Ilha do Mel
Author: Shirlz
Monday, 29 November 2010
The anchor came up cleanly with no sticky black mud. The bottom must be sand. Apart from the constant traffic during the daytime Paranaguá’s Centro Historico is a really good anchorage. Good holding, perfect shelter, wifi, shops, safe place to dock the dinghy, easy shopping, no flies or mosquitoes, convenient floating dock for fuel and water. I felt no need to lock the boat when I went ashore. It doesn’t get much better. But it is busy during the day.
I timed my departure to have the tide in my favour and had an easy run down to Ilha do Mel. As I was leaving the narrow channel that leads to the town at the start of the trip, a French cruising boat passed me going the other way. It would have been interesting to talk to them. When I arrived at the island I approached very cautiously as the guide books had issued dire warnings about how steeply the bottom shelved. And sure enough I suddenly noticed the depth going from 11 to 5 to 1.8 in a matter of seconds. Smart about turn and dropped anchor in 11m a longish row from shore. Had a lovely cool dip in the clean water.
Tuesday, 30 November 2010
The anchorage is a bit rolly with the swell coming round the point. The tidal stream is strong and dominates so we pitch more than roll. Heavy rain this morning and on and off all day. Decided not to put the dinghy in the water yet. With this sort of rain I’d have to be constantly bailing it out to stop it from filling up and sinking. The island looks beautiful and I’m hoping that the weather will be better tomorrow.
Had time to fiddle around with the AIS and it’s working at last. Another case of dodgy connections. This is a good place to test it as the little bay where I’m anchored is very close to the entrance to the ship’s channel. It’s very impressive to see the massive boats suddenly looming into sight as they pass the point of the island about 250m away. So far they’ve all appeared on the AIS. Still need to test the alarm. But now the traffic seems to have stopped.
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
Had a chance to check the AIS alarm when another ship passed close by and it works very well. I can even hear it without my hearing aids. I’ll definitely use it in future for ocean passages.
It was very rolly last night – I had to sleep in the saloon with a lee-cloth up. The sea was calmer this morning and I moved a bit closer in. I dropped the anchor in 3m and let out 20m of chain. The tide was coming in and held us stern to the shore. Now that it’s falling we have swung the other way and the fish-finder shows 9m. The bottom really shelves steeply. I feel as though I’m perched on the edge of a cliff. Let out another 10m of chain in case we dragged into the deeper water.
Had an easy row ashore and hauled the dinghy up on the beach. Lots of ferry boats at the dock. Most belong to the pousadas who ferry their guests in from Paranaguá. No cars on the island so heavy stuff is transported in little handcarts. Strolled along a sandy footpath through the village which is just a scattering of wooden cabins and bungalows peeking through the lush greenery. Most are pousadas and ‘campings’ for the tourists. I carried on over to the other side of the island to have a look at the state of the sea. The flat approach to the sands is marshy. A lapwing loudly defended its territory. Big deserted beach with waves breaking for a long way out. and a very sturdy boardwalk leading to an impressive cave. Climbed a small hill that overlooked the bay on the inside
and was able to see Speedwell. The sight never fails to give me a little thrill.
Back at the Encantadas beach I planned to stop for a cold beer after all that thirst-making exercise but before I could order anything at the bar two men who had been watching me insisted on my joining them. Well, why not? Had a friendly chat and shared their cerveja gelada. One is an expat German who has lived on the island for 40 years. Didn’t catch his name. The other, Paulo, is a local journalist who invited me to a big fish BBQ on the beach on Sunday. Not sure if I’ll still be here. The weather is so changeable.
Thursday, 2 December 2010
This morning I was woken at 4:30 by the jerky motion of the boat. The wind had changed and was blowing onshore. Not strong, but already getting uncomfortable. It didn’t look like a good day to head north so as soon as it was light I motored back in drizzling rain to the Centro Historico.