Thu Sep 3 0:00:00 EDT 2009
We sailed the Happy Shark Route to Rio Itajai to get to the cities of Navegantes and Itajai, which are on opposite sides of the river (Rio Itajai). I had been told by several people that boatyards in this area are the best place in Brazil to get work done on boats, as they build and repair many fishing boats here. This is not a yachting area, and repairs to shinyboats are mostly done around Santos (near Sao Paolo), where there is a big yacht repair industry. I was looking to get some carpentry and welding done, so thought the Rio Itajai area sounded good.
The only problem was that no one I talked to could tell me exactly where to go in the Rio Itajai area, other than "up the river". None of the cruising guides mention it, and I didn't have much luck with googling for names of boatyards (or marinas) here. The river was well-charted for about five miles. The river is dredged, and the ports handle a fair amount of container ships. The chart showed fish processing, oil terminals, and docks for ice and water.
About 20 miles south of Rio Itajai, I could see places to anchor, one with protection from all but south winds, one with protection from all but north winds. So if we could not find a place to dock along the river, we could still anchor and sleep (it is important to think about a place to sleep after a passage where you don't get much sleep).
So, not exactly knowing where we were going :), but knowing safe places to anchor near the destination, and having Del's Portuguese skills for asking questions (my Portuguese is quite basic), we set sail for Rio Itajai.
The plan was to arrive during the day, during the week (so boatyards would be open), and anchor beforehand if necessary to get the arrival timing right. We arrived during early afternoon, and motored a few miles up the river until we found boatyards. We tied alongside a fishing boat at one of the boatyards and Del found the manager and we talked to him about the work. The boatyard seems capable.
Del took a flight back to Angra dos Reis, where he lives. I am working on the boat in Navegantes.
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Comments [0]
Wed Sep 2 0:00:00 EDT 2009
While talking with Del and friends before this trip, he mentioned that the route we were taking was what his coworkers (who are airplane pilots) called the Happy Shark Route. Pilots call it this because it jumps far away from the coast, so if a plane takes this route and goes down, the sharks are happy!
Sailors don't tend to think in terms of the happiness (or well-being in general) of sharks :). Sailors think in terms of avoiding the land (ie avoiding being driven ashore or wrecked on the rocks) and taking the easiest path between two points which, (in an ocean-going type of sailboat), is usually an offshore route.
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Tue Sep 1 0:00:00 EDT 2009
I am now finally out of the tropics, and quite happy about that (I like cooler temperatures). The weather has been very pleasant since leaving the tropics.
Maggie went back to work a few weeks ago (I have used several of her pictures on the blog since then). Del, a helicopter pilot I met at the friendly yacht club in Angra dos Reis is with me on this so-far sunny trip towards Navegantes, Santa Catarina, Brazil, along the Happy Shark Route (more about that tomorrow)...
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Sun Aug 30 8:59:38 EDT 2009, Angra Dos Reis, RJ, Brazil
Angra Dos Reis is a pretty town on the mainland, nestled in a picturesque bay facing Ilha Grande, about halfway between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo.
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Sat Aug 29 8:53:59 EDT 2009, Angra Dos Reis, RJ, Brazil
A somewhat larger marine railway than the one shown yesterday. This one is in the mainland town of Angra Dos Reis, very near to Ilha Grande.
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Fri Aug 28 8:35:59 EDT 2009, Ilha Grande, RJ, Brazil
Marine railways are used to haul boats out of the water for repairs. The boat is brought into shallow water at high tide, on top of the cradle. After the tide goes out and the boat is supported by the cradle, it is pulled away from the water. This is the smallest marine railway I have ever seen.
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Tue Aug 25 14:34:29 EDT 2009, Ilha Grande, RJ, Brazil
Seems more appropriate to just run a boat up on the beach than to build and maintain a dock. Lots of boats are put on the beach here between tides and to do work on them.
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Sun Aug 23 6:55:12 EDT 2009, Ilha Grande, RJ, Brazil
Actually, I'm not sure they are condominiums, they just remind me of them.
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Sat Aug 22 6:44:37 EDT 2009, Ilha Grande, RJ, Brazil
I think lawns look better when boats are being built on them.
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Mon Aug 17 6:39:22 EDT 2009, Ilha Grande, RJ, Brazil
Life on the edge of the tropics.
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Because otherwise I WANT TO MOVE THERE.
:D
looks lovely.
If you like fruit and fish, there is not a big requirement to have money here.
