John Pollok arrives this morning from Recife, Brazil to join me until September 27. He recently retired as a chief of the Federal Police, speaks great English, and is a genuinely fine man with fascinating stories to tell of his government service. […]
Worn out by all the fun, this is a day of needed rest. All of us just lounge around on Indigo, take a van ride ashore for a Japanese lunch and some brief shopping, then return to the boat for naps. When I suggest we should have a going away party tonight (the three amigos are leaving in the morning), Pete, in a flash, hollers out, “The hell with that. I’m partied out!” Uncle. we all probably need to check into the Betty Ford Clinic.
There is a sadness in the air, this last day together. I’ve now spent two solid weeks with my best friends of 50 years, and all without a cross word from anybody. Earl, ever the foil for Chris and Pete, has taken the abuse with his irrepressible good humor and energy. […]
At long last, Indigo departs from Florianopolis, its home at anchor since September 15. The reasons for its extended stay are numerous and the source of considerable frustration. Partly the long stay was caused by the intensely bureaucratic and snail-paced Brazilian customs department, which took their sweet time processing simple shipments of parts and spares. But far more delay was caused when a local diesel mechanic working in Indigo’s engine room left a sea water hose unattached without turning off a valve, thus allowing water to flood into the engine room. This was not detected until the room had flooded to the deck plates, damaging pumps and electrical connections, all of which had to be rebuilt.
From Florianapolis, we cruise a short distance to Imbituba, an important port for southern Brazil, where we tie up to a huge concrete ship pier and take on board by prior arrangement a shipment of parts and a new outboard motor for the tender as well as a considerable quantity of fuel. While the shipment is being loaded and fuel pumped, I take a taxi into the somewhat famous town of Guarapabba, noted as the surfing capital of Brazil. It was here just a few months ago that the world surfing championships were held. We have arranged for an English speaking tour guide named Andrea to escort me around the area. Together with the cab driver, we visit Praia Fosa (or Red Beach), a site of fine homes and beachfront pousadas (inns). Following a wonderful lunch at the seashore, I return to Indigo for the night. Phil
After an uneventful and relaxing cruise of a few days, we reach Punta del Este, the Palm Beach of South America, for a week’s stay. Its fine marina, rare for South America, is well-protected and located in the heart of town, an easy walk to many fine shops and restaurants. […]
Grant and I left Jacksonville yesterday afternoon, arrived in Miami and then flew non-stop to Buenos Aires. I was really glad we were flying business class when I saw the line at the Miami airport for Aerolineas Argentina–VERY long and not moving much. The flight was pretty much on time but then we spent 45 minutes in line at the Buenos Aires (BA) airport waiting to go through immigration. […]
Buenos Aires (BA) is a large city located on the Rio de Plate and the people who live in the city are called “portenos”. There are approximately 11 million people in BA and the surrounding metropolitan area and the city itself is divided into 28 (I think) neighborhoods or barrios. […]
There was a storm in the area last night and this morning, it was overcast with much wind. But before long, it turned into a beautiful sunny day. Today, Hugo took us to the neighborhoods or barrios of Palermo, Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood, all in the same area. […]
In an earlier entry, I mentioned the pedestrian bridge crossing from the east to the west side of Puerto Madero. The name of the bridge is Puente de la Mujer (Bridge of the Woman) and it opened in 2001. It is a white suspension bridge and a whole piece of it moves out and to the side when necessary for a boat to pass through. […]
I took a walk this morning for about an hour; this area is a great place for walking. Grant worked all morning on the boat’s stereo speakers, trying to get them to work the way Phil wants them to. We’ll see how successful his efforts are. At 1PM, the three of us went to have lunch with Antonio Caselli, Ambassador for the Knights of Malta to Argentina, a very active international Catholic organization. […]