Ilha Grande to Rio
Saturday, January 22nd, 2011
Friday, 14 January 2011
I left Abraão at about 10’ish after having first taken Sinbad for a last ramble on his beach. I also filled two containers with beach sand for his litter tray. He behaved beautifully and hopped neatly back into the dinghy as I shoved off the beach to row back to Speedwell. He gets a little nervous around birds that match him in size and there were two crested caracaras strutting confidently around at the edge of the trees. While I had been hanging about watching Sinbad draped along a bough like a bona fide jungle cat I also quietly watched a small egret with his punk pony tail crest and jaunty yellow feet hopefully hunting the shallows for his breakfast. It was a perfectly exquisite scene and I wondered why I felt the need to move on.
Waved to Harald as I passed close by his boat on the way out. It was a pleasant day with a light Southerly breeze and for the first 20 miles I was actually able to sail. I had managed to rig up a sun awning that I could use while sailing. Just a simple canvas rectangle with strings attached to each corner that I can tie up and move about as needed. It made a wonderful difference. Unfortunately, towards evening the wind died and I had to motor the rest of the way on a glassy smooth sea with a gibbous moon lighting the way. Apart from the noise of the engine it was rather good. I removed my hearing aids.
I entered Guanabara bay at first light battling to stay awake. Sleep had been impossible of course as I was close to shore and there is quite a lot of traffic. I stopped for a while just past Ilha Redonda to make a quick cup of coffee. Still 8 miles to get to the anchorage at Clube Naval Charitas.
Two cruise ships passed me on their way in. It was only 6am and the decks were deserted. I enviously imagined all the well-upholstered passengers still slumbering in their cabins. I would have to wait another two hours for slack water and then the ingoing tide. Decided just to battle on. The current wasn’t too strong although a few times I passed through swirling eddies which threw me off course.
Past the beach at Copacabana, the big, illuminated Christ statue on Corcovado and the looming Pão d’Açúcar, wispily shrouded in cloud. Such famous familiar sights and yet still wonderful. At last I made my way in front of the big fort guarding the entrance. The swell surging and swirling against the enormous slabs of rock that it’s built on.
Then into the perfectly calm and protected waters of Niteroí. A pair of Brown Boobies glided past close by, in playful formation low over the smooth water, wingtips almost touching. I anchored off Charitas, tidied things up a bit and slept till lunch time.