Lots of work has been going on, trying to get the boat ready to leave. Roddy and the boys have been in the engine room all morning, changing filters and doing other things I am totally not familiar with. We left the area about 1:45PM and were out at sea until about 5PM. The seas were bumpy and rolling. […]
It’s a beautiful day in Recife but being anchored in Recife in the commercial ship area is a whole lot different from where we have been. Toby is going to the city to see if he can buy more coolant—the port engine seems OK now since the sand and air have been cleaned out of the water system that cools the engine and they are now doing the same with the starboard engine. Phil, Grant and Will have gone to Recife with John (the retired head of the federal police in Recife) so that should be a real adventure. […]
Grant, Will and I flew to Salvador today; it took about 90 minutes. We had reservations for two rooms in the Bahia Othon Palace Hotel which had been recommended by John and in our tourist book. The hotel was about as far from the airport as you could get, but it was on the beach. However, the beach here has a rocky coastline and there are only a few places that we would really think of as “beach”. We had deluxe rooms and they were very roomy, but a bit basic and not at all fancy. […]
We all slept late at the hotel this morning and we woke up to the news that there had been an Islam terrorist threat to blow up ten or more planes, which thankfully was thwarted. When will be willing to say these terrorists are doing these things because of their religion? I briefly considered flying home right away but my wonderful travel agent Cindy Basamot convinced me that things would really be crazy for a few days and it was best to keep to our original plans to fly out Sunday. […]
I went walking this morning for about an hour in this busy city and it was interesting. The boys have been lazy, watching ESPN (they have cable and satellite television here) and reading. Then they went back to Boi Preto, the churrascaria, by themselves (it’s a taxi ride) and ate a lot—they figured this was their last time there. I went to the Pelourinho area (described in yesterday’s entry) and walked around this historical area. […]
Phil and Indigo arrived in Salvador today and the boys and I went to meet them at Bahia Marina, one of the nicest (and only) marinas we have stayed at during the trip. It almost makes me want to stay a bit longer—the boys and I leave tomorrow. After getting organized, Phil and the boys went to the Pelourinho area (the historic area) but needless to say, they didn’t visit any churches but just walked around and looked at everything. […]
After saying a sad goodbye to Kitty, Grant and Will Proctor, I begin to explore the areas around Salvador easily reachable by car and head first to a place that is generally raved about, Praia de Forte, or beach fort in English. It becomes quickly apparent that this is another too cute outdoor shopping mall, a bit like a small and mildly ragged Nantucket, holding little or no interest for me. And its beach, lined with rocks, is nothing much. […]
Leaving Morro de Sao Paolo with some regret, we head south along the Brazilian coast a mere 40 miles arriving at Camamu in short order. The village is located up a wide river surrounded by sand bars and breaking surf, making the entry an attention getting experience. All along its seaward coast are miles of white sand beaches covered over in coconut palms. Substantial homes dot the shoreline as well as the simple houses of local fishermen. […]
Along the way, we had received reports that the city of Ilheus was worth a stop. The reports were faulty. It is a large, unattractive city with a major port facility and an okay beach. We stop while I go ashore to the local yacht club for lunch, then all agree that we’ll push on to more promising places.
When we were in Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic, I met and befriended Bruno Massida, an Italian tenor and flute player who plays gigs around the islands and in Brazil. Bruno had mistakenly invited me to visit him at his home in Porto Seguro at which we arrive today. The port is secure alright (Seguro means secure), but only if you have a shallow draft boat that allows you to get behind its protecting reef. […]