heat radiates off all this black tar-like gravel but is cooled by the persistent trade winds. The local people are mostly from St. Helena on contract here as the pay is better and are generally accommodating.  There is a shop at which most things can be bought at a price, (save for fresh veggies), a post office and a bank.  Internet access can be bought at the only hotel, the Obsidian.  Ascension is a ‘closed’ island, visitors unwelcome, but in fact everyone is remarkably friendly, from the chief of police who doubles as immigration officer, to the shop owners. As the island is a military base for the Americans, and a hub for several communication and radio companies, there are cordoned off areas of multi-million dollar high tech equipment and satellite dish type things, and rules do apply.  We have used the opportunity here to catch up on blogging whilst sitting in the shade on the verandah of the hotel.

Weird contraptions

Did I mention about all the fish we have been eating?  Well it turns out this is not all a good thing.  A few mornings ago Doug complained of a sore big toe, red and swollen and not a pretty sight. It got progressively worse until we had to painstakingly hobble our way to the hospital. There we were greeted by a South African doctor who diagnosed gout. Doug was disgusted that he had an old man’s condition, especially when we have had an alcohol free boat for months now! A jab in the bum and some Voltaren and the gout is on the mend.  Hey, Tim Noakes, so what’s with the protein rich diet and cutting out carbs – protein rich diet amongst other things, is responsible for gout.

Following on this bad note, let me tell you about yacht ‘Moonshine’. They arrived a couple of days after us, abandoned their boat to this unpredictable anchorage within hours of their arrival, headed straight to the Saints Pub, stopping only to intercepting some unknown American service men on the way, whom they casually asked to watch their boat. They settled into the Saints Club at about lunch time and proceeded to provide the Islanders with enough gossip to last them decades. Some mildy inappropriate PDA (Public Displays of Affection) culminating open air sex, followed by the mugging of a member of the US airforce… on the restricted Military Airbase, stealing his cell, ipad and wallet. They went on to harass the hotel staff at 01:00am for a room which they trashed. The next morning during our breakfast we watched as Rod, the chief of police boarded this yacht, revoked their visas and kicked them off the island, the first time in 23 years. Not a cool refection for yachties especially as one of them was South African but thankfully the stolen items were returned.

Hiring a car was well worth it, especially the trip up the 856 metre Green Mountain (aptly named) and a two hour hike once up there. The drive up is hectic with the tightest of tight hairpin bends, and the contrast from volcanic rocks to lush green tropical vegetation makes it incredibly scenic.

We were told that we can help ourselves to any bananas but to pull down the whole tree as they were taking over as it is – we were happy to oblige.

Kate and I have continually challenged the nipping ‘Durgoens’ (Trigger fish) by swimming with them daily. Think Pied Piper of Hamlin, Kate gets into the water the blighters swarm behind in their multitudes, if she dives down, so do they. Ascension is the 2^nd largest nesting ground for the green turtles, with every beach resembling a snow slope of moguls, where females have pulled themselves up to lay their eggs and thousands of hatchlings each year. Unfortunately only a small portion of these make it and the beaches are scatted with biltong baby turtles and egg shells.

The trigger fish in their hordes

The beaches with all the turtle nests.

Yesterday we took the dinghy up to English Bay and checked out the wreck and surrounding reef, so many tropical fish and morays, a stone fish and huge jack. Because Ascension is so inaccessible, the marine life and fishing is of the best in the world and there are no restrictions at all. We have been to some remarkable snorkeling sites and I don’t believe there is clearer water anywhere in the world.

Our stay on Ascension ended with some fun and festivities on the US base for the 4^th of July celebrations. A small town affair, with minimal talent lead to an entertaining beauty pageant and endless line dancing. Doug dominated the pool table with JP, one of the SA crew members delivering a Moorings cat, their winning streak even follow odd US rules was unfaltering. Katie reveled in company outside of her parents, equally so for the US recruits whose employment perks don’t usually include a exuberant blonde girl.

Long Beach, Ascension

The local friendly donkeys that potter around generally getting in the way and nevertheless well loved.

Have a look at the Gallery for more pics.

– Val

Ascension
(Durgeons, Military Transport Jets, Turtles)
Bargain: Joining in the 4^th of July celebrations on the US base.
Irritation/Quirk: American, British and French adapters needed depending on where you are on the island.
Cost of a coke: 75p