Angra dos Reis
Author: Shirlz
Angra dos Reis
Monday, 3 January 2011
It has been raining heavily all of this year (!). The campers on the big beach carry on regardless enjoying boat trips and paddling kayaks around the bay. It’s warm so the rain isn’t really a problem unless the plan was to try to get a tan or lie on the sands with a good book to read.
I huddle in the cockpit under the awning and tend my water collecting system. Washed my hair this morning with gallons of fresh rainwater. What luxury!
However, I was getting a bit low on provisions and decided to make a move and head for Angra dos Reis just over 20nm away. The strong wind that had been predicted never materialised and it was flat calm. It would probably mean motoring all the way. Well the battery needed charging as there hadn’t been much sun lately and I’d be able to keep the awning up to shelter from the rain which showed no sign of letting up.
I waited till after 10 hoping that the weather might improve but it obviously wasn’t going to happen.
Visibilty was reasonable so I set off resolutely through the drizzle. Despite the rain the scenery was still spectacular. The bay dotted with little islands. Three big ships were anchored near the entrance. The electric autohelm was working well. I hadn’t used it for some time as the Navik does such a great job. Now and then a fast mega-motor-yacht would roar past and throw us about and off course with it’s monstrous negligent wake. I think they must be totally unaware of the havoc they cause for small boats.
At about 5pm I rounded up and negotiated the scattering of little islands on the approach to the harbour at Angra. I headed for the little island of Coqueiros and anchored past the fuel barge in 4m. It felt strange to be back in familiar surroundings.
Wednesday, 5 January 2011
Still raining. Went ashore to clear in and do some shopping. There is a lot of traffic in and out of the harbour: schooners, fishing boats, fast power boats. I opted to leave the dinghy on a tiny beach a short row away in a sheltered spot. No luck trying to get my hearing aid fixed. Had my ears tested for a new installation but the price was prohibitive. I’ll just have to manage as I am.
Wednesday, 5 January 2011
Made a list of things to be done ashore before jumping into the dinghy. New year’s resolution. My first priority was to stock up with oil and fuel filters for the engine. That went well, then I started scanning for wifi. Plenty of signals but all locked. Found an interesting-looking computer shop with a wifi signal and went in. A bright young guy was happy to give me the password and when I told him about the problems of updating my blog he offered to let me use his computer once I had sent the text from my iPod. Well – it’s a way to pass the time and meet people. Got some Portuguese chat practice in.
Food was next and I pottered along to the Market area. Narrow cobbled streets crowded with pedestrians and cars. All pretty slow-moving. I had to squeeze back against the side of a building with a mother and her little boy while an overloaded farm truck tried to negotiate a tight corner. Crumbly narrow pavement. Then a lushly green and overgrown praça where preparations were being made for a music concert. Across the way a promising little vegetable shop. What a great place! Really fresh stuff and such a sensible way of handling the business. You just picked up a big plastic bag and filled it with whatever you fancied: two carrots, a lettuce, a small cabbage, a bit of this a handful of that and then instead of weighing and pricing each fiddly little thing separately while the queue stretched impatiently behind you the owner just weighed the whole bag and charged a ridiculously low price. A great shopping experience.
Flushed with success I moved back to the harbour for a little sit down and a cafezinho. The harbour is packed with boats and I was glad that I hadn’t attempted to row in in my dinghy.
Thursday, 6 January 2011
The fuel barge, close to which I’m anchored, is the last convenient place to buy diesel for a long way. I filled the two empty jerry cans and a motley collection of 5 litre containers. I now have a grand total of 120 litres of diesel. 95l in the big flexible tank. I’m hoping it will be enough to get me to Jacaré.
A quick trip ashore to get cash as there are no ATM’s on Ilha Grande and I set off for Abraão.